The Türkiye Pavilion has announced "Spolia Futures" as its official exhibition for the 20th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, which will take place from May 8 to November 21, 2027. Commissioned by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the exhibition will be curated by ba-be commons, a research collective composed of Başak Eren, Asya Ece Uzmay, Beril Sarısakal Erkent, and Ece Yetim. The proposal was selected through an open call and two-stage evaluation process to represent Türkiye at the 2027 edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale. The proposal examines spolia, traditionally understood as the reuse of architectural elements, as an evolving architectural method rather than solely a historical practice.
Organized around the themes of coexistence, archiving, slowing down, repair, and future speculation, the exhibition explores how inherited materials and construction practices can generate new relationships between architecture, ecology, memory, and society. Through this framework, "Spolia Futures" considers how reuse and transformation can inform architectural responses to contemporary environmental and social challenges.
Drawing from Türkiye's traditions of making, repairing, and material reuse, the exhibition proposes a circular and collective approach to architectural production that contrasts with extractive models of resource consumption. The curatorial concept presents spolia as a regenerative practice that extends beyond material preservation to address broader questions of ecological responsibility and cultural continuity. These ideas will be translated into the exhibition design, inviting visitors to engage with the architectural legacies embedded in existing materials while considering their relevance for future forms of practice.
Founded by Başak Eren, Asya Ece Uzmay, Beril Sarısakal Erkent, and Ece Yetim, ba-be commons is a research collective whose collaboration began at the Faculty of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University. Başak Eren is a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design, where her work examines displaced architectures and archival representation. Asya Ece Uzmay is a PhD candidate at Cornell University researching the histories of architecture, infrastructure, and resource management in late Ottoman and post-Ottoman geographies, while Beril Sarısakal Erkent is pursuing doctoral research at Columbia GSAPP on architectural knowledge, technocracy, and the political dimensions of design history. Ece Yetim teaches at the Wentworth Institute of Technology and the Rhode Island School of Design, where her work focuses on architectural representation, public space, and collective agency through drawing and design research.
The announcement follows the Türkiye Pavilion's presentation of "Grounded" at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa. Exploring soil as both a material and cultural agent, the exhibition examined its role in shaping ecological systems, construction practices, and collective memory through contributions from architects, artists, and researchers. With "Spolia Futures," the pavilion continues to engage material culture as a lens for architectural inquiry, shifting the focus toward reuse, repair, and the evolving life of the built environment.
The announcement adds Türkiye to the growing list of national participations revealed the 20th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu under the theme Do Architecture — For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality. Recent announcements include Australia's Lived In, which examines multi-dwelling housing through the Housing Atlas of Australia research initiative; Austria's Koncesija / Konzession / Concession(e), proposing a cooperative concession with Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Switzerland's exhibition curated by Paola Viganò, exploring water as a territorial, ecological, and political condition.
We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the 2027 Venice Biennale.
