Architecture studio from Porto represents Portugal in the Biennale Architettura 2020, in Venice

The curatorial project 'IN CONFLICT' by depA collective, from Porto, was selected by the Portuguese Directorate-General for the Arts to represent Portugal in the 17th International Exhibition of Architecture in the La Biennale di Venezia, which takes place from 23rd May to 29th November 2020, under the theme "How Will We Live Together", curated by Lebanese Hashim Sarkis.

The architecture studio from Porto will take to La Biennale di Venezia its ?IN CONFLICT' project, which is a debate and also an analysis of the architecture produced in Portugal during the first 45 years of democracy in the country.

"Learning from conflict materializes, after all, a future where we can generously live together" reads the synopsis of the curatorship project "In Conflict".

"It is a curatorship project that includes seven processes that are paradigmatic examples of several architecture issues in Portugal, from 1975, the Revolution period of 25th April, up to present time. And that is, for now, all we can disclose", Carlos Azevedo, one of the founders of depA, explained. 

"Porto offers great conditions for our activity"

Architectural studio depA was established in 2009, in Porto, by architects Carlos Azevedo, João Crisóstomo and Luís Sobral. The starting point was the will to create something new in the Invicta through their collective view.

"Although we have all graduated in Coimbra, we have naturally come to Porto to work, in 2008 and 2009, as many of our professors had architect studios at the Invicta; so the transition was smooth and we were lucky to start when the city was emerging, it was a nice time to thrive and nowadays it still is; we continue to battle and things are working quite fine", Carlos Azevedo states.

For Carlos Azevedo, the affirmation of Porto as a world capital of architecture is "a realisation that stands true", with Porto offering to the world two Pritzker prizes - Siza Vieira and Souto de Moura - and "we are proud that we are also part of this environment in the city".

Already in 2018, depA was selected to be part of the 16th International Exhibition of Architecture with Liquid Pavilion - in Serralves- being one of the pieces to represent Portuguese Architecture in La Biennale di Venezia.

Their portfolio speaks volumes as the work they have developed has been granted numerous awards, such as the Liquid Pavilion, winner of FAD awards 2018 for ephemeral projects category; the Casa do Rosário, in Porto, winner of Concreta under 40, finalist in the 2017 National Architecture Prize in Madeira and the International Architecture Award BIGMAT 2017, and selected for the ENOR awards. The House of Culture, in Pinhel: a finalist in the FAD 2015 Awards, which also won an award as the Best Museography Work, an Honourable Mention for the Best Portuguese Museum from APOM and was selected by the Portuguese Architects Association for the collection, Habitar Portugal 12-14; the Housing Block in Avenal, in Condeixa-a-Nova, which won an Honourable Mention in the Tijolo de Face à Vista award, by Vale da Gândara, 2013.