Democratic Architecture · Architectural Democracy

Context

The National Taiwan Museum will open the first Taiwanese publicly funded center for architecture in December 2026. The opening will be celebrated with an exhibition titled “Democratic Architecture · Architectural Democracy”, which is in Chinese: 「民主建築 · 建築民主」.

The National Taiwan Museum has commissioned the Alliance for Architectural Modernity (Taiwan) to organize the exhibition, which will take place at the Railway Department Park of the National Taiwan Museum from December 2026 to October 2027.

The curatorial team is composed of Chun-Hsiung Wang, Fabrizio Gallanti, and Wenwen Cai.

The theme of the exhibition aligns with Taiwan’s political and social trajectory since 1996, marked by the affirmation of democratic values and governance models that underpin the island’s contemporary identity.

The exhibition investigates how architecture has contributed, across various contexts, to consolidating and supporting the development of democracy by designing and providing spaces that are appropriated and used by citizens.

Guided by three central questions—What are the spatial archetypes of democratic architecture? How does democracy reshape space to enable public deliberation? How can architecture advance democracy?—the exhibition explores how the ideals and practices of democracy materialize through buildings, collective spaces, and landscapes.

A wide range of case studies from different countries will be presented through diverse interpretive media, including drawings, photographs, models, and videos. The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of publications and a program of public events that will expand its message.

The curatorial team is seeking international submissions for one of the exhibition themes: “New Common”, which responds to the question: How can architecture advance democracy?

This theme aims to highlight instances in which citizens have collaborated to control, manage, and benefit from resources that they considered collective, with particular attention to initiatives where the design component has played a significant role.

Such resources may be tangible—such as energy, agricultural production, water, or a specific site—or intangible, such as knowledge transmission or time-exchange. Submissions may document existing conditions or propose speculative projects.

A jury will select five proposals. A budget for the production of each installation within the exhibition will be allocated as well as professional assistance from the National Taiwan Museum and the Alliance for Architectural Modernity.

Contact

If you have questions, please contact: archidemocracytaiwan@gmail.com