Aiming to propose “ordinary” solutions that meet the needs of the majority of people in Chile, the open call for the Feria Libre de Arquitectura—as this year's XXI Chilean Architecture Biennial is known—received 543 registrations, “a historic figure for this type of event,” according to the organizers.
Of the 543 registered works, 202 are from the Metropolitan Region, with the remainder coming from regions such as Valparaíso (50), Tarapacá (43), and Los Lagos (55). Additionally, 522 were built in Chile and 21 abroad. By category, registrations include 458 architectural works, 34 urban projects, and 51 artistic creations.
The selection committee will now evaluate the submissions and release the pre-selection shortlist on May 27. The committee is composed of Tomás Villalón, co-curator of the XXI Architecture and Urbanism Biennial; Alfonso Crestá, President of the Antofagasta Architects Association; Edward Rojas, 2016 National Architecture Prize winner; Mario Marchant, 2011 Young Architect Award winner; Nicole Labbé, professor at Universidad Diego Portales; Alejandra Celedón, curator of the Chilean Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale; and Pablo Altikes, prominent architect and academic.
Publications, Research, Projects, and Activities
The call for publications received 133 submissions, including books, magazines, websites, and more informal formats such as fanzines, also showing strong regional representation. Meanwhile, the call for research received 139 submissions. Notably, this call was open to both professionals and students, with nearly equal participation from both groups (52.5% and 47.5%, respectively).
Finally, the call for activities—one of this Biennial's new features—will remain open until September 23. It invites the general public to propose workshops (open classrooms, public lectures, workshops, etc.), forums (seminars, discussions, or similar), publication launches (print or digital), interventions (temporary or performative within the neighborhood), and any other initiative that involves audience participation and is self-managed by the proposers.
The XXI Chilean Architecture and Urbanism Biennial is organized by the Chilean Architects Association through the Espacio y Desarrollo Foundation. It is supported by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage through the National Architecture Fondart. The curatorial team includes Beatriz Coeffé, Vesna Obilinovic, Joaquín González, Juan Pablo Urrutia, and Tomás Villalón.
This article was written by Nicolás Valencia. The translation is powered by AI.
