Past, Present, and Future: The Pritzker Architecture Prize's Executive Director Manuela Lucá-Dazio on New Beginnings, Relationships in Space, and Developing Oneself
Portrait by Anselm Kiefer.
By Julia Gamolina
Manuela Lucá-Dazio is the newly appointed Executive Director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She is the former Executive Director, Department of Visual Arts and Architecture of La Biennale di Venezia, where she managed exhibitions with distinguished curators, architects, artists, and critics to realize the International Art Exhibition and the International Architecture Exhibition, each edition since 2009.
Preceding that, she was responsible for the technical organization and production of both Exhibitions, beginning in 1999. She holds a PhD in History of Architecture from the University of Roma-Chieti, Italy and lives in Paris, France. In her interview with Julia Gamolina, Manuela talks about her transition from focusing on the history of architecture to focusing on its present and future, advising those just starting their careers to be aware and to never give up.
JG: How did you come to architecture?
MLD: When I finished school, I had many interests - art, philosophy, literature. I didn’t know what to choose, and in the end, I chose architecture almost by chance. I had a great, wonderful surprise that the discipline and the art of architecture includes everything. If you study and practice architecture, you really need to know about everything - art, history, politics, the economy - and this was a very pleasant surprise for me in my first years of study.
The other element that I found that was perfect for me is that architecture as a discipline keeps you constantly researching. To study and to work in architecture, you have to observe, reflect, and be curious and informed. And, not just about architecture itself, but about the world around you in general. These different perspectives colliding - the past, the present, and the future - were very exciting for me. I have to confess that I never wanted to build, or become a practicing architect, but I was always very interested in investigating the current and past built environment, and how that paves way to the future.
Manuela with Alejandro Aravena, Gonzalo Arteaga, Victor Oddó (co-founders with Alejandro of Elemental). Photography by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
Manuela with Paolo Baratta and colleagues. Photography by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
Tell me more about your studies.
The more I studied, the more I leaned towards the history of architecture. My graduate thesis was on the newly discovered rules of perspective in the early images of the 16th century.
Wow. How long was that paper [laughs]?
[Laughs] Right, quite specific as you can see. The thesis revolved around how perspective in various images would be manipulated to highlight very specific things, for the purposes of political or religious power.
Fascinating. And I’m sure this also happens today through slightly different manipulations.
Exactly - now we have different technologies and different aims. Back then, my whole cultivation in architecture allowed me to know more about myself! I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at the end of my studies, and so I was trying to expand as much as possible. This has always been my nature, and I’ve always been interested in knowing as much as I could about many disciplines.
So after my graduate studies, I then went through the experience of a PhD, focusing on charter houses. I focused on existing and lost charter houses in Italy in general and then in Naples specifically. Through this, I also now had some field experience - I was finally on site and truly seeing spaces live, the relationships between them, which was very formative. Through this, I learned that architecture is not just about buildings, but that architecture is about the relationships between human beings in space. I was born and I grew up in the South of Italy, in Naples, and this experience took me back to my birthplace. I understood that space is very important in shaping lives, especially the common space, as that is where human relationships really form.
“I learned that architecture is not just about buildings, but that architecture is about the relationships between human beings in space...I understood that space is very important in shaping lives, especially the common space, as that is where human relationships really form.”
What did you do next?
When I was still studying architecture, I also had a chance to work for the main museums in Naples, on a number of exhibitions about classical art and architecture. This was another moment in my education because of the opportunity to combine research and content. I had a chance to work very closely with museum directors, art experts, conservators, and I learned an incredible amount about art, about the pieces, and how to preserve and exhibit them. I was also working very closely with technicians, architects, and lighting designers for these exhibitions, which gave me the practical tools to put all this into practice.
At the same time, I also happened to start working at the Venice Biennale. You might think that I had too many projects going on at the same time, which I did [laughs], but this was a way for me to continue to expand my interests and get to know how I wanted to develop myself as a person, and as a professional. I was painting my own picture in a way.
I understand that completely - you can find out what’s best for you, and what you’re best suited for, by starting broadly and editing down. You also become more creative this way I think, by seeing how all the things that you’re doing co-exist together, and what new elements and initiatives can come into the world from them.
Truly. At this point though, I did have to finally make a choice because the former Biennale president, Paolo Baratta, asked me to take charge of the technical aspects of the art and architecture exhibitions. In the end, this was a catalyzing moment for me, and I decided to keep on working with living artists and architects, and so here we open my big chapter with the Venice Biennale, where I was for twenty-five years.
First I was responsible for the Biennale’s technical organization, and then in 2009, I became the Managing Director of the Art and Architecture department. This was a big change, but an incredible moment for me.
Manuela with Alejandro Aravena, Diego Torres and Juan Cerda (both co-founders Elemental). Photography by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy La Biennale di Venezia.
Manuela with Grafton Architects’ Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara and with former Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Photography by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy La Biennale di Venezia.
Why do you say that it was a big change?
Because it was a moment when art and architecture became a true part of my daily life. Every day, I was working with people whose daily life revolved around the making of art and architecture. I was no longer surrounded by the historical perspective, but by the present, and by new things coming into the world.
