RAIA Gold Medallist Kerstin Thompson of Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA), Professor Maryam Gusheh, Associate Professor Lee-Anne Khor and Professor Louise Wright of Monash Urban Lab, Monash University, have been announced as the creative directors for Australia’s 2027 Venice Biennale exhibition titled Lived In. Announced by The Australian Institute of Architects, Lived In will feature at the 20th Venice Architecture Biennale, which will take place in Italy from 8 May to 21 November 2027.

Contrary to popular belief, not all Australians call a quarter-acre block home. Over 10 percent of Australians are living in apartments and, while this is a low figure compared to comparative economies in Europe and Asia, it’s a figure that’s on the rise as the housing and cost of living crises persist. Rather than lament the dwindling Australian dream, Live In celebrates the relatively short but spirited period of modern urbanisation in the country, shaped by inventive (and now iconic) multi-residential buildings that were designed to support diverse ways of living in the city.

Lived In will bring to life built projects documented through the Housing Atlas of Australia project – a national teaching-led program initiated by Thompson, and developed collaboratively with Gusheh, Khor and Wright.

As a nationwide network for housing research and documentation, the project has been compiled by educators, practitioners and students from multiple universities to capture more than a century of multi-dwelling housing exemplars built across all states and territories of Australia, such as the 1930s Cairo Flats in Melbourne’s inner north and the 1960s Domain Park Apartments designed by renowned Australian architect Robin Boyd.

The theme for the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale is ‘Do Architecture – For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality’. Revealed by co-curators Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, the theme proposes a vision of future architecture that incorporates the past as a living matter of the present. It aims to “return architecture to its most concrete, physical and essential dimension: that of building in direct relation to the land, to the materials, to the communities, and to the reality of places… [reaffirming] the value of ‘doing’ as a cultural, ethical and constructive act, shunning spectacle and global standardisation”.

The multimedia Lived In exhibit will capture architectural responses to context, climate and culture across both canonical and lesser-known works through drawings, data, photographs and film, highlighting the reciprocal relationship between housing and everyday life. The showcase is an interrogation of architecture’s impact on people’s lives, looking back through Australia’s built history to determine how we should move forward in the face of housing supply shortages and the climate crisis.

The Australian Institute of Architects has served as Commissioner for Australia’s exhibitions at the Biennale since 2008, and in 2028 will partner with the Museums of History NSW to see the presentation of Lived In exhibited in Australia. The exhibition is presented on behalf of the nation, and in partnership with Creative Australia.

Read more about the 20th International Architecture Exhibition at Venice Biennale for 2027 here.

Images: Matthew Stanton.