8 events to visit at this year's Chicago Architecture Biennial

The Chicago Architecture Biennial returned this month to the Windy City. The latest theme, "This is a Rehearsal," features a program curated by the eight-member local collective Floating Museum. 

Events and exhibitions align with CAB 5’s focus on the ability of architecture to address politics and a host of other economic and environmental issues shared across boundaries that extend far beyond the city’s limit. A full slate of activities is taking place across Chicago from now until mid-February, including multiple exhibitions, tours, panel discussions, film screenings, product demonstrations, workshops, and celebrations.

Sites as varied as the James R. Thompson Center, Joffrey Ballet, and South Side Community Art Center are in play as venues for a list of participating firms and individuals that includes Tschabalala Self, Barkow Leibinger, and SOM.

"This is a Rehearsal" closes on February 11th. Be sure to follow our 2023 Chicago Architecture Biennal news tag.

To coincide with the official opening last week, we have put together a small curated selection of what’s in store for the upcoming fifth edition.

Chicago Cultural Center Exhibition
Until February 11, 2024
78 East Washington St

This is one of CAB 5’s main exhibition sites. Participants include Amanda Williams, Amy Kulper, Camille Henrot, Chris Cornelius, Carol Ross Barney, and almost 80 others over the full course of the exhibition.

James R. Thompson Center Exhibition
Until December 31, 2023
100 W Randolph St

The soon-to-be-remade Thompson Center atrium will become an important cog in the Biennial’s public programming, playing host to five exhibitions and other site-specific installations. The work of Institute for Computational Design and Construction founders Achim Menges and Jan Knippers is highlighted. The building will be open to the public through the end of the year.

Graham Foundation Exhibition
Until January 27, 2024
4 W Burton Pl

Chicago's Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts will serve as both a host site and co-sponsor of CAB 5. Events at the site will run until January 27 and include the participation of Larissa Fassler, Interim Studio, Cecil McDonald, Jr., and Dream the Combine.

Bio-Block Spiral
Until December 31, 2023
167 Green St

A product demonstration worth traveling for. SOM’s new carbon-neutral Bio-Blocks are assembled in two massings at 167 Green Street, located in the Fulton Market District. The blocks, a collaboration with Prometheus Materials and the International Masonry Institute, offer an algae-based alternative to traditional concrete masonry units (or CMUs) and will be on display daily from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. SOM says the presentation "demonstrates how product development, design, and construction can come together to address the climate crisis in a meaningful way."

Water
Until February 3, 2024
6018 N Kenmore Ave

The exhibition begins with artist/architect Jennifer Buyck’s video work documenting the Chicago River and includes a focus on other bodies of water from the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan. The focal point will be the relation between water and the population from pre-settler colonialism. The exhibition features work by Rebecca Beachy, Jennifer Buyck, Eugenia Cheng, Virginia Hanusik, Candace Hunter, Anna Johnson, Roland Knowlden, JeeYeun Lee, Jin Lee, Meredith Leich, Pierre-Alexandre Savriacouty, Tria Smith, and Ines Sommer.

UNMONUMENT CHICAGO: AFTER WORK
Until November 25, 2023
Blanc Gallery, 4445 S Martin Luther King Dr

A noteworthy presentation will feature the Black Reconstruction Collective’s first-ever exhibition outside of their core ten-member team. It centers around the premiere screening of filmmaker Zion Estrada’s 2,340 Miles from 1880 as the first of a ten-installment series titled UNMONUMENT CHICAGO: AFTER WORK. Screenings are available Friday through Sunday by appointment only at Blanc Gallery, 4445 S Martin Luther King Dr., between November 3 and 25. A renovated industrial lift from Olalekan Jeyifou also provides supplementary audio, visual, and text components at the location.

Only in the Dark and The Geometry of Thought
Until November 15, 2023
Art on the Mart, 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza Suite 47

Both projections are included in the ART on THE MART contribution to CAB 5. The latter offers a re-staging of Charles Atlas’s 2019 commission. The former expands on the work of Dr. Yiyun Kang, a leading name in project mapping and immersive art, calling on audiences to think collectively about a more inclusive future.

Living with Mies, photography by Arina Dähnick
Until November 26, 2023
Edith Farnsworth House, 14520 River Road, Plano, IL

This photographic exhibition includes artist Arina Dähnick's documentation of life inside of several iconic Mies van der Rohe structures. Organizers say, “This exhibit offers a unique perspective on how people connect with and shape the spaces they call home.” The photos will be on view from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM Wednesday through Sunday until the 26th of this month.

Which events and sites do you look forward to visiting? Any first impressions from the opening week so far? Let us know in the comments section below!