The International Jury of the Biennale Architettura 2025

The international jury

The International Jury of the 19^th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is composed of Hans Ulrich Obrist (President), Swiss curator, critic, and art historian, Artistic Director of the Serpentine in London; Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, and Director, Research and Development at MoMA in New York; and Mpho Matsipa, South African architect, lecturer, and curator.

The composition of the Jury was approved by the Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia upon the recommendation of Carlo Ratti, the Curator of the 19^th Exhibition titled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. (10 May – 23 November 2025), with the following motivations:

Hans Ulrich Obrist (Switzerland) – President – through his work he has redefined the profound significance of the curator’s role. Through exhibitions, artistic directions and publications, he has championed the duties of openness and co-participation as fundamental principles in the processes of cultural production in the contemporary world. His curiosity across all disciplines, his dialectical flair and talent as a tireless interviewer have placed him at the centre of one of the most extensive international networks of creators of art and architecture. He possesses both historical memory and a future-oriented perspective in equal measure, and will bring these gifts to bear in guiding the jury to formulate its judgment on the works of the participants in the Exhibition.

Paola Antonelli (Italy), Senior Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, and Director, Research and Development at MoMA in New York, brings into play a deep understanding of the connections between design, technology and society. She has achieved international recognition as a key figure in exploring and defining the new frontiers of design, conceived within an absolutely multidisciplinary framework. The ability of her work to address important social and environmental issues, while speaking a language that is accessible to a wider non-specialist public, resonates closely with the vocation of Biennale Architettura 2025.

Mpho Matsipa (South Africa), an architect, teacher, curator and Associate Professor at the Bartlett School of Architecture, was selected to be a member of the jury for her capacity to bring together critical research and the practice of design, exploring the complexity of contemporary urbanism in the African and global contexts. Matsipa earned her Ph.D in Architecture at University of California UC Berkeley and was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She has taught and practiced professionally in the United States, South Africa, Germany and the United Kingdom. She brings a unique perspective to the impact of cultural and political dynamics on architecture, with special attention to urban transformations in South Africa, Ghana and other countries of the African continent, exploring the potential of cities to be spaces of inclusion and innovation, based on the concept of “spatial justice”.

The International Jury will award the following official prizes:

• Golden Lion for best National Participation
• Golden Lion for best participant in the 19^th International Exhibition Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.
• Silver Lion for a promising participant in the 19^th International Exhibition Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.

The Jury may also award:

• a maximum of one special mention to National Participations
• a maximum of two special mentions to the participants in the 19^th International Exhibition Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.

The Awards Ceremony will be held in Venice on Saturday, 10^th May 2025.