The architecture biennale of Venice is the most important professional event of this kind in the world, with displays in the central and the national pavilions typically addressing present and future issues of building, urban development,
the challenges and visions of the art. Whether they are the work of an auteur or of a team, the exhibitions of the
national pavilions, whose themes are more or less loosely linked to the one announced centrally, often forego the
demonstration of national achievements in favour of problems important for the whole of the profession, representing
them in a wider context.
Announced by: Dr. Zsolt Petrányi, CEO of the Műcsarnok Non-profit Limited Company of Exceptional Public Benefit (Műcsarnok Non-profit Ltd.), National Commissioner for the Venice Biennale
Organizer of the competition: Műcsarnok Non-profit Ltd. (Biennale Office), 1146 Budapest, 37 Dózsa György út.
Subject of the competition: designing the exhibition of the Hungarian Pavilion at the 12th International Architecture
Exhibition (Biennale), Venice, 2010, and undertaking the responsibilities of the curator (production manager).
Nature of competition: open, applications are welcome from all.
Structure of the competition:there are two turns; compliance with the terms of both turns is a prerequisite for
evaluation.
-1st turndeadline: November 23, 2009, Monday, 12 am(postmark date, or deadline of personal delivery) Within ten days from the deadline of the first turn, a private presentation will be made before the jury, in Műcsarnok’s Auditorium.
-the Biennale Office will hold budget consultations, between October 12 and 14, and October 19 and 22, 2009, which applicants are encouraged to avail themselves of. No information on the person of the applicants and the content of the applications will be released prior to the
official results of the competition.
-2nd turn: following the presentation, applicants will have a week to supply missing data or to clarify details. The
jury will make its decision subsequently.
The application is officially posted at:
Műcsarnok’s website (www.mucsarnok.hu) and the Biennale Office’s website (www.velenceibiennale.com).
Eligible applicants: any individual or group versed in contemporary Hungarian and international architecture, with
an experience in organizing exhibitions. (Cf. also the annexResponsibilities of thecurator(production
manager).)
In the case of a team of applicants, please specify the leader of the project.
Language skills required: an at least medium level command of the English language, with a knowledge of Italian or
French constituting an advantage.
By submitting their applications, applicants authorize the organizers to make the applications, after round two,
available for public scrutiny, and provide for the publicity of related data.
The entire application package must be submitted in electronic format, on a CD or DVD ROM, alongside the
printed material. Following the decision of the jury, all material submitted will be published at
www.velenceibiennale.com and www.mucsarnok.hu/biennale.
Required contents of the application package:
1. Short CVs of the applicant and the author(s), architect(s) or artist(s) to be represented.2. Written agreements of all exhibitor(s) for the representation of their works in a manner that is appropriate to the
concept of the display.
3. Proof of the applicant’s language skills.
4. The technical concept of the project to be shown in the Hungarian pavilion, in HUNGARIAN and ENGLISH, at a
length of no more than one A4 page.
5. The visual design of the project, at a length of no more than two A4 pages, with further optional material in the
media of your choice (model, animation, CD, DVD, etc.).
6. The technical concept of the multilingual catalogue, at a length of no more than one A4 page.
7. Proposed budget of the exhibition and the catalogue. Annex I, thebudget form, must be completed. The
combined budget of the exhibition and the catalogue cannot exceedHUF 20 million, including all taxes and
duties. Should the proposed expenses exceed this limit, the participant must attach a written statement from other
supporter(s). Proposed expenses must include those related to the operation of the pavilion (wardens, permits
from authorities) only if the special nature of the project makes them differ from what are considered standard
expenses. The budget must include expenses of travelling and transport only if they differ what are considered
standard expenses. Nor is running the Biennale Office an expense to be included in the budget. For operation
costs of the Hungarian Pavilion in Venice, and other calculable costs, see the annexBudget guidelines.
8. Written statement of sponsor, if the budget takes into account third-party sources.
9. Schedule of realization, at a length of no more than one A4 page.
10. Communication model for the time prior to, during and after the exhibition, at a length of no more than one A4
page.
