TIME SPACE EXISTENCE: artists for the sustainable improvement of our life

Until 21 November 2021, the 5th edition of the architecture exhibition TIME SPACE EXISTENCE takes place in Venice. Initiated by the European Cultural Centre Italy, the broad spectrum of works by architects, photographers, sculptors and universities from all over the world can be admired at three different locations. Including works by five sculpture network members!

Time, space and existence are the buzzwords of an exhibition that particularly aims to raise awareness of philosophical themes in contemporary art, architecture and culture. The European Cultural Centre presents the 5th edition of the extensive biennial architecture exhibition opening in parallel with Biennale Architettura on 22 May, 2021, and running until 21 November, 2021 at Palazzo Bembo, Palazzo Mora and Giardini della Marinaressa.

An international group of 212 architects, artists, academics, and creative professionals from over 51 countries were invited to investigate our relationship with space and time, re-envisioning new ways of living and rethinking architecture through a larger lens. The exhibits range from conceptual works, models, videos, drawings, sculptures, photographs to site specific installations. Reflecting on the issues of our time, participants asked themselves what they can do to improve the quality of our life in a sustainable manner, with climate change, migration, water, and rapid urbanization being the major challenges. This year’s edition features projects that focus on water urbanism, green and resilient cities, development of new and natural materials, construction systems and methods. Some exhibits draw attention to the role of architecture in raising people’s awareness of the living conditions and access to resources of others, by focusing on solutions for displaced communities, discriminated groups and minorities. Moreover, the Covid-19 crisis highlights the urgent need for a holistic approach for re-thinking and redesigning our relationship with our surroundings, with each other and with all living organisms.

By bringing together stories and voices from all corners of the world and making them accessible to the wider public, TIME SPACE EXISTENCE hopes to be a place for reflections and a source of inspiration for change. Admission to the exhibition is free and it is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm (closed on Tuesdays). Its three locations are two historical palaces, Palazzo Bembo and Palazzo Mora, and the beautiful garden Giardini della Marinaressa located along the Empire Riva, the monumental promenade of the city of Venice with a breathtaking view over the Laguna.

Our members in Venice

Cornelia Hammans – Giardini della Marinaressa

Former sculpture network board member Cornelia Hammans is showing a big bronze sculpture at the Giardini della Marinaressa entitled Chaotic Harmony. This work awakens the feeling of hope and the certainty of being able to draw strength even from dark moments.
The artist made the sculpture for a family with four children, it therefore has four stylised roots at the bottom. These are followed at the top by the "womb of the family", which is also the place for transformation to the light. The "arms” or “wings" symbolize the way out into the world – “going into the light", supported by music, which is found in the form of excerpts of saxophone, harp or violin. The flag pointing upwards symbolises "united in mind". Chaos & Harmony are some of many opposites we can discover in life.

Andreas Rimpel – Giardini della Marinaressa

Andreas Rimpel is coming back to Venice for the third time. Two other works had already been exhibited at Palazzo Mora in Venice: Bad News in 2017 and Help in 2019. This time he’s showing a big bronze sculpture at the Marinaressa Garden: The Brooding Man. This work is part of a cycle representing the human being in special life situations. Rimple tries to represent the emotional world of people living today in a Cubist way. The shapes appear geometric and cubic, but the basic form is always recognizable.

Monika Casutt – Palazzo Mora

Monika Casutt is showing two clay sculptures at Palazzo Mora deeply shaped by her strong interest in ancient cultures and their powerful archaic artworks. Casutt has always given her figures neither a title nor a theme. The viewer is meant to be able to make up their own mind. She works with clay, a material that is soft, easily mouldable and changeable.

Herbert W. H. Hundrich – Palazzo Mora
The title and theme of this light installation is The ocean begins under your feet.
Hundrich's project reflects the current situation of climate change. A call for more mindfulness and respect towards nature, especially water, the life-sustaining and life-giving element. The artist dedicates this project to the city of Venice and the coastal cities of the world; they will be the first to be affected by the rising oceans.
Climate change does not differentiate people by skin colour, religion or ethnic origin, rich or poor. Climate change forces humanity to work together and requires contributions from everyone to make every life in this world worth living.

Patricia McKenna, CoExistence
Photo: Federico Vespignani.

Patricia McKenna – Palazzo Mora
Patricia McKenna’s installation CoExistence can be found in the rafters of Palazzo Mora, where a flock of birds have taken up residence. Slightly bedraggled, rough at the edges, they survey their nesting site. High on skyscrapers, Peregrine Falcons build their lofty nests on mountains of glass on pernicious ledges. Elsewhere shoots are pushing their way through tarmac as fault lines of concrete emerge revealing a hint of purest green. From the macro to the microscopic, nature constructs and weaves its way through the city, co-conspirators in finding a foothold, a place to take root and build. An alliance of shared ingenuity, adaptation and resilience. A balancing act of co-existence and optimism in the rough seas of uncertainty.

Author: Ilaria Specos
June, 2021