Austria has announced its contribution to the 20th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, presenting the concept Koncesija / Konzession / Concession(e). This project involves the temporary transfer of the Austrian Pavilion to Bosnia and Herzegovina through a cooperative concession.
Concept and Goal of the Project
The selection of the pavilion was made through a public competition in Austria. The project explores themes of national representation, diplomacy, and architectural exchange. It addresses the absence of a national Bosnian pavilion in the Giardini, where the historical national pavilions of the Biennale are located.
Koncesija / Konzession / Concession(e) is conceived not as a static exhibition but as an evolving curatorial structure that views the pavilion as a space for negotiation. The proposal examines contemporary architectural production in Bosnia and Herzegovina alongside historical, cultural, and economic ties between the countries, including migration, post-war reconstruction, and long-standing diasporas.
Central Installation and Program
The central element of the project is the reconstruction of the lobby of the Holiday Inn hotel in Sarajevo, designed by Ivan Strauss for the 1984 Winter Olympics. This lobby, reinterpreted within a building designed by Josef Hoffmann and opened in 1934, will serve as the main meeting place at the exhibition, hosting discussions, exhibitions, public programs, and research activities.
Since the installation refers to a building connected both to international cultural exchange and the Bosnian War, it places contemporary architectural issues within a broader political and historical context. In addition to the spatial installation, the pavilion will present a public program developed in collaboration with architects, researchers, and cultural institutions from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Italy. This program includes film screenings, masterclasses, and a series of public meetings to study architecture and spatial production in Bosnia and Herzegovina, fostering new institutional collaborations.
Team and Biennale Context
The team selected for the project possesses experience in architecture, research, and cultural programming. Adna and Ajna Babahmetovic founded the architectural studio Adna i Ajna, which researches housing, migration, and spatial memory through professional practice and academic studies. Sebastian Höglinger is the curator and cultural programmer with experience in film festivals, exhibition organization, and interdisciplinary cultural initiatives, including a previous role as co-director of the artistic department of Diagonale – Austrian Film Festival.
Koncesija / Konzession / Concession(e) will be presented within the 20th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu under the theme 'Do Architecture — For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality'. The exhibition will run from May 8 to November 21, 2027. This announcement follows Austria's participation in the 2025 Architecture Biennale with the project Agency for Better Living, curated by Sabine Pollack, Michael Obrist, and Lorenzo Romito, which studied housing and everyday urban life through participatory research.