Latin America at the Venice Biennale: Histories of Unrealised National Pavilions

− Abstract

The article reconstructs the histories of Latin American national pavilions, which, between 1948 and 1972, had the opportunity to build a distinctly national architecture at the Giardini but ultimately did not. By consulting unpublished documentation and analysing the cross-history of the Giardini and its pavilions, this investigation contributes to the little-explored field of research of unrealised pavilions and shows how these failed attempts are part of the dynamics and difficulties of the structure of the Venice Biennale. Furthermore, the research brings to light a complex map of political and cultural issues that interweaves the vicissitudes and choices of both the countries (Argentina and Mexico) and intergovernmental institutions (Cartagena Agreement countries), which did not obtain a permanent venue, alongside those that were successful in erecting a national pavilion (Brazil, Venezuela, and Uruguay).