The Republic of North Macedonia's pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale presents a comprehensive exploration of Brutalist architecture in the capital city of Skopje. The exhibition, titled "Strada Brutalissima," examines how this distinctive architectural movement shaped the city's identity following the devastating earthquake that struck in 1963.
According to pavilion curator and architect Blagoja Bajkovski, Skopje embraced Brutalism from various international sources in the aftermath of the natural disaster. The most significant influence came from renowned Japanese architect Kenzo Tange's reconstruction plan, which was developed after winning an international competition organized by the United Nations in 1965. This reconstruction effort fundamentally transformed the city's architectural landscape and established its unique modern character.
The exhibition draws direct inspiration from the landmark 1980 Venice Architecture Biennale and its iconic central installation "Strada Novissima," which was curated by Italian architect Paolo Portoghesi. By reinterpreting this concept, "Strada Brutalissima" creates a curated "street of knowledge" that positions Brutalist architecture as part of an ongoing cultural dialogue rather than a closed historical chapter.
The pavilion presents architectural models of ten significant Brutalist buildings within a conceptual street layout, encouraging visitors to reflect on their contemporary relevance and meaning. By removing these buildings from their original urban contexts and repositioning them within this constructed environment, the display promotes new interpretations of their significance in today's architectural discourse, particularly in relation to the Biennale's curatorial theme of "latent intelligences."
The exhibition is organized into two complementary sections that provide different perspectives on Skopje's Brutalist heritage. The Graphic Biography Front focuses on exploring the architectural complexity and creative value of the featured buildings, while the Critical Reflection Front presents contributions from twenty contemporary architects, urbanists, and architectural thinkers. These contributors offer short texts and definitions that illuminate the histories and broader significance of the structures.
Both sections of the pavilion converge on a central research question: How can Skopje's Brutalist architecture be distilled into forms of architectural intelligence that remain relevant to contemporary practice and theory? This inquiry reflects the broader themes of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, which explores how architecture can harness different forms of intelligence to address current global challenges.
The pavilion team, consisting of Blagoja Bajkovski, Ana Rafailovska, Marija Antikj Nikolova, Nevenka Mancheva Adjievska, Tea Damjanovska, Mihajlo Stojanovski, and Meri Batakoja, emphasizes the defining influence of Kenzo Tange's master plan on Skopje's late modern architectural identity. The master plan design team was led by Arata Isozaki and worked in collaboration with Yugoslav architects Radovan Mischevik and Fedor Wenzler, who had received second prize in the reconstruction competition.
The curators highlight that Skopje's Brutalist architecture also drew from other significant international influences beyond Tange's work. These included ideas from Macedonian architects who integrated concepts from international practices such as those of American architect Paul Rudolph and the Dutch architectural firm Van den Broek and Bakema. This cross-pollination of international architectural ideas created a unique synthesis that became characteristic of Skopje's urban development.
Through these diverse influences, Skopje's Brutalist architecture developed into a distinctive new layer of urban fabric that is now recognized for its sculptural qualities, innovative use of materials, and bold spatial concepts. The movement created buildings that not only served functional purposes but also became powerful symbols of the city's post-earthquake renewal and modernization.
The 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Carlo Ratti under the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.," opened to the public on May 10, 2025, and will continue until November 23, 2025. The overarching theme explores how architecture can harness different forms of intelligence to address contemporary global challenges, making North Macedonia's focus on architectural heritage particularly relevant to current discussions about sustainable development and cultural preservation.
