Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan T.D., has announced the selection of Emmet Humphreys and Nathalie Weadick, on behalf of Galway City Council, as the curators to represent Ireland at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition at Venice, La Biennale di Venezia - the most important global platform for the exhibition of architecture. Their project, RESIDUUM, was selected following an open call by Culture Ireland, in partnership with the Arts Council.
RESIDUUM refers to that which remains: the overlooked spaces, structures, material culture and social fabric embedded within our city, understood not as leftovers but as an untapped resource. It proposes a methodology for repairing the inherited city, responding to the fragmented landscapes created by decades of urban sprawl by transforming them into places of belonging, connection and civic life. At its heart is an ambitious approach to city-making that addresses the interconnected challenges of housing, place-making and identity, weaving a richer and more coherent urban tapestry.
Curators Emmet Humphreys is a Senior Architect in Galway City Council, and Nathalie Weadick is a cultural strategist, advisor and curator based in Dublin.
The curators will work with a multidisciplinary team comprising Frank Monahan of Architecture at the Edge on the public programme; Alice Casey and Cian Deegan of TAKA Architects on exhibition design; Jim Byrne of Galway City Council on content coordination and research; Peter Maybury on identity and publication design; Caoimhín Corrigan as project manager; and Elaine White of Galway City Council as project administrator.
While rooted in Galway City, RESIDUUM tells a story familiar to cities around the world. Taking the role of the public architect as its central thread, the exhibition will bring the visitor on a journey through artefacts, models, representations, speculative scenarios and conversations, stretching backwards into the inherited city and forwards towards its possible futures. As the narrative unfolds, architecture, public policy, local government and communities come into dialogue, revealing how modest acts of repair can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. At its heart is a proposition that is both simple and radical: that the future of our cities begins by recognising the untapped value of what already exists.
Mayor of the City of Galway, Cllr Helen Ogbu said of the selection, “I am very proud that Galway City has been chosen to represent Ireland at the 2027 Architectural Biennale in Venice. The Residuum project will celebrate Community and will explore how proactive engagement of Municipalities with individual communities can enable them to shape their own place and, collectively, to start to shape the City of Sustainable, Connected and Accessible Neighbourhoods that we all want the Future Galway to be. I look forward to seeing the process move forward and to the results of this initiative which will impact positively on Galway City in the years ahead.”
The 2027 exhibition will be a place where ideas are proposed, challenged and enriched ensuring that the exhibition is not an endpoint but an active part of Galway City’s continuing transformation.
Emmet Humphreys and Nathalie Weadick, Curators of RESIDUUM commented: “We are delighted to be announced as the curators of the Irish Pavilion on behalf of Galway City Council. It is a tremendous honour to represent Ireland at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition at Venice. While rooted in Galway City, RESIDUUM explores a timely and universally relevant challenge: how the overlooked potential embedded within our cities can help transform fragmented urban landscapes into connected, liveable places. RESIDUUM is intended to engage diverse audiences and inspire approaches that can help cities realise this potential. The Irish Pavilion is more than a showcase; it becomes a provocation, a place where ideas are proposed, challenged and enriched ensuring that the exhibition is not an endpoint but an active part of Galway's continuing transformation”.
Leonard Cleary, Chief Executive, Galway City Council, says about this selection “Representing Ireland at The Venice Architectural Biennale is a huge opportunity for our City to demonstrate just what makes Galway such a wonderful, creative and vibrant place. The major theme of next year’s Biennale is Real Architecture, and the Residuum project presents a chance to promote Galway City as a thought leader on an international stage. Huge congratulations are due to all involved in securing this honour for Cathair na dTreabh.”
Galway City Council would like to acknowledge the support of its principal funders Culture Ireland and the Arts Council; sponsors and supporting partners in making this possible.
The 20th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia will officially run from 8 May to 21 November 2027 and remains the most important global platform for the exhibition of architecture. In 2027 it will be curated by Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu with the title Do Architecture. The Biennale offers an unparallelled opportunity for Irish architects to engage with international audiences. Ireland at Venice 2027 builds on Ireland’s strong presence at the Venice Architecture Biennale in recent years. The 16th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2018 was curated by Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell of Grafton Architects.
Members of the public will have an opportunity to learn more at upcoming workshops scheduled for autumn in Galway City.
Full details will be announced soon on the Architecture at the Edge website.