Venice Biennale Creative Directors announced
The First Nations design team comprises Dr Mossman and Ms Davidson from the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, along with Emily McDaniel, Jack Gillmer, Clarence Slockee, Kaylie Salvatori and Bradley Kerr.
Chosen from twenty-one entries and four finalists HOME incorporates physical, interactive and virtual media to explore Indigenous knowledge and the importance of dialogue, offering an immersive experience that fosters deep connections to culture and Country.
For Dr Mossman, the Australia Pavilion will provide an experience that invites guests to contribute and offer expressions to leave behind for others to learn from and enact new knowledge in responding to the question: “what does Home mean to you?”.
This will bring rich cultural programming to the pavilion and feature storytelling, performance, future generational contributions and hands-on cultural exchanges, encouraging visitors to engage deeply with the theme of home.
University of Sydney Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Annamarie Jagose celebrated the win: “Warm congratulations to the team. Michael’s expertise in intertwining architecture with deep understandings of Country shines through in this winning proposal centred on the universally resonant concept of 'home.'”
“This is the first Venice Architecture Biennale following the Australian Indigenous Voice to Parliament Referendum. While the result did not provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the agency and self-determination they sought, it opened opportunities for impactful dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples which we will continue with HOME.
"This is an important interpretation of how the Australian Pavilion relates to Venice itself by a collective of First Nations practitioners who each bring their skills to bear in the project vision”, said Dr Donald McNeil, Acting Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and Planning.
“The fragility of that city and its lagoon are also visible in Australian landscapes, and the exhibition will signal the resilience of Country when we think through landscape and belonging."
Rammed earth will feature prominently throughout the exhibition, as seen in a curved wall and bench seat that have been designed to embrace a sand-filled ceremonial and performance space known as the “beating heart”.
The Australia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale offers a chance to present Australia’s most cutting-edge architectural ideas and practices to a global audience. It elevates the international profile of Australian architecture and fosters connections with both international and local audiences.
Jane Cassidy, National President of the Institute and member of the Curatorial Committee explained their rationale behind selecting HOME from twenty-one entries:
“The 2025 Venice Biennale Curatorial Committee’s vision was to find a team of Creative Directors who could present an Australian exhibition that tells a rich, engaging story while demonstrating the depth of Australian architectural expertise. Jack, Emily and Michael certainly exemplify this with their vision.”
“I look forward to seeing the international impact of this Indigenisation of the Venice Biennale's Australian Pavilion from May to November next year,” said Professor Jagose.
HOME will debut in the Australia Pavilion in Venice in May 2025.