Hans Ulrich Obrist is the president of the international jury of the Architecture Biennale 2025

It will be a high-profile Jury that will award the official prizes of the 19th. International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, scheduled from May 10 to November 23, 2025. Announced by the Board of Directors of the Venice Biennale today at the proposal of curator Carlo Ratti, the Jury will be composed of three leading figures on the international scene: Hans Ulrich Obrist (president), Paola Antonelli and Mpho Matsipa. Three names representing different experiences, fields and geographies, in keeping with the spirit of the exhibition, entitled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. A plural vision that reflects on human, artificial and collective intelligences and their implications in the built environment.

Hans Ulrich Obrist, Swiss curator and artistic director of the Serpentine in London, will lead the work of the Jury as chairman. A central figure in the world of contemporary art and culture, Obrist has redefined the role of the curator as an active mediator between disciplines. His exhibitions and interviews have made him a global reference point, able to connect artists, architects and thinkers from every corner of the planet. His nomination was motivated by his ability to combine historical memory and future vision, as well as for his constant commitment to openness and co-participation in cultural production. A profile deemed consistent with the values of Exhibition 2025.

Alongside Obrist is Paola Antonelli, Italian by birth but based in New York, where she directs the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). One of the most influential curators internationally, she has devoted her career to investigating the connections between design, technology and society. Her presence on the Jury enriches the Biennale’s perspective with a strongly multidisciplinary and accessible vision. His work lucidly addresses central themes such as climate change, social justice, and the ethics of technology, always speaking a language that is understandable even to non-specialist audiences. Completing the Jury is Mpho Matsipa, a South African architect, lecturer and curator, an expert on contemporary urbanism in African and global contexts. With a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Matsipa has worked as a lecturer and planner between the United States, Europe and Africa. Her research focuses on the cultural and political dynamics of architecture and “spatial justice,” with a particular focus on urban transformations in cities such as Johannesburg, Accra, or Kumasi. His presence will bring into the Biennale a reflection on the power of cities as spaces of inclusion, conflict and innovation.

The Jury will award three official prizes as part of the Exhibition: Golden Lion for Best National Participation; Golden Lion for Best International Exhibition Participation Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective; Silver Lion for promising participation in the International Exhibition. In addition, the Jury may award a special mention to a National Participation and up to two special mentions to participants in the International Exhibition. The award ceremony will take place in Venice on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the official opening of the Architecture Biennale.

Hans Ulrich Obrist is the president of the international jury of the Architecture Biennale 2025

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