“The installation of this year’s Philippine Pavilion is an artistic narrative of our history and our identity that presents an argument of how the Philippine-built environment depicts traces of colonialism in our lives,” says Sen. Loren Legarda, the prime architect of the Philippine participation in the Venice Biennale. After 51 years of absence in the oldest international art platform, Legarda pulled all the stops to get a spot at the Venice Biennale in 2015. This is the fourth time the country is participating. And what an honor it is for the Philippines to showcase side by side with the 62 other countries participating in the architecture exhibition with the theme Freespace. Overall biennale curators are Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara.
This year is the second time for the Philippines to participate in the prestigious architecture biennale. It debuted on this platform in 2016, just following the Philippines major comeback to the art biennale in 2015 that ended its 51-year absence on this world stage in Venice. This dramatic return is thanks mainly to the vision of Sen. Loren Legarda, who in 2013 asked the question, as she told me, “Why aren’t we at the Venice Biennale? Panama is here. The Maldives is here. Everyone is here. Why not us?”
Senator Loren Legarda, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, has assured the public of the passage of the proposed P 1.16 Billion supplemental budget to fund the health assistance of individuals administered with the Dengvaxia vaccine. The Senator issued the statement after the Senate adjourned its session at midnight without taking up the measure.
Venice, Italy (CNN Philippines Life) — “The Architecture Biennale is a different beast,” says Senator Loren Legarda when asked whether she prefers the Art or the Architecture Biennale. At the epicenter of Venice Biennale, the world’s ‘art olympics,’ the senator sits calm, even throws a joke or two, a day after the official opening of the Philippine Pavilion. The senator has been the instigator of the country’s participation at the Venice Biennale and has led the efforts to sustain it since our return in 2015.
The country’s participation in the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale is due to the efforts of the NCCA, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the office of Senator Loren Legarda, and is supported by the Department of Tourism.
“I see architecture as a crucial element of building equitable, sustainable, and inclusive societies. Through our participation this year, we relate our truths as we also learn from the realities of other nations. It serves as a reminder of how architecture is not only about building structures, but also about inspiring life, shaping society, and building a nation,” said Ms. Legarda in a statement.
