Hot Questions – Cold Storage

Exhibitions help establish the accepted cannon by influencing which works are talked about. For the first ever independent architecture biennial, under Paolo Portughesi in Venice, ‘The Presence of the Past’, postmodernism displayed an impressive presence. Hans Hollein’s contribution, which was characterised by stylistic flashbacks, and engaged ironically with the column by challenging its function as a supporting element, was one of the most convincing contributions to what was titled the Strada Novissima. The permanent exhibition at the Az W takes a fresh look at these and other legendary canon-establishing exhibitions, along with some that have been previously underestimated.