The Türkiye Pavilion presents Grounded, a project inspired by the sensual and cyclical nature of soil – translating the earth’s inherent versatility into architectural expression. Curators Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa invite visitors to reconsider their relationship with nature and to explore the richness and depth of the ground beneath our feet. Grounded includes works by 10 individual participants and 10 participant teams, as well as a selection made through an open call.
The Türkiye Pavilion exhibition is commissioned by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), co-sponsored since 2014 by Schüco Türkiye and VitrA, and realised with the contribution of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye. Fibrobeton and STONELINE support the Türkiye Pavilion as contributing organisations, Turkish Airlines as the airline partner. FÖRNİ Furniture, SAHA Association and Summart provide production support.
The Inauguration of the Türkiye Pavilion
Photograph: Fatih Yılmaz
The official inauguration of the Türkiye Pavilion took place on Thursday, 8 May 2025, with the participation of curators Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa, İKSV’s General Director Görgün Taner, and Deputy Director General Yeşim Gürer Oymak. Schüco Türkiye’s General Director Can Eren, and the Marketing Director of Eczacıbaşı Building Products, Hande Alaca Ün, were also present at the inauguration.
Photograph: Fatih Yılmaz
An opening reception was also held in Venice, with the participation of Consul General in Milan, Mehmet Özöktem; Honorary Consul General in Venice, Filippo Olivetti, and many other prominent figures from Turkish and international art, architecture and academic communities.
Grounded: The Exhibition
Photograph: Fatih Yılmaz
Grounded approaches soil as a carrier of ecological and cultural memory, presenting it as an ecosystem that embodies natural intelligence and serves as a living archive and supportive model. The exhibition emphasises how this often-overlooked element provides crucial insights into past civilisations and ecological systems, and highlights the potential for coexistence with nature.
Blending innovative research and traditional soil-construction, the project creates space for an interdisciplinary approach that fosters meaningful discussions, where life both above and below the soil is equally valued in a world where it is often overlooked despite being the most vital natural resource. Through the multi-sensory exhibition in which visitors will be able to feel, smell and engage with soil, the curators invite visitors to reflect upon the hidden consequences of industrial activity and unsustainable development, including but not limited to the erasure of cultural sites and biodiversity. By integrating tradition with technology, the project renews focus on climate change, livelihoods, and cyclical systems through architectural networks through not only a renewed spacial awareness, but also social, ecological and historical awareness.
Photograph: Fatih Yılmaz
The curators bring together works produced across a wide spectrum: from painting, installation, and three-dimensional architectural production to digital research techniques and academic studies. These works, produced individually and/or in groups, invite visitors to reflect on, reinterpret and reimagine the concept of the earth and soil through multiple perspectives. While some of the works are static, others evolve and transform, making the exhibition a living structure in and of itself.
Grounded: The Publication
The accompanying publication, also titled Grounded, adds an independent layer of thought to the project. The themes adopted by the curators are re-assessed from different perspectives by a plethora of authors from various disciplines. In addition to the most detailed articles and visuals about the artworks and architectural projects in the exhibition, the book also includes personal narratives from the curators, offering autobiographical insights into the making of Grounded.
The book, edited by Melis Cankara, features contributions from Aytek Soner Alpan, Sevince Bayrak, Enise Burcu Derinboğaz, Ceren Erdem, Ömür Harmanşah, Bilge Kalfa, Burcu Serdar Köknar, Aslı Odman, Bülent Tanju, and Evren Uzer.
The Turkish edition of the book, published in collaboration with YEM Publishing, is available in Türkiye at select bookstores and online. The English edition was published in collaboration with ListLab and can be obtained in bookstores at La Biennale di Venezia and through international distributors.
The Türkiye Pavilion at the Biennale Architettura 2025
The Türkiye Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia is commissioned by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV). You can find detailed information about the history of the Türkiye Pavilion and previous exhibitions here.
An open call and two-stage evaluation helped determine the project for the Türkiye Pavilion in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition. The Selection Committee, comprising Melike Altınışık, N. Müge Cengizkan, Prof. Dr. Zeynep Çelik, Oral Göktaş, and Dr. Sait Ali Köknar, evaluated 48 projects and selected Grounded, curated by Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa, from a shortlist of three finalists.
Grounded
Photograph: Fatih Yılmaz
Individual participants: Hüseyin Aksoy, Michael Akstaller, E. Füsun Alioğlu & Senem Akçay, Ali Mahmut Demirel, Sinem Dişli, Yelda Gin, Ali Miharbi, Özgül Öztürk, Serkan Taycan, Orkan Telhan
Participating teams: Atelier FY, Bire-Pan, Common Action Walls, Herkes İçin Mimarlık & Poçolana Works, Mono Earth, Ozruh, Rec II, ReYard House, Solidified, Yalın Architects
Architectural research assistants: Enes Yılmaz, Simonida Galovic
Curatorial assistant: Dicle Beştaş
Exhibition design: Bilge Kalfa Architecture
Graphic design: Paleworks (Ozan Akkoyun, Yağmur Ruzgar)
Editor: Melis Cankara
Works Featured in Grounded:
in (2025)
Concept by Ceren Erdem & Bilge Kalfa, Design by Bilge Kalfa Architecture, Produced by Förni & Mono Earth, Sound Installation by Michael Akstaller
Ali Mahmut Demirel – Gods of Latmos (2023-)
Ali Miharbi – Tremor (2025)
Atelier FY – Earthen Brick: From Excavation to Construction
Common-Action Walls (2017)
Prof. E. Füsun Alioğlu, Senem Akçay – Anatolian Vernacular Earthen Housing Architecture (Research Presentation) (2025)
Herkes İçin Mimarlık, Poçolana Works – SuperAdobe Children’s Library (2024)
Hüseyin Aksoy – Scab (2022-24)
Michael Akstaller – We Only Perceive Soil When It Reaches the Surface (2025)
Orkan Telhan – Covering Earth (2025)
OZRUH – Anti-Ruin (2025)
Özgül Öztürk – İğneada Permaculture and Ecotourism Project (2024)
Biologically Improved Precast Rammed-Earth Panels & Blocks, Bire-Pan (2023)
REC II – Muqarnas (2024)
Serkan Taycan – Shell (2011)
Sinem Dişli –Soil Pigment Separations: Revealing the Layers of Earth (2023)
Sinem Dişli – Orbs (Produced at different times)
Team Bosphorus – ReYard House (2019)
Solidified – Nevterra House (2021)
Solidified – Bio-Informed 3D-Printed Masonry (2025)
Solidified, Mono Earth – Cosmic Core (2025)
Yalın Architects – Soil Tower (2021-)
Yelda Gin – Fabricating the 21st Century Earthen Architecture
19th International Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., is curated by Carlo Ratti. The exhibition will be open to visitors across Venice, in Giardini and Arsenale as well as various other locations, from 10 May to 23 November 2025. Click for further information.