Venice Biennale 2025 spotlights Türkiye’s Grounded exhibition, a groundbreaking showcase that redefines soil as a living, intelligent force in architecture and sustainable design. Curated by Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa, the Türkiye Pavilion challenges conventional building practices by placing soil at the heart of architectural discourse, blending scientific research, artistic interpretation, and sensory experiences. Grounded explores Türkiye’s rich heritage, ecological wisdom, and vernacular techniques, inspiring architects to embrace earth-conscious design and reimagine the future of sustainable urban development.
Türkiye Pavilion Unveils “Grounded” at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
The Türkiye Pavilion, orchestrated by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), is set to captivate audiences at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2025. Curated by Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa, the exhibition, titled Grounded, will run from May 10 to November 23, 2025.
A Tribute to Soil: The Essence of Grounded
At the core of Grounded is soil—an often overlooked yet profoundly essential element in shaping civilizations, ecosystems, and sustainable living. The exhibition reimagines soil as more than a mere foundation for construction; it positions it as a dynamic, intelligent, and living entity.
Visitors to the pavilion will encounter an immersive experience that engages their senses—touching, smelling, and even listening to the rhythms of soil. Through a combination of scientific exploration, artistic expression, and architectural interpretation, the exhibition brings to light the rich qualities of Türkiye’s earth, revealing its ecological significance and historical narratives.
Challenging Traditional Architectural Norms
Modern architecture often prioritizes control and refinement, suppressing the rawness of natural elements like soil. Grounded challenges this norm by placing soil at the heart of the architectural discourse. The exhibition argues that soil is not merely a passive medium but an active participant in the built environment, carrying memory, culture, and resilience.
By embracing indigenous materials and techniques alongside contemporary innovations, Grounded envisions architectural practices that harmonize with nature rather than dominate it. The exhibition sheds light on Türkiye’s rich architectural heritage, archaeological wonders, and vernacular wisdom, offering a blueprint for more ecologically responsible and culturally attuned design approaches.
Launch Event and Key Collaborators
The project details were unveiled at a press conference in Istanbul on March 11, 2025, at Metrohan, where curators Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa provided insights into the vision behind Grounded.
The Türkiye Pavilion is made possible through the support of key sponsors, including Schüco Türkiye and VitrA. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, has played a crucial role in bringing this project to life. Additional contributors include Fibrobeton and STONELINE, while Turkish Airlines serves as the official airline partner. Production support is provided by FÖRNİ Furniture and SAHA Association.
An Ensemble of Visionaries
The exhibition features an impressive lineup of individual participants and teams dedicated to pushing the boundaries of architectural thinking. Contributors include Hüseyin Aksoy, Michael Akstaller, E. Füsun Alioğlu & Senem Akçay, Ali Mahmut Demirel, Sinem Dişli, Yelda Gin, Ali Miharbi, Özgül Öztürk, Serkan Taycan, and Orkan Telhan.
Collaborative teams such as Bire-Pan, Common Action Walls, Herkes İçin Mimarlık & Poçolana Works, Mono Earth, Ozruh, Rec II, ReYard House, Solidified, and Yalın Architects further enrich the exhibition’s narrative.
The architectural research intern team, comprising Enes Yılmaz, Leonie Todd, Karim Gohary, Neha Goel, and Simonida Galovic, contributes valuable research insights, while Dicle Beştaş serves as the curatorial assistant.
Venice Biennale 2025 brings Türkiye’s Grounded exhibition to the forefront, redefining soil as a vital force in sustainable architecture. Curated by Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa, the showcase challenges conventional design by merging science, art, and heritage to inspire earth-conscious building practices.
A Call for Rethinking Architecture
As the world grapples with environmental challenges and the need for sustainable urban development, Grounded serves as a thought-provoking statement on how architecture can embrace the intelligence of the earth. By bridging the past with the future, Türkiye’s pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 challenges architects, designers, and visitors to rethink the relationship between the built environment and the natural world.
The Grounded exhibition is not just a showcase—it is a conversation, a movement, and a vision for a more sustainable, sensitive, and soil-conscious future.
Commenting on the relevance of the project, curators of the exhibition Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa said: ‘With Grounded, we invite visitors to view soil not as something separate, but as an integral part of the same fabric of life that surrounds us. It is not merely a surface beneath us or a resource to be extracted; rather, it is a dense, intelligent world in its own right – one we are already part of. Through material experiments, artistic documentation, and scientific observation, the exhibition encourages us to rethink our role in this dynamic exchange. It prompts us to recognise the structures we erode and the possibilities we often overlook. In doing so, it suggests ways of living and building that do not impose but instead listen to and engage with the environment.’
The post Venice Biennale 2025 Brings Türkiye’s Grounded Exhibition to Center Stage with a Revolutionary Perspective on Soil and Sustainable Architecture appeared first on Travel And Tour World.
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