The Architecture Biennale

Arguably the world’s most prestigious and influential contemporary architecture event, the Venice Biennale has long been shadowed by speculations, jealousy, and secrecy about the hidden mechanisms and economies that sustain it. Architectural theorist and sociologist Albena Yaneva takes readers behind the scenes of the Biennale to reveal how such exhibitions are imagined, negotiated, curated, and brought into being. Centred on the Biennale’s 2025 edition, the book offers a rare and compelling account of the tactics, challenges, and compromises that shape this global cultural event – a vivid portrait of the Biennale as a complex and contested enterprise.