NATION AS SPECTACLE:
Curating and Designing the Philippine Pavilion at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale 2018
The presentation by Edson Cabalfin will discuss the curatorial concept, exhibition design, opening,
and other stories surrounding the creation of the Philippine Pavilion entitled “The City Who Had Two
Navels” for the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale, which runs from May to November 2018. Inspired
by Filipino National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin’s novel, “The Woman Who Had Two Navels”,
published in 1961, the Philippine Pavilion confronts the tension between the vicissitudes of the past
and the challenges of constructing contemporary subjectivity. It highlights two “navels” that are in
constant dialogue: the forces of colonialism and neoliberalism and how they impact and shape the
Philippine built environment.
Edson G. Cabalfin, Ph.D. is currently Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Interior
Design at the University of Cincinnati. He is the Curator of the Philippine Pavilion at the 16th Venice
Architecture Biennale 2018. He received his Ph.D. in History of Architecture and Urban Development
from Cornell University. Aside from academia and research, Edson also runs his design consultancy
Talyer Kayumanggi/Brown Workshop with multi-disciplinary projects in architecture, interior design,
set design, costume design, fashion design, graphic design, and design strategy in North America,
Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