11. The applicant’s authorization for Műcsarnok and the Biennale Office to handle and archive the application
package, together with personal and other data contained therein, as well as to make them available for
inspection by jury members.
12. A statement from the applicant on accepting, in the event of their application being accepted, all terms and
conditions relating to the realization of the project, as well as the terms and conditions of the contract of
commission.
13. A CD/DVD ROM appendix with the entire material of the application package.
14. The applicant’s statement of authorization for Műcsarnok and the Biennale Office to publish the application
package as present on the CD/DVD appendix on its websites (www.mucsarnok.hu, www.velenceibiennale.com).
Publications and portfolios attached to the package to illustrate the work of the applicant and the artists to be
represented will be returned after the jury has made its decision.
Following the second turn, the complete original application packages can be studied at the Biennale Office.
Műcsarnok reserves the right to request, during the evaluation process, an applicant to provide sufficient guarantees
for the fulfilment of obligations undertaken in the application.
Eligibility criteria
a. appropriate date of postage or delivery
b. presence of all required annexes, in the format required, together with the statements required
If after the first turn the organizer finds an application ineligible, it can request the applicant during the presentation
(i.e. onlyonce) to provide missing details within a week.
No such remedy is possible if the application was posted or delivered after the deadline.
Applicants must take into consideration the peculiarities of the Venice Biennale as a type of exhibition, and the
characteristics of the Hungarian Pavilion (for which see the annexTechnical description of the Hungarian
Pavilion.) The budget for the Hungarian Pavilion at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition will be provided by
Műcsarnok Non-profit Ltd. and the Ministry of Education and Culture.
The 12th International Architecture Exhibition is expected to be held in September – November 2010.
To date, the Venice Biennale Foundation has not announced the chief curator of next year’s exhibition or the
theme of the central display. According to Biennale press relations, the announcement can be expected in
January 2010, and when the official announcement has been made the Biennale Office will notify those who
have indicated their interest.
For further information, visit www.labiennale.org, www.velenceibiennale.com, or contact the Biennale Office. Annexes
to this call for applications include a list of themes at earlier architecture biennales and a description of the last three
Hungarian displays.
Submission
The application package can be delivered in person at, or sent by mail to, the following address:
Műcsarnok Nonprofit Kft, Biennále Iroda: Júlia Gáspár (tel: +36 30 340 78 49); or Műcsarnok Nonprofit Kft.,
Director’s Secretariat: Kerényiné N. Sztojánka (tel: +36 1 460 70 12),
Address: 1146 Budapest (14th District), Hősök tere, 37 Dózsa György út,
Mail address: H-1406 Budapest, P.O.B. 35.
Members of the jury, invited by the organizer:
GézaBoros(art historian, Ministry of Education and Culture)
ErnőKálmán, DLA (architect, President of the Association of Hungarian Architects)
ErikaKatalinaPásztor, DLA(media artist, founder and director of epiteszforum.hu)
LeventePolyák(architect, urban researcher, critic)
GyörgySkardelli (architect, head designer of KÖZTI Co.)
Nóra Somlyódy(journalist, critic)
JuditZ. Halmágyi, DLA (architect)
The winner will be announced within a week from the jury’s decision. The announcement will include the name of the winner and a short description of the project, as well as the names of the other applicants and the titles of their
projects. Műcsarnok will enter into a contract of commission with the winning applicant.
Should the jury find no application it can approve of, or should the winning application fail to show signs of
progress within a month after it is approved – due to the fault of the curator (production manager) or the
exhibitors – in a manner that jeopardizes the representation of Hungary, the national commissioner will have
the authority to cancel the winner’s commission, and provide, without announcing another competition, for
the organization of a different display. This authority includes the authority to commission another applicant
of this competition.
All issues not specified in this call for applications shall be governed by relevant laws and the decisions of the Jury.
Budapest, September 23, 2009
Dr. Zsolt Petrányi
National Commissioner
CEO of Műcsarnok Non-profit Ltd
