Minister Madigan announces Annex as Ireland’s representation at the 17th Biennale Architettura

The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD, is delighted to announce that Annex has been selected to represent Ireland at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, Biennale Architettura 2020.

Annex is an international research and design collective founded in 2019. The collective is comprised of a team of architects, artists, and urbanists including Sven Anderson, Alan Butler, David Capener, Donal Lally, Clare Lyster and Fiona McDermott. Annex was selected to present Ireland’s national exhibition at the Biennale Architettura next year following an open call by Culture Ireland, in partnership with the Arts Council.

Minister Madigan said: “Annex has proposed a pertinent and exciting exhibition on the relationships between architecture and data infrastructure. Ireland is well placed to advance discourse on data infrastructure in contemporary architecture practice and it is a theme which resonates globally."

The exhibition entitled “Entanglement” examines architecture and data assemblages, aims to make the Irish pavilion at Venice in 2020 the catalyst for an important and timely national and international conversation. Annex said

“We are excited to explore how design can meaningfully respond to the impact of data infrastructures and networked technologies, the ways by which they are imagined, the spaces they create, and the ways they connect to our habits and desires.”

Annex’s exhibition is responsive to the theme for the Biennale for 2020 set by the curator Hashim Sarkis “How will we live together?” Under this theme Sarkis calls on architects to imagine spaces in which we can generously live together as human beings and connect with one another and with other species across digital and real space. Annex also responds to the curator’s invitation to architects participating in the Biennale Architettura to engage with other professions to deliver their exhibitions.

The Biennale Architettura, which will be run from 23 May to 29 November 2020, remains the most important global platform for the exhibition of architecture involving the public, members of civil society, individuals and institutions.

Ireland at Venice is an initiative of the Culture Ireland in partnership with the Arts Council. The Biennale Architettura 2020 serves as a global showcase for Irish architecture and offers the opportunity for Irish architects to engage with international audiences.  Ireland at Venice will build on Ireland’s strong presence at the Venice Biennale last year which was curated by Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell of Grafton Architects.

Ireland's exhibition will tour in Ireland in 2021 following its presentation in Venice.