The Australian pavilion is a structure that houses Australia's national representation during the Venice Biennale arts and architecture festivals. Although Australia has been represented at the arts festival since 1954, the first pavilion was only built in 1987, and replaced by a permanent structure in 2015.
Background
Formal participation by Australia in the Venice Biennale began in 1954. From 1978, the Australian Council for the Arts (now Creative Australia), managed and supported the national representation in the festival. In 2019 the Australia Council took over the commissioning of the works, which it does by open call for proposals.
there are 29 national pavilions built over a long period of time within the Giardini della Biennale (Biennale Gardens).
Buildings Original pavilion (1987) The Australian pavilion was designed in 1987 by the Australia Council's Design Arts Board and constructed by 1988. The two-level single exhibition space includes a veranda-style entrance with a courtyard constructed around a pre-existing tree. This connection between internal space and landscape was designed to relate to architectural themes in Australia. The curvature of the pavilion's sheet metal roof is meant to invoke a wave.
The original Australian Pavilion, designed by Philip Cox to be a temporary structure of fiber cement and steel,Barbara Graustark (May 7, 2015), Australia's Black Box At The Biennale New York Times. was opened in 1988 at the western edge of the Giardini.Martino, Enzo Di. The History of the Venice Biennale. Venezia: Papiro Arte, 2007. Italian-born Australian industrialist Franco Belgiorno-Nettis had previously lobbied so successfully that in 1988 Australia beat 16 other countries to the last site on which to build a permanent pavilion in the Giardini.Jeremy Eccles (December 13, 2013), Banker Simon Mordant on the new Australian pavilion in Venice Financial Times. Cox and other generous donors gifted the pavilion to the Commonwealth Government.The Australian Pavilion Australia Council for the Arts. The pavilion was not heritage-protected because of its temporary status.Janelle Carrigan (May 6, 2015), Australian Politics at the Venice Biennale New York Times.
New pavilion (2015) A new, permanent pavilion was designed by architectural practice Denton Corker Marshall and completed in 2015.Louisa Buck (June 27, 2012), Australia's new Venice pavilion to be built with private money The Art Newspaper. Built from concrete and steel, the two-storey structure contains of exhibition space, and the exterior is covered in black granite from Zimbabwe.Nadja Sayej (May 6, 2015), Venice Biennale: Cate Blanchett and George Brandis open $7.5m Australian pavilion The Guardian.
Although Australia's participation at the Venice Biennale was being managed by the Australia Council, funded by the Commonwealth Government, all of the million originally needed for the new building had to be raised from the private sector. Eventually, the pavilion cost $7.5 million to build, $1 million of which was funded by the Australia Council; the rest was donated by 82 private Australian donors, including actress Cate Blanchett and producer Santo Cilauro.Katya Wachtel (May 6, 2015), The New Australia Pavilion Opens at the 56th Venice Biennale Broadsheet Melbourne.
The pavilion has won several architectural awards: 2012: First Prize – Design Competition 2016: AIA National Jorn Utzon Award for the Most Outstanding Work of International Architecture 2016: AIA International Architecture Awards – Award for Most Outstanding Work of Public Architecture Abroad
Representation by year Until 2019, the Art Biennale used to take place in odd years and the Architecture Biennale in even years, but after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a postponement, the Art Biennale now takes place in even years (2022, 2024) and the Architecture Biennale in odd years (2021, 2023).
