Denton Corker Marshall completes new Australian pavilion for the Venice Biennale


Granite-clad pavilion due to open for the 56th International Art Exhibition


Australian practice Denton Corker Marshall has finished Australia’s new pavilion for the Venice Biennale.

The granite-clad building replaces a pavilion designed by Australian architect Philip Cox that was originally intended to be temporary when it first opened in 1988.

Denton Corker Marshall’s two-level concrete and steel structure is conceived as a white box within a black box. The dark, rectilinear block cantilevers over the Rio dei Giardini canal and features large operable panels on three sides with one panel serving as the building’s entrance. Inside there is an entrance foyer and 240 sq m of exhibition space finished with a polished concrete floor and white walls.

Says Denton Corker Marshall: ‘Our idea is to create a simple yet confident, memorable, powerful pavilion. Standing apart but respectful of the historic garden setting; timeless but with vitality, tactility and materiality that invites curiosity and engagement.’

Australia is now one of 29 countries represented with a national presence in Venice’s Giardini della Biennale. The pavilion is the first 21st century pavilion and will be opened at the 56th International Art Exhibition, la Biennale di Venezia, in May this year.

Photo by John Gollings, courtesy of The Australia Council for the Arts

 








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