Taiwanese architect Huang Sheng-yuan (黃聲遠) and his firm FieldOffice Architects will showcase how architecture transforms a place and improve people's lives at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale.
Under the theme "Living with Sky, Water & Mountain: Making Place in Yilan," the Taiwan pavilion will present Huang and FieldOffice's public projects that were developed based on their understanding about the local environment and life in Yilan from May 24 through Nov. 25.
Culture Deputy Minister Dr. Pierre Tzu-pao Yang (楊子葆) noted that architecture is a unique form of art, and the Venice Architecture Biennale is a great opportunity for Taiwan to introduce outstanding architects to the world and present how Huang and FieldOffice connect people with their land and environment through architecture.
Hsiao Tsung-huang (蕭宗煌), director of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, noted that Huang and FieldOffice have made Yilan a better place to live in with their public projects over the past two decades. The exhibition will showcase Taiwan's cultural elements and architectural creativity to international visitors.
Donato Scioscioli (蕭國君), representative of the Italian Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Office in Taipei, noted that Taiwan has participated in the Biennale since its establishment, and Huang’s projects fully echo the 2018 theme "Freespace" of the Biennale.
Wu Hsin-hsou (吳欣修), acting director-general of the Construction and Planning Agency, pointed out that local architects now seek to integrate architecture with the environment to improve everyday life in recent years. Though it is hard to achieve such goals in today's urban development, FieldOffice managed to change the environment and people's interrelations with the land through design.
During the course of the six-month Biennale, Taiwanese delegates, curator Wang Chun-hsiung (王俊雄) and Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa, exhibition consultant to the Taiwan pavilion, will discuss the architectural experiences of Taiwan in several public forums.
The Taiwan pavilion will also hold international conferences in collaboration with the pavilions of Estonia, Germany, Japan, and Turkey to explore modern architectural designs. The first of such forums featuring professionals from Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines will take place from May 24 through 27.