Since 2000, Taiwan has participated in the Venice Architecture Biennale, gradually inviting prominent domestic architectural teams and curators to represent Taiwan on this international stage, showcasing the development of contemporary Taiwanese architecture.
From the 7th Biennale “Cities on the Move”, the 8th “2050 Taiwan: Next Exit”, the 9th “Breeding Project – From Tainan to Venice”, the 10th “Return to Paradise – Taiwan’s Micro Cities”, the 11th “Night City”, to the 12th “At Rest: Variations of Contemporary Taiwanese Spaces”, Taiwan has continuously presented the unique characteristics of its architectural art to the world, fostering exchanges and dialogue with global architecture communities.
This year, the Taiwan Pavilion is themed “Geographical Enlightenment”, adopting a cultural-geography approach to architectural thinking. The exhibition simulates natural forms or naturalistic representations to achieve a sense of nature and employs a geographer’s experimental methodology to construct Taiwan’s architectural story along the Tropic of Cancer. This provides an alternative sensory experience and spatial thinking.
The exhibition emphasizes showcasing Taiwan’s multicultural spatial forms and will be promoted through integrated marketing strategies, including domestic and international media activities, aiming to gain international media exposure and enhance the significance of Taiwan’s participation in global architectural exchanges.
Theme: Geographical Enlightenment
Architect / Geographer: Le Foyer de Taiwan
Aesthetic understanding does not originate from Western enlightenment. What shapes us are the intense heat, the annual typhoon season, and the instability caused by tectonic activity in the Pacific. These reflections come from the land itself—a “geographical enlightenment” that informs thought and action. Architectural culture is nourished by geography and the memories embedded in the soil. This exhibition encourages visitors to rediscover Taiwan from a geographer’s perspective.
Through the dialogue between architects Liao Weili and Lin Youhan, and the on-site construction practice by Liao Mingbin of Qing Shui Architecture Workshop, visitors gain insight into Taiwan’s diverse architectural landscapes. The exhibition space is primarily constructed using corrugated cardboard. Liao Weili and Lin Youhan apply two different techniques to create layered and rich spatial experiences.
Upon entry, visitors encounter Lin Youhan’s exhibition area, where space is generated through subtraction. While moving through the downward-carved living spaces, the sightline is constrained at 150 cm, approximately the average eye level of a Taiwanese person. Liao Weili’s design complements this perspective through stacking. Using 150 cm as a baseline corresponding to 0 meters above sea level, every additional 30 cm represents a 100-meter increase in elevation. Layers may protrude to serve as seating or display platforms, or be recessed to house exhibits or allow natural light into the exhibition.
Exhibits are arranged in strips following the texture of the corrugated cardboard, corresponding to their respective elevations and reflecting the environmental and geographical characteristics of their locations.
The exhibition space is divided into two layers: the inner, excavated area by Lin Youhan critiques living-scale dimensions through the uniform 150 cm horizontal sightline. The outer layer forms contour-line pathways designed by Liao Weili, reflecting Taiwan’s topography. The interplay between living-scale and geographical-scale boundaries, and the spatial tension created by the different elevations of the two areas, is one of the exhibition’s most intriguing aspects.
Curator and Participating Architects
Curator: Liu Kefeng
Participating Architects: Liao Weili, Lin Youhan, Liao Mingbin
