The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism, and State Property of Montenegro (Organiser) announces the Competition for the Selection of an Exhibition Proposal to Represent Montenegro at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice – Biennale Architettura (hereinafter referred to as the Architecture Biennale).
The Architecture Biennale (Mostra Internazionale di Architettura – Biennale Architettura) is the leading global exhibition in the field of architecture, which establishes the current conditions, defines issues, explores possibilities, and outlines perspectives in the development of the profession. This year's edition of the Biennale is scheduled to take place from 10 May to 23 November in Venice (https://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/2025).
On the occasion of its participation in this year's Architecture Biennale, Montenegro will open a national pavilion in the ArteNova gallery space, located at Campo San Lorenzo in Venice.
The concept of Montenegro's national presentation at the upcoming Architecture Biennale will bear the title: TERRAM INTELLIGERE, while any potential subtitle, if necessary, will be formulated later, based on the selected project that will represent Montenegro at the exhibition.
TERRAM INTELLIGERE, which translates directly into Italian as Comprendere la terra, into English as To Understand the Land, and into the languages of our region as Razumjeti zemlju, places emphasis on "land" – the fantastic natural formations of Montenegro – and on the infinitive verb "to understand," which actively calls for imaginative and subtler approaches, more detailed interpretations, and new narratives from the dialogue between humanity and the land.
Montenegro's national presentation will focus on one or more phenomena recognised within the territory of Montenegro, which primarily relate to some of the points outlined in the given framework, with particular attention to the question: How can we recognise existing or establish new approaches to complete natural systems, so that our role is not merely exploitative or passive?
The subject of the competition is the call for the selection of an exhibition proposal to represent Montenegro at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice.
The aim of the competition is the selection of an exhibition proposal to represent Montenegro at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice.
In terms of its nature, the competition is both general and invitation-based, single-stage, and non-anonymous.
The following authors and author teams have been invited to participate in the competition for the selection of an exhibition proposal to represent Montenegro at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice:
· Marko Brajović;
· Dijana Vučinić;
· Ivan Šuković;
· Marko Stjepčević;
· Branislav Redžić and Milica Tasić.
In addition to the invited participants, the competition is open to all interested authors and teams who meet the competition requirements. All submitted entries will be treated equally in the evaluation process.
By submitting a proposal, participants accept all the terms and conditions of the competition. Meeting the competition requirements is the prerequisite for the further evaluation of the submitted proposal. The conditions for participation in the competition are as follows:
- Individuals or teams are eligible to participate in the competition;
- Each individual (whether part of a team or not) may submit only one proposal;
- Participating teams must be composed of professionals from different disciplines, with at least one architect;
- Participating teams must have at least one team member with Montenegrin citizenship;
- If the participant is an individual, they must be an architect with Montenegrin citizenship;
- The contract for the realisation of the project with the selected national representative at the Architecture Biennale, as well as all legal and formal matters related to Montenegro’s participation in the Architecture Biennale, will be conducted through legal or natural persons, depending on whether the competition participant is a legal person, natural person, or a group of natural persons. Authorial teams consisting of natural persons are required to appoint one member to whom the payment will be made (detailed information is provided in the appendix of the Call – Statement Form for individuals and legal entities).
The jury of the competition for the selection of an exhibition proposal to represent Montenegro at this year’s Architecture Biennale comprises:
1. Mirjana Đurišić, Commissioner of Montenegro's participation at the Architecture Biennale;
2. Dr Miljana Zeković, Curator of Montenegro's participation at the Architecture Biennale;
3. Dr Veljko Radulović, Professor at the Faculty of Architecture in Podgorica, University of Montenegro;
4. Tamara Marović, M.Arch., member of the creative team representing Montenegro at the Architecture Biennale;
5. Maja Radonjić, M.Arch., member of the creative team representing Montenegro at the Architecture Biennale.
Competition deadlines
· 21.01.2025 - Competition announcement on the official website of the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism, and State Property.
· 24.01.2024 – Deadline to submit questions;
· 27.01.2024 – Replies to the questions of participants published on the official website of the Ministry;
· 10.02.2025 – Deadline to submit competition proposals (14h CET);
· 14.02.2025 – Deadline for the Jury's decision and notification of the decision.
