The Israeli Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale will explore the established mechanisms by which the country facilitates the co-existence of Holy places. As a location with special sacred status as the cradle of three Abrahamic religions, the region encompasses a variety of holy sites that are both contested and shared. Curated by Ifat Finkelman, Deborah Pinto Fdeda, Oren Sagiv and Tania CoenUzzielli, the exhibition In Statu Quo: Structures of Negotiation will, through the lens of architecture, look at the status quo regulations within these mutually sacred places.

"In the geopolitcal context of the Holy Land, the combination of historical events, myths, and traditions has created a multiplicity of places, sacred to competing groups of religions, communities and affiliations" the curatorial team argue. "These in turn, have led to the formation of an extraordinary concentration of intricate spaces, fragmented and stratified both historically and physically." Through "a delicate web of political negotiations and agreements, [...] each place preserves its own ‘modus vivendi’ while maintaining a meticulously performed protocol of daily activities, arrangements and rituals."

The curators' exploration will have visitors move through five holy sites, each raising a different phenomenon that highlights Israel’s fragile system of cohabitation and disputed territoriality. On the first floor, the exhibit will analyze the Church of Holy Sepulchre through a color-coded, 3D model of the church by the German architect Conrad Schick (1822-1901). Visitors will then be met with an animated film—co-directed and illustrated by the Tel Aviv based artist, David Polonsky—that provides the visceral experience of going up the Mughrabi Ascent, the only non-Muslim entrance leading to the upper level Temple Mount/ Haram al-Sharif /Al Aqsa.

The Mughrabi Ascent leads visitors to the third floor, which will look at the negotiation of the Western Wall's structure and use throughout history by showing 10 architectural proposals for the wall over time, including those by Louis Kahn, Moshe Safdie, and Superstudio. Adjacent to these models, the pavilion will feature a video installation by Israeli artist Nira Pereg showing rituals from both Jewish and Muslim perspectives taking place at the Cave of Patriarchs, a site of worship for both. Lastly, visitors reach the final site, Rachel's Tomb, where animated architectural drawings trace the sites transformation from an open space to a fortress tomb exclusively for Jews. 

Through these sites, In Statu Quo will follow the processes, decisions, and actions through which “monumental” sites are shaped. As the curators note, "it suggests not only the instrumental use of architecture to lay claims in the conflict but also its capacity to negotiate between different identities through spatial occurrences and programmatic possibilities."