On view through January of next year, the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial held at the beautiful Chicago Cultural Center in the heart of the city’s downtown area is a must-see. Walking through rooms of curated exhibitions, one encounters a range of work including photography, drawings, renderings, architectural models, installations and videos by architects and artists representing over 20 countries from across the globe. This year’s Artistic Directors were Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of LA-based firm Johnston Marklee and the opening of the Biennial coincided with the international art fair EXPO Chicago.

“The Chicago Architecture Biennial 2017 will showcase the diversity of work from around the world to examine the underpinnings of this resurgence of historical interest. Titled “Make New History,” this second edition of the Biennial will focus on the efforts—across registers of building and discursive production—of contemporary architects to align their work with versions of history. Through the lens of architecture, the Biennial aims to examine the interplay of design and the broadening access to, as well as recall of, historical source material. In the realm of building practice—from new construction to adaptive reuse to conservation—it will investigate the ways in which the architect’s encounter with a site is, in fact, the act of interpreting and responding to a prior accumulation of state and government regulations, social conventions, and markers of personhood. Considerations for architecture in the context of history include the regulation and management of power and identity; what prevails and what does not; and how to recognize the significance of untold narratives. Now, more than ever, the assumptions embedded in cultural exempla and civic imaginaries require examination and discussion.”

Filip Dujardin studied History of Art at the University of Ghent, with a specialization in architecture, before studying photography at the Academy of Ghent. After training as a technical assistant for Magnum-photographer Carl De Keyzer, he started a professional collaboration with Frederik Vercruysse. In 2007, he established himself as an independent photographer for private and public clients in the fields of architecture, interior and product design. In 2008, he presented Fictions, his first series of independent artworks. On display at the Biennial were a selection of his works featuring some of Chicago's most iconic buildings.

The Chicago Architecture Biennial is free and open to the public. For more information on planning your visit, click here.

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