ISTANBUL.- An open call and two-stage evaluation to determine the project for the Türkiye Pavilion in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition has concluded. The Selection Committee, comprising Melike Altınışık, N. Müge Cengizkan, Prof. Dr. Zeynep Çelik, Oral Göktaş, and Dr. Sait Ali Köknar, evaluated 48 projects and selected Grounded, curated by Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa, from a shortlist of three finalists, each notable for its unique content and design ideas.

Grounded approaches soil as a carrier of ecological and cultural memory, an ecosystem, a form of natural intelligence, a living archive, and a supportive model. The project was chosen for its innovative research proposal that aims to uncover new hopes for the future, mostly from Türkiye, while incorporating substantial artistic viewpoints in an interdisciplinary approach that enriches its narrative, contributes to global knowledge, and fosters critical thought.

Grounded will create a link between the past and the future by emphasising the characteristics of soil as a source of life, memory, and knowledge. Through sensory experiences, scientific documentation, architecture, and artworks, the exhibition will focus on reminding us that this entity, which is often perceived as inert and ignored, contains vital information about past civilisations, ecological systems, and the possibilities of living in harmony with nature. Grounded will bring together visions of the future that equally value life above and below the soil, and new research with vernacular construction methods with the soil.

Commissioned by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the Türkiye Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia iis realised with contributions from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, and co-sponsored by Schüco Türkiye and VitrA. The Türkiye Pavilion has taken part in the International Architecture Exhibition since 2014, thanks to the acquisition of the permanent venue at Sale d’Armi, Arsenale on the initiation of İKSV and with the support of 21 sponsors.

Curators

Ceren Erdem is an Istanbul-based curator who has worked on exhibitions and publications internationally. Some of her projects include Tack, Limb, Ilizarov, Depo, Istanbul (2023); All Else Is Far (2021) and Ad Infinitum (2019), Dirimart, Istanbul; Inverse Grayscale, Pasinger Fabrik, Munich (2016); Istanbul. Passion, Joy, Fury, Fondazione MAXXI, Rome (2015); Water Knows All My Secrets, Pratt Manhattan Gallery (2015) and Private Matters, apexart (2014), New York. Erdem has taken full-time roles at Dirimart, (Istanbul), Tina Kim Gallery (New York), British Council Turkey (Istanbul), and Istanbul Biennial. Erdem received her MA in Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies at Columbia University, New York, MFA in Visual Arts - Visual Communication Design at Sabancı University, Istanbul, and BSc in Industrial Product Design at Istanbul Technical University.

Bilge Kalfa is a Berlin-based architect, adjunct professor at Berlin International University, and owner of Bilge Kalfa Architecture. Kalfa’s expertise covers all phases of architectural and interior design, along with furniture design that emphasises natural, cyclical materials. A graduate of Istanbul Technical University’s Faculty of Architecture with a bachelor’s and master’s degree, she also co-owns The Keep, an artisanal rug company. In 2010, she received a national architectural prize for the group project İmkanmekan. She has completed numerous projects in Istanbul and Berlin, including the renowned Moda Sahnesi and Theater Hall at Boğaziçi University, with her former business partner. Her approach aims to honour the interconnectedness of life and the environment as much as possible.

The 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will be held between 10 May and 23 November 2025 (previews on 8-9 May) in Giardini, Arsenale and various sites around Venice. The theme of the exhibition had been announced by the president of La Biennale di Venezia, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, and the curator of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, Carlo Ratti as Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.