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Chicago Architectural Biennial: The Latest Architecture and News

Chicago Architecture Biennial Curators Announce 2019 Theme

05:00 - 6 February, 2019
Chicago Architecture Biennial Curators Announce 2019 Theme , The new graphic identity of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial. by LA-based ELLA. Image Courtesy of Chicago Architecture Biennial
The new graphic identity of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial. by LA-based ELLA. Image Courtesy of Chicago Architecture Biennial

The curatorial team of the Chicago Architecture Biennial has announced the theme of the third edition of the event, to be titled "...and other such stories". The intentionally-broad theme proposes an investigation of architecture / the built environment not just as a form, but as a culmination of the conditions that shape it. ...and other such stories is a collaborative effort between Artistic Director Yesomi Umolu and co-curators Sepake Angiama (a curator focused on education) and Paulo Tavares (a Brazilian architect and academic).

Sepake Angiama, photographed by Zachary Johnston. Image Courtesy of Chicago Architecture Biennial Paulo Tavares, photographed by Gabriel Ribeiro. Image Courtesy of Chicago Architecture Biennial Yesomi Umolu, photographed by Zachary Johnston. Image Courtesy of Chicago Architecture Biennial Monadnock's 'Make Big Plans' installation at the Chicago Architecture Biennial, a reference to a quote by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham: "Make no Little Plans". Photo by Tom Harris. Image Courtesy of Chicago Architecture Biennial + 7

Social Agenda vs Social Media: Reviewing the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial

09:30 - 24 September, 2017
Social Agenda vs Social Media: Reviewing the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial, © Steve Hall
© Steve Hall

While architecture exhibitions have a tendency to be drab affairs with poorly displayed poster boards and reams of intellectualized text spouting pseudo-complex ideas, the Chicago Architecture Biennial stands out for its undeniable sense of playfulness. From its central HQ to the fringe performance events, this exhibition is bright, fun and Instagram-ready.

Chicago, like Venice, is blessed when it comes to architecture, making the city an ideal home for a recurring architecture show. The importance of this year’s iteration, the second after its inaugural event in 2015 (thus confirming its status as an actual “Biennial”), is clear. And the curators, Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee from LA-based practice Johnston Marklee, seem determined to grab people’s attention.

Chicago Works: Amanda Williams at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

16:00 - 21 September, 2017
Chicago Works: Amanda Williams at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago , Amanda Williams, Flamin’ Red Hots from Color(ed) Theory Suite, 2014–16. Courtesy of the artist/ McCormick Gallery
Amanda Williams, Flamin’ Red Hots from Color(ed) Theory Suite, 2014–16. Courtesy of the artist/ McCormick Gallery

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents the first-ever museum exhibition of breakout Chicago artist Amanda Williams, featuring a new addition to her highly acclaimed project, Color(ed) Theory, which debuted at the first Chicago Architecture Biennial. The bright, monochromatic houses painted as part of Color(ed) Theory bring attention to the overwhelming number of vacancies on Chicago’s South Side, reflecting Williams’ perspective that architecture serves as a microcosm for larger social issues. Together with new works such as A Dream or Substance, a Beamer, a Necklace or Freedom? -- where Williams invited Englewood-based collaborators to gild a room in imitation gold leaf in the same proportion of a Chicago lot, and then sealed off the room with just a small gap for viewing the gleaming interior -- Williams’ solo debut creates an experience that comments on race, class, and urban space. Chicago Works: Amanda Williams is organized by MCA Curatorial Assistant Grace Deveney and is on view from July 18 to December 31, 2017.

SO-IL with Ana Prvački Debut Musical-Spatial Performance at 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial

23:00 - 13 September, 2017
SO-IL with Ana Prvački Debut Musical-Spatial Performance at 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial, L'air pour l'air / SO-IL and Ana Prvacki. Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu
L'air pour l'air / SO-IL and Ana Prvacki. Image © Laurian Ghinitoiu

Today SO-IL, in collaboration with Ana Prvački, debuted L’air pour air on the occasion of the press preview of the second edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial. The performance explores the art of performing behind a filter in an age where many cities suffer from the environmental impact of human habitation. Described as "part installation and part musical performance," the creators have drawn inspiration from abundant plant life and the interconnectedness of people and nature.

Lakefront Kiosk / Ultramoderne

14:00 - 6 December, 2015
Lakefront Kiosk / Ultramoderne, © Naho Kubota Photography
© Naho Kubota Photography

© Tom Harris © Tom Harris © Tom Harris © Naho Kubota Photography + 33

Chicago Architecture Biennial Announces Lakefront Kiosk Winners

08:00 - 5 August, 2015
Chicago Architecture Biennial Announces Lakefront Kiosk Winners, Finalist: Lakefront Kiosk / TRU Architekten. Image Courtesy of The Chicago Architecture Biennial
Finalist: Lakefront Kiosk / TRU Architekten. Image Courtesy of The Chicago Architecture Biennial

The Chicago Architecture Biennial, in partnership with the Chicago Park District and BP, has announced the winner of its Lakefront Kiosk Competition, which sought out designs for an innovative lakefront kiosk to be inaugurated on October 3 for the opening of the Biennial.

In addition to the winner of the competition, the Biennial is also partnering with local schools—the Illinois Institute of Technology, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago—in order to build three more kiosks to be featured at the Biennial. View the grand prize design, as well as three competition finalists, honorable mentions, and the three architecture school designs after the break.