Paraíso, hoje. [Paradise, today.] is the project proposed by the curatorial team of architects Paula Melâneo, Pedro Bandeira, and Luca Martinucci, jointly curated by landscape architect Catarina Raposo and video artist Nuno Cera, for the official Portuguese representation at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Commissioned by the Directorate-General for the Arts, Paraíso, hoje. will occupy the Fondaco Marcello building, along the Grand Canal.
The project critically explores contemporaneity as “paradise”, considering that we live in the best conditions ever, driven by advanced technologies. However, inequality and the rampant exploitation of resources coexist – a paradoxical paradise where evolution and inequality collide. In Portugal, paradise is often symbolized by beaches and coastal landscapes, but this reality includes urban pressures, speculation, and overtourism, while the country’s inland regions face a sharp demographic loss. The project proposes an architectural/artistic technological installation, creating an immersive environment and an interactive experience for the public, aimed at raising awareness and awakening reflections on the relationship between human action and nature. This theme is developed in the Atlas, where architecture appears as a vehicle for the harmonious construction of the contemporary landscape – “Paradise”.
In addition to the installation on show in Venice, the programme for Paraíso, hoje. includes the launch of the catalogue-book and a series of debates. These events will take place at the Pavilion of Portugal in Venice, at the Palácio Sinel de Cordes in Lisbon (headquarters of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale), and online.
OPENING PROGRAMME
May 8, 9:30–10:30am, Press conference
May 8, 7–10pm, official opening with the curators Paula Melâneo, Pedro Bandeira, Luca Martinucci and deputy curators Catarina Raposo, Nuno Cera; with music performance by Jorge Queijo at 7.30pm
May 10, 9:30–11am, "Paradise, today?" roundtable
with Catarina Raposo, Giovanna Borasi, Manon Mollard, Nuno da Luz, moderated by Julia Albani
Challenging nostalgic or utopian ideas of paradise, the Portuguese Pavilion proposes paradise as a present and active condition—something to be reclaimed through collective responsibility, critical optimism, and dignified action. As part of the opening program, this roundtable invites reflection on how we shape, inhabit, and care for the landscapes we share, as well as on architecture as a cultural construction of landscape. The conversation will be held in English. Entrance is free, but places are limited. The discussion will be published as part of KoozArch’s podcast program.
For further information, visit paraisohoje.pt