Hailing from over 20 countries, over 80 contributors highlight the role architecture plays in the lives of communities in Chicago and around the world.

CHICAGO (May 23, 2019) – The Chicago Architecture Biennial announced today the contributors to the 2019 edition. Titled …and other such stories, the exhibition will form a uniquely discursive and interactive exploration of the experience of architecture and the built environment worldwide. More than 80 Biennial contributors from across four continents represent architects, artists, researchers, and social movements – in many cases collaborating across disciplines to present projects that ask urgent questions about the implications of architecture as it relates to land, memory, rights, and civic participation. Many of these contributors, especially those participating in residences and exchanges, will develop new work through a process of research and exploration prompted by the Biennial’s curatorial team. 

“Our 2019 contributors represent the diversity of thinking on architecture and spatial practice globally, each engaged in research and work that explores the potential and challenges of our everyday experiences across public and private space, as well as the motivation and potential for the future of the field.” noted Artistic Director Yesomi Umolu. “We are excited not only by the work that these contributors are already involved in, but the opportunity that the Biennial offers to expand these inquiries by connecting practices to each other and to visitors during the biennial’s run.”

Dialogue, research, and learning are a central element of this year’s edition, and as such, a number of contributors are creating new work in partnership with communities in Chicago and elsewhere — either through residencies in Chicago or official collaborations:

• Borderless Studio (Chicago, USA) — in collaboration with Herkes İçin Mimarlık (Architecture For All) (Istanbul, Turkey), studioBASAR (Bucharest, Romania), and Zorka Wollny (Berlin, Germany) — will be using the site of the decommissioned Anthony Overton Elementary School in the Bronzeville neighborhood to explore how art, design, and architecture create more inclusive approaches to repurposing civic spaces;
• MSTC (São Paulo, Brazil), in collaboration with Escola da Cidade (São Paulo, Brazil) and O Grupo Inteiro (São Paulo, Brazil), will highlight and strengthen their social action in the São Paulo housing movement and foster dialogue on urban issues between architects and social movements;
• Akinbode Akinbiyi (Berlin, Germany), who is participating in a residency at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago at Homan Square in North Lawndale, will collaborate with young people and community members to document, explore, and understand the landscape and environment of that neighborhood through a daily photography practice;
• Keleketla! Library (Johannesburg, South Africa), in collaboration with Stockyard Institute (Chicago, USA), will create a space for open dialogue on the importance of heritage sites and public housing at the site of the National Public Housing Museum at the former Jane Addams Homes;and
• The Common Ground section of the exhibition will feature programmatic projects, activating the first floor of the Biennial in a dynamic and ever changing series of salons, workshops, performances, and installations designed to bring the public into the biennial more than ever before. With the central space designed by ConstructLab (Berlin, Germany), this section includes The Funambulist (Paris, France) and Settler Colonial City Project (Ann Arbor, USA and Guayaquil, Ecuador) in collaboration with American Indian Center (founded in Chicago, USA) who, along with several additional groups who are still being confirmed, will comprise over 10 practices presenting projects and public programs throughout the course of the Biennial.

The contributors — selected by the Biennial’s curatorial team, which, in addition to Umolu, includes co-curators Sepake Angiama, a curator whose work centers on education, and Paulo Tavares, a Brazil-based architect and academic — will present works that reflect on the state of architecture as it relates to social, political, and environmental issues worldwide. 

The Biennial, which is free and open to the public across all citywide locations, will return September 19, 2019 and run through January 5, 2020. Press and professional previews will take place September 17–18, 2019. Founding sponsor BP will renew its support in 2019 as a lead sponsor alongside the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, providing a strong foundation for the event’s return. The main site of the Biennial will once again be the Chicago Cultural Center and the opening of the 2019 edition will align with EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art.

2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial Contributors

EXHIBITION CONTRIBUTORS

Adrian Blackwell (born in Toronto, Canada; lives in Toronto, Canada)

Akinbode Akinbiyi (born in Oxford, England-UK; lives in Berlin, Germany)

Alejandra Celedon (born in Edmonton, Canada; lives in Santiago, Chile) & Nicolas Stutzin (born in Santiago, Chile; lives in Santiago, Chile)

Alexandra Pirici (born in Bucharest, Romania; lives in Bucharest, Romania)

Avijit Mukul Kishore (born in Lucknow, India; lives in Mumbai, India) & Rohan Shivkumar (born inHyderabad, India; lives in Mumbai, India)

Black Quantum Futurism (founded in Philadelphia, USA)

Borderless Studio (founded in Chicago, USA)

CAMP (founded in Mumbai, India)

Carolina Caycedo (born in London, England–UK; lives in Los Angeles, USA)

Center for Spatial Research (founded in New York, USA)

Chicago Architectural Preservation Archive (founded in Chicago, USA)

Clemens von Wedemeyer (born in Göttingen, Germany; lives in Berlin, Germany)

Cohabitation Strategies (founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and New York, USA) & Urban Front (founded in New York, USA)

ConstructLab (founded in Berlin, Germany)

DAAR (Sandi Hilal, Alessandro Petti, Husam Abu Salem) (founded in Beit Sahour, Palestine)

Detroit Planning Department (founded in Detroit, USA)

Do Ho Suh (born in Seoul, South Korea; lives in London, England–UK)

FICA–Fundo Imobiliário Comunitário para Aluguel (founded in São Paulo, Brazil)

