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On the occasion of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. (scheduled from May 10 to November 23, 2025), two major recognitions have been announced: the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement has been awarded to the American philosopher Donna Haraway, while the Special Golden Lion in Memoriam has been conferred upon the Italian architect, designer, and theorist Italo Rota, who passed away on April 6, 2024.
The decision was ratified by the Board of Directors of La Biennale, chaired by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, on the proposal of curator Carlo Ratti The awards will be presented during the opening ceremony of the exhibition, which will take place on Saturday, May 10 at Ca’ Giustinian.
According to Carlo Ratti, Donna Haraway is one of the most influential figures in the interdisciplinary dialogue between science, technology, philosophy, and feminist critique. Her work, which has explored the relationships between the biological world and technological innovation for over forty years, stands out for its strong creative charge and an imaginative approach capable of proposing new ways of living the contemporary condition.
With the development of the concept of the “Chthulucene” — as an alternative to the more well-known “Anthropocene” — Haraway invites us to think in terms of coexistence among species, underlining the need for conscious cohabitation on the planet. Her thought, deeply critical yet filled with hope and possibility, has influenced the vision of the future not only in theory but also in design practice, as demonstrated in many of the approaches presented in the Exhibition.
The Special Golden Lion in Memoriam is a tribute to the career of Italo Rota, an architect with visionary thinking and a vast body of work that spanned decades of cultural transformations. Rota conceived architecture as a living organism, capable of blending nature, technology, and artistic sensitivity
His journey, which began with masters such as Albini, Gregotti, and Aulenti, then developed into a multitude of international experiences — from the restoration of the Musée d’Orsay to the Museo del Novecento in Milan — always guided by a rare ability to combine poetry and rigor. Carlo Ratti recalled how the curatorial project of the Biennale began precisely with Rota in 2023, a collaboration abruptly interrupted by his passing.
The recognition will be accepted by Margherita Palli, set designer and Rota’s life and work partner, who is involved in the exhibition with the project Material Bank: Matters Make Sense, realized in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano and the University of Singapore
Donna Haraway, born in Denver in 1944, is Professor Emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A biologist by training, she is known for her studies on the relationships between science and society, with a body of work that weaves together narrative, feminism, and multispecies theory. Her texts – from Simians, Cyborgs, and Women to Chthulucene – are reference points for anyone working on ethics, ecology, posthumanism, and technological culture.
Italo Rota, born in Milan in 1953, left an indelible mark on European architecture, distinguishing himself for an approach free from dominant styles and capable of engaging with a wide range of disciplines. His projects – from urban design to museography – embody an idea of architecture as a total cultural experience, in constant dialogue with the present.
With these recognitions, the Biennale Architettura 2025 celebrates two worldviews that are different yet complementary, both capable of inspiring new forms of collective intelligence, as suggested by the very title of the exhibition.
Photography by Clara Mokri/ Claudio Moschin, courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia
