The Romanian Pavilion has announced its curator and details for the upcoming exhibition at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. 

The exhibition, titled Human Scale, will explore the various forms of intelligence, including conceptual, historical, technological, artistic, and emotional perspectives, as they are represented in architectural drawing, which serves as a means of thinking and modeling built space.

Romania will be represented at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – in the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale by Human Scale, an exhibition and research project by artist Vlad Nancă and the Bucharest-based architecture company Muromuro.

Vlad Nancă, Finally Together, 2017. Image courtesy of the Romanian Pavilion

Human Scale, curated by Cosmina Goagea, will be displayed in the New Gallery of the Romanian Institute of Culture and Humanistic Research in Venice as well as the Romanian Pavilion at the Giardini della Biennale. It will encourage contemplation on the relationship between architecture and visual arts by contrasting the drawings of Romanian architects from the 20th century with the contemporary artwork of Vlad Nancă.

"Building on Vlad Nancă’s artistic research, Human Scale proposes an answer to the Biennale theme focusing on ‘Collective Intelligence’ – specifically, how we can critically revisit 20th century architecture through architectural drawings," said Cosmina Goagea, curator of Human Scale. 

"By looking at the people depicted in the drawings, we better understand architecture and the public space’s role, as intended and envisioned by the architects." 

"By studying the original drawings and intentions of these 20th century architects, we hope new keys can be found to re-inventing our existing buildings and adapting them for 21st century life," Goagea added.

Inspired by scale models in architectural plans, Vlad Nancă has been creating a series of works at the nexus of drawing and sculpture since 2017. To highlight the presence of people in architecture and their significance as a key component of the built environment, Nancă enlarges these figures to human scale in a gesture that he interprets as one of "liberation" from the sketch.

Vlad Nancă, Ioana Chifu, and Onar Stănescu. Image © Alex Gâlmeanu

Human Scale will investigate the essential, affective, and symbolic roles of architecture, building on Nancă's work. A collection of drawings organized chronologically will be on exhibit, reconstructing a condensed social history of Romanian architecture conceived or constructed during the 20th century, highlighting significant events, ideologies, schools of thought, and debates. 

The use of drawings as a means of projecting political and social power, as well as the ways in which architecture shapes collective identities and influences historical narratives, will be examined through a presentation of historical maps from the 15th to 19th centuries that feature people as allegorical presences.

"Humans are the unifying element in architectural drawings, transcending time. By looking at how people are drawn throughout the 20th century, we hope to underline their relevance and centrality to architecture in the 21st century, challenging visitors to look at our built environment in a different way and think about how architecture works for the people," said artist Vlad Nancă.

"In the Romanian Pavilion, a central, immersive installation is defined by massive translucent ‘sheets’ that fill the space. These diffuse, almost immaterial walls blur the exterior while highlighting those who engage with the space," said Ioana Chifu and Onar Stănescu of Muromuro Studio. 

"The installation reverses focus: architecture “disappears,” placing human interaction at the forefront. The walls serve as a dialogue space between human silhouettes drawn from architectural drawings and the blurred figures of visitors," Chifu and Stănescu added. 

"The installation subtly alters perception through shifts in scale, focus, and ambiguity, creating a meditative space where visitors rethink their relationship with the built environment and critically reflect on the future of architecture," they continued.

The curator, Cosmina Goagea. Image © Dragoș Lumpan

The RICHR's New Gallery will be transformed into a research and experimental space that will include the documentation materials for Romania's Human Scale exhibition, which include a vast collection of drawings by 20th-century Romanian architects. With a central workstation situated between two pillars—one supporting an exhibition space and the other a decade-organized archive—the display design encourages in-depth research.

The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale will take place from May 10 to November 23 November 2025 at the Giardini, the Arsenale and various venues in Venice, Italy. 

Besides Romania's contribution, other contributions at the Venice Architecture Biennale include the Luxembourg Pavilion's Sonic Investigations exhibition, the Albanian Pavilion's "Building Architecture Culture" exhibition, the Turkey Pavilion's "Grounded" exhibition, the Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates's Pressure Cooker exhibition, the Finland Pavilion's The Pavilion – Architecture of Stewardship exhibition. 

Find out all exhibition news on WAC's Venice Architecture Biennale page. 

Exhibition facts

Exhibition name: Human Scale

Commissioner: Attila Kim

Curator: Cosmina Goagea

Exhibitors: Vlad Nancă & Muromuro Studio (Ioana Chifu, Onar Stănescu)

Project Team:

Organisers: Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romanian Cultural Institute, Romanian Union of Architects

Project Coordinator: Corina Bucea

Executive Producer: Ana Ciobanu

Strategic Funding Coordinator: Suzana Vasilescu

International PR: Sam Talbot

Art Director: Otilia Fiastru

Communication: Vlad Tau.ance

PR: Simona Radoi

Social Media: Andreea Ilie

Producer: Arrogant Films

Co-Producers: Suprainfinit Gallery, Nodul Creativ Association

The top image in the article: Vasile Mitrea, Drawing of the Veterinary Medicine Pavilion of the Agronomic Institute (Cluj), 1965. Image courtesy of the Romanian Pavilion.

> via Romanian Pavilion

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