Forensic Architecture (founded in London, England–UK) & Invisible Institute (founded in Chicago, USA)

Herkes İçin Mimarlık (Architecture For All) (founded in Istanbul, Turkey)

Jimmy Robert (born in Guadeloupe–France; lives in Berlin, Germany)

Joar Nango (born in Áltá/AltaÁltá, Sápmi/Northern Norway; lives in Romssa /Tromsø, Norway)

Jorge González (born in San Juan, Puerto Rico; lives in Puerto Rico)

Keleketla! Library (founded in Johannesburg, South Africa), in collaboration with Stockyard Institute (founded in Chicago, USA)

Maria Gaspar (born in Chicago, USA; lives in Chicago, USA)

MASS Design Group (founded in Boston and Poughkeepsie, USA and Kigali, Rwanda)

MSTC (founded in São Paulo, Brazil), in collaboration with Escola da Cidade (founded in São Paulo, Brazil) andO Grupo Inteiro (founded in São Paulo, Brazil)

Ola Hassanain (born in Khartoum, Sudan; lives in Khartoum, Sudan and Utrecht, Netherlands)

Oscar Tuazon (born in Seattle, USA; lives in Los Angeles, USA)Palestine Heirloom Seed Library Project (founded in Bethlehem, Palestine)

Raumlabor (founded in Berlin, Germany)

RIWAQ - Center for Architectural Conservation (founded in Ramallah, Palestine)

RMA Architects (founded in Mumbai, India and Boston, USA)

Sammy Baloji (born in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo; lives in Brussels, Belgium and Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo) & Filip de Boeck (born in Antwerp, Belgium; lives in Brussels, Belgium and Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Santiago X, Koasati/Chamoru (born in Phoenix, USA; lives in Chicago, USA)

Settler Colonial City Project (founded in Ann Arbor USA and Guayaquil, Ecuador) in collaboration with American Indian Center (founded in Chicago, USA)

Somatic Collaborative (Felipe Correa & Devin Dobrowolski) (founded in New York, USA)

studioBASAR (founded in Bucharest, Romania)

Sweet Water Foundation (founded in Chicago, USA) 

Tania Bruguera (born in Havana, Cuba; lives in New York, USA) & Association of Arte Útil (founded in Havana, Cuba)

Tanya Lukin Linklater (born in Alaska, USA; lives in Ontario, Canada) & Tiffany Shaw-Collinge (born in Alberta, Canada; lives in Alberta, Canada)

Territorial Agency—John Palmesino & Ann-Sofi Rönnskog (founded in London, England–UK)

The Funambulist (founded in Paris, France)

Theaster Gates (born in Chicago, USA; lives in Chicago, USA)

Usina - CTAH (founded in São Paulo, USA)

Vincent Meessen (born in Baltimore, USA; lives in Brussels, Belgium)

Walter J. Hood (born in Charlotte, USA; lives in Oakland, USA)

Wendelien van Oldenborgh (born in Rotterdam, Netherlands; lives in Berlin, Germany)

Wolff Architects (founded in Cape Town, South Africa)

Zorka Wollny (born in Kraków, Poland; lives in Berlin, Germany)

PUBLICATION CONTRIBUTORS

American Indian Center (founded in Chicago, USA)

Aviwe Mandyanda (BlackStudio) (born in Mdantsane, a township in East London, South Africa; lives in Johannesburg, South Africa)

Carmen Silva (born in Santo Estêvão, Brazil; lives in São Paulo, Brazil)

cheyanne turions (born in High Prairie, Canada; lives in Vancouver)

Dr. Denise Ferreira da Silva (born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; lives in Vancouver, Canada)

ELLA (founded in Los Angeles, USA)

Emmanuel Pratt (born in Virginia, USA; lives in Chicago, USA)

Eduardo O. Kohn (lives in Montreal, Canada)

Inam Kula (born in Gugulethu, a township in Cape Town, South Africa; lives in Cape Town, South Africa)

Lesley Lokko (born in Dundee, Scotland – UK; lives in Johannesburg, South Africa)

Mario Gooden (lives in New York City, USA)

Pelin Tan (born in Hilden, Germany; lives in Mardin, Turkey)

Stephen Willats (born in London, England–UK; lives in London, England–UK)

Vincent Tao (born in Scarborough, Canada; lives in Toronto, Canada)

Virginia de Medeiros (born in Feira de Santana, Brazil; lives in São Paulo, Brazil)

Vivien Sansour (born in Jerusalem; lives in Bethlehem, Palestine and Los Angeles, USA)

Columbia Books on Architecture and the City (founded in New York City, USA)

About Chicago Architecture Biennial

The Chicago Architecture Biennial provides a platform for groundbreaking architectural projects and spatial experiments that demonstrate how creativity and innovation can radically transform our lived experience. Through its constellation of exhibitions, full-scale installations, and programming, the Biennial invites the public to engage with and think about architecture in new and unexpected ways, and to take part in a global discussion on the future of the field.

The Biennial is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to creating an international forum on architecture and urbanism. The inaugural 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial — presented in partnership with the City of Chicago and the Graham Foundation, and through the support of BP — was the manifestation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s vision for a major international architectural event and an outcome of the comprehensive cultural plan developed by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events under the leadership of Michelle T. Boone.

The 2015 and 2017 editions of the biennial, curated by Joseph Grima and Sarah Herda (2015) and Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee (2017), collectively engaged over 250 leaders in architecture and art from more than 60 cities spanning 38 nations. For more information, visit chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org.