In the arts festival
Before the pavilion was built 1954 — Sidney Nolan, Russell Drysdale, William Dobell 1956 — Albert Tucker 1958 — Arthur Streeton, Arthur Boyd 1978 — Ken Unsworth, John Davis, Robert Owen 1980 — Mike Parr, Tony Coleing, Kevin Mortensen 1982 — Peter Booth, Rosalie Gascoigne 1984 — no participation 1986 — Imants Tillers
In the first Australian Pavilion 1988 — Arthur Boyd (Curator: Grazia Gunn) (Peter Tyndall was exhibited in the Arsenale) 1990 — Trevor Nickolls, Rover Thomas 1993 — Jenny Watson (Curator: Judy Annear) 1995 — Bill Henson (Curator: Isobel Crombie) 1997 — Judy Watson, Yvonne Koolmatrie, Emily Kngwarreye (Curators: Hetti Perkins, Brenda L Croft, Victoria Lynn) 1999 — Howard Arkley (Curator: Timothy Morrell) 2001 — Lyndal Jones (Curator: John Barret-Lennard) 2003 — Patricia Piccinini (Curator: Linda Michael) 2005 — Ricky Swallow (Curator: Charlotte Day)Roderick Conway Morris (June 14, 2015), Pushing boundaries at Venice Biennale New York Times. 2007 — Callum Morton, Susan Norrie, Daniel von Sturmer 2009 — Shaun Gladwell, Vernon Ah Kee, Ken Yonetani, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro (Curator: Felicity Fenner) 2011 — Hany Armanious (Curator: Anne Ellegood) 2013 — Simryn Gill (Curator: Catherine de Zegher)
In the new Australian pavilion 2015 — Fiona Margaret Hall (Curator: Linda Michael) 2017 — Tracey Moffatt (Curator: Natalie King)Dylan Rainforth (December 15, 2015), Indigenous artist Tracey Moffatt to represent Australia at 2017 Venice Biennale The Sydney Morning Herald. 2019 — Angelica Mesiti (Curator: Juliana Engberg) 2022 — Marco Fusinato (Curator: Alexie Glass-Kantor)Alex Greenberger (November 1, 2019), Australia Picks Sound Artist Marco Fusinato for 2021 Venice Biennale Pavilion ARTnews. 2024 — Archie Moore's kith and kin' (Curator: Ellie Buttrose);Alex Greenberger (8 February 2023), Archie Moore Becomes the Second-Ever First Nations Artist to Represent Australia Solo at the Venice Biennale ARTnews. winner of the Golden Lion award for Best National Participation
In the architecture festival Titles and Creative directors for each year's representation in the national pavilion at the architecture festival are as follows: 2006 — "Micro Macro City", Shane Murray and Nigel BertramJustine Clarke (September 1, 2006), Micro Macro City – Excerpts from the Australian Pavilion Architecture Australia 95 (4). 2008 — "Abundant", Neil Durbach, Vince Frost, Wendy Lewin, Kerstin Thompson, and Gary WarnerNaomi Stead, Danila Campo and Stephanie Smith (November 1, 2008), Biennale - In Venice Architecture Australia 97 (6). 2010 — "Now and When", John Gollings and Ivan RijavecColin Martin (March, 2011), Two views on the 2011 Venice Architecture Biennale Artichoke (34). 2012 — "Formations: New practices in Australian Architecture", Anthony Burke, Gerard Reinmuth, with TOKO concept designMartti Kalliala (November, 2012), Advance Australia Architecture Australia 101 (6). 2014 — "Augmented Australia: 1914 - 2014", felix._Giles_ Anderson+GoadAnnabelle Pegrum (November, 2013), 2014 Venice Biennale preview Architecture Australia 102 (6). 2016 — "The Pool", Amelia Holliday, Isabelle Toland (Aileen Sage), and Michelle TabetFiona Nixon (November, 2016), Damp power: Reflections on The Pool Architecture Australia 105 (6). 2018 — "Repair ", Mauro Baracco, Louise Wright with Linda TeggDermot Foley (August, 2018), Environment, habitat and cultural history: Repair Landscape Architecture Australia (159). 2020/21 — "Inbetween", Jefa Greenaway and Tristan WongLouis Anderson Mokak (September, 2021), What’s missing ‘in between’? Architecture Australia 110 (5). 2023 — "Unsettling Queenstown", Anthony Coupe, Julian Worrall, Emily Paech, Ali Gumillya Baker, and Sarah Rhodes 2025 — "Home", Michael Mossman, Emily Mcdaniel and Jack Gillmer-Lilley. 2027 — "Lived In", Kerstin Thompson, Maryam Gusheh, Lee-Anne Khor, and Louise Wright.
References
Further reading