The international jury for this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale has been announced by the fair’s Board of Directors in advance of its May 20th opening.

The 18th International Architecture Exhibition will be judged by the Italian architect and curator Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli (who will serve as President of the jury); Palestinian architect and curator Nora Akawi; &South-African Cityscapes co-founder, curator, and editor Tau Tavengwa; Spain- and London-based Polish academic Izabela Wieczorek; and Studio Museum in Harlem Director Thelma Golden.

They were each recommended by the Exhibition’s curator, the African Futures Institute founder Lesley Lokko, and will be tasked with judging the Golden Lion for best National Participation; the Golden Lion for best participant in the International Exhibition; and the Silver Lion for a promising young participant in the International Exhibition, in addition to a potential special mention to National Participations and up to two for participants in the International Exhibition.

Each jurist comes highly vetted with experience that includes a recent Harvard Loeb fellowship (Tavengwa); a profile as one of the most recognized figures in the museum industry (Golden); and past Biennale curation experience (Akawi, Laparelli, and Wieczorek). 

The awards selection will be announced via a special ceremony to coincide with the Biennale’s commencement on May 20th. The exhibition is organized under the theme The Laboratory of the Future. Events and installations will take place in both the Giardini and Arsenale sections of Venice until the close of festivities on November 26th.