Lithuania will take part in the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale, Culture Minister Vaida Aleknavičienė announced Wednesday, reversing a previous decision to skip the event due to budget cuts.
“After discussion, we decided we cannot skip a year. We must maintain continuity and provide confidence to the architecture community,” Aleknavičienė told reporters. “We agreed to participate next year, and now our challenge is planning how it will all come together.”
The decision followed consultations with the head of the National Architecture Institute, representatives of the Lithuanian Union of Architects, and ministry specialists. Aleknavičienė said confusion arose because the responsibility for organising Lithuanian entries in architecture biennales was not clearly assigned after rules changed two years ago.
“Previously, participation was determined by the Culture Council, but a decision was made that art biennales would be organised by the Culture Institute, leaving the architecture biennale without a final decision on which institution should lead it,” she explained. “Today, we clarified the situation and are very pleased that the National Architecture Institute will take the lead in preparing for the event.”
Aleknavičienė said the ministry would secure the necessary funding from the government budget. “The cost will be spread over two years, and preparation this year likely won’t require as much,” she said, adding that internal resources would be used to organise participation.
Asked whether she thought the authorities mismanaged the situation, Aleknavičienė said the issue was simply a matter of financial capacity. “We all know from previous biennales that organising participation costs around 300,000 euros. With rising costs, significant resources will be needed, but I don’t see this as a mistake – the situation was complicated, and the budget is what it is,” she said.
National Architecture Institute Director Kęstutis Kuizinas noted that the delay leaves less time for preparation. “There is indeed much less time to implement plans than if we had started earlier. But as a new institution, we see this as a challenge and hope to have more flexibility in executing the process,” he said.
Architect Andrius Ropolas highlighted the importance of participation for Lithuania’s international standing. “By not participating, Lithuania would be alongside Russia and Belarus. The point is not just the 300,000 euros; it’s about the prestige of the event,” he said.
Venice’s architecture biennale, held every two years since 1980, is one of the world’s most significant contemporary architecture events. Lithuania has participated since 2016, debuting with Latvia and Estonia in the Baltic Pavilion. In the 2025 edition, Lithuania presented its national pavilion, Archi / Tree / Tecture.
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