Taiwan has officially inaugurated its collateral event at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Titled NON-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity, the exhibition opened on May 8, 2025, at the historic Palazzo delle Prigion.
Led by curators Cheng-Luen Hsueh, Sung-Chang Leo Chiang, and Meng-Tsun Su, Taiwan’s pavilion explores the nation’s architectural ingenuity through the lens of precarity, an architectural intelligence born from vulnerability. The concept of “[non]” anchors the exhibition’s framework, positioning Taiwan’s architectural culture as one that thrives in ambiguity, adapts in uncertainty, and envisions possibility through marginality.
The NON-Belief exhibition features 17 proposals that interpret Taiwan’s built environment through evolving conditions of geopolitics, climate risk, and globalization. Centered around the idea of the “island,” the design of the exhibition integrates architecture, technology, and spiritual symbolism. At the core is the TECH-island installation, a looping projection of Taiwan’s landscapes displayed on E Ink paper, capturing the interplay between technological development and environmental change.
Another striking element is the “Votive Lamp Wall,” which juxtaposes religious iconography with circuit boards and glowing microchips. This contrast reflects Taiwan’s evolving spiritual traditions amid rapid modernization and suggests a deeper dialogue between faith, technology, and cultural identity.
The Taiwan Pavilion’s impact extends beyond its physical installation through a series of international forums held during the preview period. Panels like “Gown and Town,” “Curating Precarity – Museum of the Future,” and “Inhabiting Taiwan’s Geopolitics Through Moving Images” brought together global voices to discuss the intersection of architecture, education, curatorial practice, and identity. Further dialogue continues with “Navigating Precarity and Global Flux,” a forum exploring how architecture can address unstable futures, and a guided curatorial tour that unpacks the pavilion’s conceptual layers.
The Taiwan Pavilion, organized by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and curated by a team from National Cheng Kung University, will be on view at the Palazzo delle Prigioni until November 23, 2025.
All images courtesy of National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art.
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