Cohabitats

“Architecture shapes the monuments, the memories, and the expressions of societies and groups, creating a common language with which they debate and communicate their experiences and cultures.” - Hashim Sarkis

For the Biennale Architettura 2021, in addition to the Exhibition Catalogue and the Short Guide, the curatorial team has put together two distinct volumes, entitled Expansions and Cohabitats, in order to further elaborate on the theme of 'How will we live together?.' These books will appeal to a wide range of readers both from architecture and art communities and beyond, to include anyone who is interested in the role that creative practice can play in collectively answering the complex challenges posed by today’s unstable world.

Conceived as a record that delves deeper into a special section of the exhibition, Cohabitats comprises essays and visual material that look to the theme of the Biennale Architettura 2021 from the lens of a specific geographic location. While the main exhibition is primarily organised in five parts that contemplate a new spatial contract at five scales - as diverse beings, as new households, as emerging communities, across borders, and as one planet - this volume as well as the section of the show it is associated with, present analytical examples that speak to all five of them at once. The essays examine past and current practices of coming together in and around Venice, as well as in Addis Ababa, Beirut, India, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, New York, Prishtina, and more.

Also available: Expansions ISBN 9788836648610

Hashim Sarkis is an architect, educator, and scholar. He is principal of Hashim Sarkis Studios (HSS), established in 1998 with offices in Boston and Beirut. He is also the Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since 2015.