The International Jury of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is chaired by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Swiss curator, critic, and art historian, and Artistic Director of the Serpentine in London. He is joined by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design and Director of Research and Development at MoMA, New York, and Mpho Matsipa, South African architect, lecturer, and curator.

The composition of the Jury was approved by the board of directors of La Biennale di Venezia upon the recommendation of Carlo Ratti, the curator of the 19th Exhibition titled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective, taking place from May 10 to November 23, 2025, with the following motivations:

Hans Ulrich Obrist (Switzerland), president, through his work he has redefined the profound significance of the curator’s role. Through exhibitions, artistic directions, and publications, he has championed the duties of openness and co-participation as fundamental principles in the processes of cultural production in the contemporary world. His curiosity across all disciplines, his dialectical flair and talent as a tireless interviewer have placed him at the centre of one of the most extensive international networks of creators of art and architecture. He possesses both historical memory and a future-oriented perspective in equal measure, and will bring these gifts to bear in guiding the jury to formulate its judgment on the works of the participants in the Exhibition.

Paola Antonelli (Italy), senior curator, Department of Architecture and Design, and director, research and development at MoMA in New York, brings into play a deep understanding of the connections between design, technology, and society. She has achieved international recognition as a key figure in exploring and defining the new frontiers of design, conceived within a multidisciplinary framework. The ability of her work to address important social and environmental issues, while speaking a language that is accessible to a wider non-specialist public, resonates closely with the vocation of Biennale Architettura 2025.

Mpho Matsipa (South Africa), an architect, teacher, curator, and associate professor at the Bartlett School of Architecture, was selected to be a member of the jury for her capacity to bring together critical research and the practice of design, exploring the complexity of contemporary urbanism in the African and global contexts. Matsipa earned her Ph.D in Architecture at the University of California UC Berkeley, and was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She has taught and practiced professionally in the United States, South Africa, Germany, and the United Kingdom. She brings a unique perspective to the impact of cultural and political dynamics on architecture, with special attention to urban transformations in South Africa and other countries of the African continent, exploring the potential of cities to be spaces of inclusion and innovation, based on the concept of “spatial justice”.