Qatar Pavilion, Venice Biennale
Image © Lina Ghotmeh
Qatar’s future permanent pavilion in the Giardini of the Venice Biennale was unveiled in May at the opening of the 2025 International Architecture Exhibition. There had not been a new national pavilion since 1996! Lina Gotmeh Architecture (with dUCKS scéno) won the competition, which saw ten outstanding international teams compete. Its architecture combines sensitive materiality, hospitality, and cultural dialogue between Qatar and the world.
The Venice Biennale was founded in 1895 to promote contemporary arts and boost the city’s economy. The exhibitions are held in the Arsenale and in permanent national pavilions located in the Giardini di Castello, a public park in eastern Venice.
Currently numbering 30, each pavilion is under the responsibility of its country of origin, reinforcing the architectural and aesthetic uniqueness of each building. The national pavilions present iconic artists from their art scene in several sections (Art, Architecture, Cinema, Dance, Music, Theater). The art biennial exhibitions now take place in even-numbered years and the architecture exhibitions in odd-numbered years, as is currently the case in 2025.
Built in 1907, the first pavilion was that of the Belgian pavilion. It was followed by pavilions from Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, France, and the Netherlands, then the Nordic countries. In the 1990s and 2000s, new pavilions appeared elsewhere in the city (notably at the Arsenale and in temporary locations) due to a lack of space available at the Giardini.
The future permanent pavilion of Qatar will be located in the prestigious Giardini gardens.
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, President of Qatar Museums, symbolically marked the location of the future Pavilion, alongside Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President of the Venice Biennale, Luigi Brugnaro, Mayor of Venice, and architect Lina Ghotmeh. The pavilion will be open to the public for the 2027 Architecture Biennale.
