One could say: any play is great, whereas its stage is even greater.
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As decades of biennales have proved, Venice has a charm that outperforms any curator’s statement, any biennale theme, any Golden Lion, and even the exhibition. One could say: any play is great, whereas its stage is even greater. Any biennale’s claim to contemporary fame is bearable, or even acceptable, but it is dwarfed by the centuries-old glory of a world wonder. And that’s why every two years the global professional community gathers again to not just see the show, but meet each other against the backdrop of the ultimate protagonist: Venice itself.
"Social respect and admiration for architecture are often derived from this magnetism, and are manifested by the intensity of experiencing it. Respect for the discipline is eventually not founded on intention or on an agenda. This simple insight invokes the awkwardness of so many architectural exhibitions and publications, which cannot but represent an intention or interpretation over the real thing. And it explains why more or less all architectural exhibitions fail to prove their point to anyone outside the discourse of architecture, or to a large group of people who would rather love or hate architecture than make a lengthy effort to understand it."