VENICE.- The Qatar Pavilion presents Beyti Beytak. My Home is Your Home. La mia casa è la tua casa, a two-part exhibition presented at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Beyti Beytak explores how forms of hospitality are embodied in the architecture and urban landscapes of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA). The exhibition examines how modern and contemporary architecture responds to the needs of communities while reimagining a sense of belonging.
Beyti Beytak is produced by Qatar Museums and organised by the future Art Mill Museum, featuring an installation in the Giardini della Biennale and a presentation at the ACP-Palazzo Franchetti. The 19th International Architecture Exhibition marks the first official participation of Qatar. The presentation at the ACP-Palazzo Franchetti is organized with the support of ACP Art Capital Partners. Beyti Beytak is on view to the public from May 10 to November 23, 2025.
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Commissioner of the Qatar Pavilion and Chairperson of Qatar Museums said, “The exhibition Beyti Beytak demonstrates the commitment of Qatar Museums to amplify the voices of leading modern and contemporary creatives from the Arab world and neighbouring regions. This exhibition not only highlights the profound contributions of MENASA architects to global architecture but also reflects our shared values of hospitality, community, and belonging. As we continue to shape a cultural landscape of dialogue and exchange, this exhibition serves as a testament to Qatar’s role in advancing cultural diplomacy and fostering a deeper understanding of our diverse architectural heritage.”
In the Giardini, on the site of the future Qatar Pavilion, Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari’s Community Centre (2024) showcases Lari’s humanitarian, social, cultural, and architectural development model. The temporary installation, a bamboo structure, uses techniques that were deployed by the architect as part of relief efforts prompted by the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, an organisation she co-founded in 1980. The foundation continues to establish shelters and villages for those suffering from a devastating earthquake and repeated flooding in Pakistan. The design of the Community Centre—including a perimeter veranda and dome structure topped with a waterproof palm frond roof—highlights the adaptability of bamboo, used to construct the entire centre through varied structural assemblies.
At ACP-Palazzo Franchetti, the exhibition presents the work of more than 30 architects, including several who have not previously shown in Venice. Examining three generations of architects that have worked in the MENASA region, the exhibition features drawings, photographs, models, and important archival documentation. Through these materials, Beyti Beytak explores interconnected themes of community and belonging, organised into sections dedicated to the reinvention of the oasis, city housing, community centres, mosques, museums, and gardens. A section is also devoted to the architecture and urbanism of Doha, which includes several doors from the old city that have been restored with the support of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
Among the pioneering modern architects represented are Raj Rewal (India), Nayyar Ali Dada (Pakistan), Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil (Egypt), and Minnette de Silva (Sri Lanka). Their work is highlighted along with that of a range of contemporary designers and architects, including Marina Tabassum and Nabil Haque (Bangladesh), Sameep Padora [sP + A] and Balkrishna Doshi, Vastu-Shilpa Foundation (India), DAAZ Studio (Iran), Abeer Seikaly (Jordan), Sumaya Dabbagh (Saudi Arabia), Diller Scofidio + Renfro (USA), Meriem Chabani with New South (France), among others. Beyti Beytak also reflects on the legacy of pioneering Egyptian architect and urbanist Hassan Fathy, whose work promoted social engagement while embracing vernacular forms, techniques, and materials.
Beyti Beytak is curated by Aurélien Lemonier, Art Mill Museum Curator of Architecture, Design, and Gardens, and Sean Anderson, Associate Professor at Cornell University, assisted by Virgile Alexandre. The exhibition design has been conceived by Cookies, a Paris- and Rotterdam-based architecture studio formed by Federico Martelli, Clément Périssé and Alice Grégoire.
Aurélien Lemonier said, “Conceived as a multidisciplinary institution devoted to art in all forms since 1850, the future Art Mill Museum will include architecture, design, and landscape architecture as core elements of its collections and programmes. Beyti Beytak is a testament to the richness of the MENASA region's architectural heritage and highlights the diversity and creativity of designers and architects from the Arab world and the Global South."
Sean Anderson said, “Community and belonging are expressions that inform hospitality throughout the world today. As we witness the planet's transformations, mirrored by technology’s drive toward a more collective yet divided future, Beyti Beytak responds to how architects and designers have imagined how we gather, where we reflect, and what we feel with and for each other."
The exhibition design explores the spatial possibilities of mesh, a ubiquitous architectural element found in many cultures around the world. Referred to as "mashrabiya" in the Arab world, but also known as "claustra," "cobogo," "roshan," "şanşol," "jali," "aggasi," "takrima," and "mushabek" in other regions, it is incorporated into the exhibition architecture as a display device, creating transparencies, partitions, and relationships between the content and themes in the show.
Yasmeen Lari’s Community Centre (2024) was commissioned by the future Art Mill Museum and was recently installed at the National Museum of Qatar as part of the landmark exhibition MANZAR: Art and Architecture from Pakistan 1940s to Today.
The Beyti Beytak scientific committee is composed of Catherine Grenier, Ibrahim Jaidah, Yasmeen Lari, Hafid Rakem, and Raj Rewal.
