Commissioned by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the Türkiye Pavilion presents the exhibition titled "Grounded" at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2025. Curated by Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa, the project explores soil as a medium that carries both ecological and cultural memory, presenting it as an active ecosystem with the capacity to store and transmit information. Based on research, the project uncovers new possibilities that integrate diverse artistic and interdisciplinary perspectives. Curators invite visitors to reconsider their relationship with nature and to engage with the complexity and significance of the ground beneath their feet. The exhibition features contributions from 10 individual participants and 10 collaborative teams, alongside a selection of works chosen through an open call.
The exhibition is designed to highlight the soil's role as a source of life, memory, and knowledge. By incorporating sensory experiences, scientific documentation, architecture, and artworks, Grounded aims to highlight this often-overlooked entity that holds crucial insights into both past civilizations and current ecological systems. Combining innovative research with traditional soil-based construction methods, the exhibition facilitates an interdisciplinary approach that values both scientific and cultural perspectives.
Grounded includes a multi-sensory experience in which visitors can physically engage with soil through touch, scent, and interaction. This format highlights the environmental and cultural impacts of industrialization and unsustainable development, including the loss of biodiversity and cultural sites. By presenting traditional knowledge alongside technological practices, the exhibition focuses on themes such as climate change, sustainable livelihoods, and cyclical ecological systems.
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The exhibition includes a wide range of works, paintings, installations, architectural models, digital research, and academic studies. These pieces, produced both individually and collaboratively, offer multiple perspectives on soil and its significance. Some works remain static, while others are designed to evolve over time, forming a dynamic exhibition structure that reflects the changing nature of its subject. The project includes an accompanying publication, also titled Grounded, which offers an additional layer of reflection independent from the exhibition. The publication revisits the curatorial themes through contributions by authors from diverse disciplines, presenting a range of perspectives. In addition to detailed articles and visual documentation of the artworks and architectural projects featured in the exhibition, the book includes personal narratives from the curators, providing autobiographical insights into the development of Grounded.
Ceren Erdem, an Istanbul-based curator, has contributed to the international art scene through numerous exhibitions and publications. Her projects include "Tack, Limb, Ilizarov" at Depo, Istanbul (2023), "All Else Is Far" and "Ad Infinitum" at Dirimart, Istanbul, and "Inverse Grayscale" at Pasinger Fabrik, Munich (2016). With a solid academic background, including her MA from Columbia University, Erdem has held full-time roles at Dirimart and the Istanbul Biennial. Simultaneously, Bilge Kalfa, a Berlin-based architect and adjunct professor, runs Bilge Kalfa Architecture. Known for conscientious architectural projects and furniture design, Kalfa co-owns The Keep and has received acclaim for projects like Moda Sahnesi and Theater Hall at Boğaziçi University.
The 2025 edition of the Biennale is now open until November 23, hosting a total of 65 National Pavilions. The Türkiye Pavilion has taken part in the International Architecture Exhibition since 2014. At the previous edition of the Venice Biennale, the Türkiye Pavilion was centered around the concept of the 'Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture', aiming to draw attention to the state of unused buildings and their future potential. This year, the Kingdom of Bahrain's national pavilion was awarded Golden Lion for Best National Participation. Titled Heatwave, the exhibition was curated by architect Andrea Faraguna and located in the historic Artiglierie of the Arsenale.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 12, 2024, and updated on May 27, 2025, to include photographs of the exhibit.
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