The Human Scale project, signed by artist Vlad Nancă and the architecture office Muromuro Studio (Ioana Chifu and Onar Stănescu), curated by Cosmina Goagea, represents Romania at the 19th edition of the International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
Human Scale proposes a reflection on the intersection of visual arts and architecture, through a dialogue between the drawings made by 20th-century Romanian architects and the works of contemporary artist Vlad Nancă. Human Scale sheds new light on Romanian architecture of the last century through drawings by architects that reveal not only a vision of space, but also the way people and public life were imagined. Examining the human silhouettes in these drawings gives us new perspectives on how existing buildings could be adapted for the 21st century.
“The ICR’s support for Romania’s participation in the Venice Biennale – whether we are talking about the Art or Architecture Biennale -implicitly the “Human Scale” project, is circumscribed by the international promotion of the visual arts and creative industries in Romania, a strategic priority of our activity. Located at the intersection of visual art and architecture, the “Human Scale” project also has a research component, which will be exhibited in the New Gallery on the ground floor of the Romanian Institute for Culture and Humanistic Research in Venice, a space included in the official circuit of the Biennale, so that Romania is the only country that currently benefits from two exhibition spaces for the national project. 2025 is also a symbolic year for our representation in Venice, through the 95th anniversary of its founding by the great historian Nicolae Iorga, so that the reinterpretation of the Biennale theme by the project team and the valorization of the heritage of Romanian architects’ thinking intrinsically link our representation at the Venice Architecture Biennale and the past and present,” says Liviu Jicman, President of the Romanian Cultural Institute.
In the Romanian Pavilion, the installation designed by Muromuro Studio offers an immersive route, in which architecture “disappears” and human interaction comes to the fore. Large translucent sheets trace the movement of visitors between ten life-size sculptural silhouettes, created by Vlad Nancă and inspired by architectural drawings. These enter into dialogue with a chronological selection of drawings signed by Romanian architects from the 20th century, which reconstruct a condensed history of local architecture, from interwar modernism and the socialist period, to the reconnection with international trends after 1989. The exhibition itinerary is completed by a selection of historical maps from the 16th–18th centuries, where human presence is represented allegorically.
At the New Gallery of the Romanian Institute for Culture and Humanistic Research in Venice, the exhibition continues in the form of an open archive: over 300 reproductions of architectural drawings are made available to the public in a space for research and reflection. The archive is organized chronologically and offers a critical and sensitive perspective on how architecture has shaped collective life in various eras.
“We believe that architecture and art have a profound potential to educate humanity. Architecture, in particular, influences us even when we are unaware of it, just by passing by it, living in it, using it in public or private spaces. Sometimes we admire it, sometimes we ignore it. And yet, it constantly shapes us. Beautiful cities make us better people, and in the period we are going through, we need this more than ever. The Carl von Linde Foundation is delighted and honored to be part of this valuable gear, supporting the project that represents Romania at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, alongside a remarkable and visionary team.”, stated Anna Chițan, President of the Carl von Linde Foundation, one of the main partners supporting the Human Scale project.
The exhibition is presented in two complementary spaces: the Romanian Pavilion in the Giardini della Biennale and the New Gallery of the Romanian Institute for Culture and Humanistic Research in Venice.
