Grounded: 2025

Conceived as a multi-layered, living component of the Türkiye Pavilion exhibition at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, <i>Grounded</i> highlights soil as a dynamic yet overlooked resource vital for understanding civilizations, ecosystems and sustainable living. Are you an architect? Have you considered how much soil you have shaped or moved to date? Could the layers you have engaged hold the key to a more harmonious relationship with the Earth? Unlike architecture’s tendency to suppress earthiness in pursuit of controlled environments, <i>Grounded</i> places soil at the heart of architecture, presenting it as a living entity with intelligence and agency. <i>Grounded</i> also reflects on the impacts of human activities, such as construction, while exploring Turkey’s rich heritage, archaeological sites and sustainable building practices.

<b>Ceren Erdem</b> is an Istanbul-based curator who has worked on exhibitions and publications internationally. Erdem has taken full-time roles at Dirimart, (Istanbul), Tina Kim Gallery (New York), British Council Turkey (Istanbul), and Istanbul Biennial. She received her MA in Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies at Columbia University, New York, MFA in Visual Arts - Visual Communication Design at Sabancı University, Istanbul. <b>Bilge Kalfa</b> is a Berlin-based architect, adjunct professor at Berlin International University, and owner of Bilge Kalfa Architecture. Kalfa’s expertise covers all phases of architectural and interior design, along with furniture design that emphasizes natural, cyclical materials.