Brazil’s Architecture Pavilion at the 19th Venice Biennale Reclaims Ancestral Intelligence

The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo has announced Brazil’s participation in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, taking place from May 10 to November 23, 2025. Titled (RE)INVENTION, the project will occupy the Brazil Pavilion and is curated by Luciana Saboia, Matheus Seco, and Eder Alencar from the collective Plano Coletivo. Developed in collaboration with Brazil’s Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the exhibition draws on a recent archaeological discovery of ancestral infrastructure in the Amazon to critically reflect on socio-environmental conditions in contemporary cities.

Presented in two acts, the exhibition first explores how Indigenous peoples shaped their landscapes over 10,000 years ago, developing complex systems that integrated environmental adaptation and technical knowledge. This narrative challenges dominant perceptions of the Amazon, framing it not as untouched wilderness but as a human-shaped environment sustained through balanced occupation and ecological stewardship.

Brazil Pavilion during the opening of the Brazilian Participation at the 60th Venice Biennale. 04/17/2024 © Rafa Jacinto / Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

Brazil Pavilion during the opening of the Brazilian Participation at the 60th Venice Biennale. 04/17/2024 © Rafa Jacinto / Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

Studies of weights and counterweights, 2025, Plano Coletivo / © courtesy Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

Diagram of the (RE)Invention installation, 2025, Plano Coletivo / ©courtesy Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

The second part of the exhibition shifts the lens to present-day Brazil, investigating how architecture and infrastructure can be reinterpreted through practices that recognize, appropriate, and revalue existing materials and systems. Examples such as the Garden-Platform demonstrate inventive strategies that respond to local climates and ecological rhythms by integrating native plant species and adapting infrastructure for seasonal change.

Designed using minimal, recyclable elements, the exhibition space reconfigures the Brazilian Pavilion’s interiors through suspended structures and modular components. This flexible approach underscores the curators’ broader definition of infrastructure as both a physical and symbolic system—one that enables multiple uses, embraces adaptation, and foregrounds sustainability.

Render of the second Act: A Suspended Installation / © courtesy Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

Render of the second Act: A Suspended Installation / © courtesy Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

Render of the second Act: A Suspended Installation / © courtesy Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

By bridging ancestral wisdom with contemporary design, (RE)INVENTION proposes a model of architectural practice rooted in environmental awareness, cultural heritage, and systemic transformation. It directly responds to the 2025 Biennale’s central theme, Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., curated by Carlo Ratti, which calls for a rethinking of the relationships between intelligence, ecology, and urban space across disciplines. Brazil’s contribution highlights how architecture can serve as a tool for ecological reinvention and collective resilience.