Award-winning Spanish pavilion ‘Unfinished’ finds a new host in Intramuros this June

MANILA, Philippines — Awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016, the exhibition “Unfinished” finds a new host in the historic Walled City of Manila.

The San Ignacio Church becomes the venue where local enthusiasts will be able to view the exhibition for three months from June 21.

The project was made possible by the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (MECD), the Instituto Cervantes de Manila and the Intramuros Administration.

Showcasing man's ingenuity in the face of adversity, the exhibit is a photographic series of possible solutions to problems that have emerged from the financial crisis affecting Spain since 2008. The financial crisis has made the practice of architecture unfeasible and has thus led to the abandonment of construction projects, consequently resulting in many unfinished buildings.

Using photography as a filter to portray this reality, the pavilion´s central space represents the optimistic view of those who have fought back against the recent past, understanding these inherited constructions as an opportunity.

The exhibit “Unfinished,” presented in the Spanish pavilion at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016, seeks to direct attention to processes more than results in an attempt to discover design strategies generated by an optimistic view of the constructed environment. It forms part of the Viva Europa 2018 cultural festival of the European Union Delegation in the Philippines together with the EU MS embassies and cultural institutes. 

The exhibition gathers examples of architecture produced during the past few years, born out of renunciation and economy of means, designed to evolve and adapt to future necessities and trusting in the beauty conferred by the passage of time. 

These projects have understood the lessons of the recent past and consider architecture to be something unfinished, in a constant state of evolution and truly in the service of humanity.

The current moment of uncertainty in the architectural profession makes its consideration here especially relevant.

The connection of this exhibit with the reality of Philippine architecture likewise turns out to be relevant, for similar and yet very different reasons, certain self-built, unfinished or constantly changing buildings in this country make it possible to reflect on the underlying socio-economic dynamics in the architecture of this country.

Known for its ability to tackle its national state of affairs in the past and all difficulties, Spain is a country famous for its architectural tradition but with a brilliant present and future as shown by the Golden Lion Award received two years ago by “Unfinished” as well as the Pritzker Prize garnered by the Spanish atelier RCR Arquitectes. We are counting on the presence of architect and co-curator of the exhibit Carlos Quintans to discuss the current state of Spanish architecture.

The exhibit “Unfinished” comes to Manila after traveling around Europe and other parts of Asia and will run until the 21st of September this year.