Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli (Italy); Nora Akawi (Palestine); Thelma Golden (USA); Tau Tavengwa (Zimbabwe); Izabela Wieczorek (Poland), members of the jury, awarded the Golden Lion for the best national participation to the Brazilian pavilion, Terra/Earth. The curators, Gabriela de Matos and Paulo Tavares, explored Brazil’s deepest roots through an intimate relationship with the earth, turning the country’s gaze towards reconstruction and new interaction with other peoples.

DAAR, Decolonising Architecture Art Research by Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, won the Golden Lion for best participation in the exhibition “The Laboratory of the Future”. The award underlines the ongoing commitment and deep political engagement through architectural practice and research on decolonisation in Palestine and Europe.

The Silver Lion for a Promising Young Participant in “The Laboratory of the Future” exhibition went to Olalekan Jeyifous’ multimedia installation, a work that expands the public’s perspectives and imagination on a new way of looking at a decolonised and decarbonised future.

A Special Mention for National Participation went to the UK for Dancing Before the Moon, while the other three Special Mentions for Participation in “The Laboratory of the Future” exhibition went to Sammy Baloji/Twenty Nine Studio, Wolff Architects and Thandi Loewenson.

As announced by Biennale curator Lesley Lokko last March, the lifetime achievement Golden Lion was awarded to Nigerian artist, designer and architect Baba Demas Nwoko.