The official catalog for the 17th International Architecture Exhibition asks: how will we live together?

The official catalog for the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia consists of two volumes: the first is dedicated to the International Exhibition curated by Hashim Sarkis and the second presents the National Participations and Collateral Events. "How will we live together?" is as much a social and political question as a spatial one: rapidly changing social norms, growing political polarization, climate change and vast global inequalities are making us ask it more urgently than before. In parallel, the weakness of today's political models compels us to look at how architecture shapes inhabitation and community. The architects invited to participate in the Biennale Architettura 2021 are encouraged to include other professions and constituencies--artists, builders and craftspeople, but also politicians, journalists, social scientists and everyday citizens. In effect, the Biennale asserts the vital role of the architect as both cordial convener and custodian of the spatial contract.