Venice: Qatar Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia announced today that Beyti Beytak ‘My Home is Your Home’, explores hospitality forms in the architecture and urban landscapes of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA).
According to Qatar News Agency, the two-part exhibition examines how modern and contemporary architecture responds to the needs of communities while reimagining a sense of belonging. Beyti Beytak is produced by Qatar Museums and organized by the future Art Mill Museum, featuring an installation in the Giardini della Biennale and a presentation at the ACP-Palazzo Franchetti. The 19th International Architecture Exhibition marks the first official participation of Qatar. The presentation at the ACP-Palazzo Franchetti is organized with the support of ACP Art Capital Partners. Beyti Beytak will be on view from May 10 to November 23, 2025.
HE Commissioner of the Qatar Pavilion and Chairperson of Qatar Museums Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani said, “The exhibition Beyti Beytak demonstrates the commitment of Qatar Museums to amplify the voices of leading modern and contemporary creatives from the Arab world and neighboring regions. This exhibition not only highlights the profound contributions of MENASA architects to global architecture but also reflects our shared values of hospitality, community, and belonging.”
In the Giardini, on the site of the future Qatar Pavilion, Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari’s Community Centre (2024) showcases Lari’s humanitarian, social, cultural, and architectural development model. The temporary installation, a bamboo structure, uses techniques that were deployed by the architect as part of relief efforts prompted by the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, an organization she co-founded in 1980. The foundation continues to establish shelters and villages for those suffering from a devastating earthquake and repeated flooding in Pakistan.
The design of the Community Centre including a perimeter veranda and dome structure topped with a waterproof palm frond roof highlights the adaptability of bamboo, used to construct the entire center through varied structural assemblies. Events inside the Community Centre throughout the duration of the Biennale Architettura 2025 will focus on traditional Qatari forms of welcome, including the serving of coffee and dates.
At ACP-Palazzo Franchetti, the exhibition will present the work of more than 30 architects, including several who have not previously shown in Venice. Examining three generations of architects that have worked in the MENASA region, the exhibition features drawings, photographs, models, and important archival documentation.
Through these materials, Beyti Beytak will explore interconnected themes of community and belonging, organized into sections dedicated to the reinvention of the oasis, city housing, community centers, mosques, museums, and gardens. A section is also devoted to the architecture and urbanism of Doha, which includes several doors from the old city that have been restored with the support of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.