I learned very quickly that the most important thing was the personal relationship between me and the artists and architects around me, which is, as you can imagine, an on-going process. It’s a constant dialogue revolving around mutual empathy, trust, and respect. This is something that is central to the Biennale as it’s a different project each year - different artists, different curators. I think of my first Biennale years, and I can say that my first lesson was that we are here for the artist. Without the artist - and when I say artist, I mean architect as well - exhibitions and many cultural institutions wouldn’t exist. I learned this very quickly, but I also learned that this is a complex, collective project. The Biennale also wouldn’t happen without the curators, without the installation technicians, etc.
My role then became very clear within all of this, which was to realize the vision of the curator within the frameworks, the procedure, and the budget of the Biennale. You may think that this is very simple [laughs], but it is anything but.
[Laughs] Oh, you don’t have to tell me.
[Laughs] In this way, I did my best to meet the exhibition vision and content with the realities of the procedures. To do that, you have to be constantly flexible and creative, but at the same time, very firm. This experience really stayed with me for all of these years, and has guided me, and has been the best thing for the end goal, which is the opening day. When on the opening day, I had next to me a proud and relieved curator, a happy Biennale president, and hundreds of smiling artists and architects - including my team - this was the best reward for me all of these years.
How did you then get involved with the Pritzker!
My new role came directly out of my role at the Biennale, and was an incredible surprise and opportunity. I’m at a starting point again, which is a wonderful place to be, especially since I feel that I can continue to pursue my interest in architecture, and I have the luck to work with an incredible jury and staff. I’m really grateful to the Pritzker family for giving me this chance.
“The Pritzer is both about interpreting the current times, and also anticipating...If you look at the laureates from the last few years, you can see that the Pritzker is responding to the times, to the complexities and challenges, but its also looking at the future.”
What do you think the role of the Pritzker is today? Of course the prize has evolved, the recipients are evolving, and what are some of the priority considerations for the jury today? What are your priorities for the Pritzker?
I’ve been going through the history of the prize, and obviously every single architecture student knows the Pritzker. When you dig into the history of the prize, you really understand how special the connection of the different factors is. The factors are the jury, the family who created the prize, and the laureates. These are the three main components in terms of making up the moment in time during which the prize is awarded.
If you look at the past, and the choices that create the laureates that we have, the Pritzer is both about interpreting the current times, and also anticipating. This is the most important characteristic of the prize, and is happening right now as well in our selection. If you look at the laureates from the last few years, you can see that the Pritzker is responding to the times, to the complexities and challenges, but its also looking at the future. This is the main aspect of the selection, and I’m committed to do my best to continue this and support the jury in this incredible work.
I remember when I interviewed the most recent Director of the prize, Martha Thorne, in 2020, and her saying that some prizes follow, and some prizes lead, and that the Pritzker leads. That was a really powerful statement. I can’t wait to see the example this year’s laureate sets for architecture and for the world.
You will see very soon [laughs].
How is the jury curated?
As you know, the prize was created in 1979 by Jay A. Pritzker and Cindy Pritzker, and Tom and Margot Pritzker continue and push forward the mission of the prize. What is really interesting is the diversity of the jury - diversity in terms of background, and also the point of view on the architecture. This makes it so special. If you look at the jury, not just now, but in past years as well, you will see that it’s made up of very different thinkers, all very passionate and competent about architecture from their own standpoints.
Manuela with Paolo Baratta and colleagues. Photography by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy La Biennale di Venezia.
Manuela with Alejandro Aravena. Photography by Andrea Avezzù, courtesy La Biennale di Venezia.
Where are you in your career today? What does this moment and role mean to you?
I would say that I’m again at a starting point, and that is the best feeling ever! A big and important phase has just closed, and I’m at the beginning of a new important one. Of course I have a background, and experience, but everything does feel like a new adventure.
I think this coming year will feel that way for a lot of us - so many had transitions in 2021. With this in mind, what have been the biggest challenges for you? How have you worked through them?
I look back and I have to say that my biggest challenges turned out to be my highlights, and my most important achievements. I will say that I found out very early in my life that I had no problem venturing outside of my comfort zone, and so this is what I was always looking for. Because of this, I don’t see challenges as negative - of course change can always be challenging, and at the Biennale, every year I would have a new curator and new artists to work with. But, each year I was also a bit more experienced and could anticipate and avoid some of the early challenges that I had encountered. In new situations there are always new challenges, but I will say that my highlights have always been the result of them.
“...the outcomes of collective responsibility are all because of the responsibility of the individual.”
Who are you admiring right now? Who is out in the world doing wonderful work that you think everyone should know about?
I find it very interesting and very exciting to see a new generation of young architects and artists, and that so many of them are women! So many of them are pushing the conventional boundaries of the discipline - towards inclusivity and innovation especially. These young people understand the power of architecture to contribute to personal freedom and to social and environmental justice. This is something that makes me very passionate about what is coming in our industry. I am also very passionate about those who very generously open doors for others to go through.
I love that. Me too. This brings me to ask - what would you like the impact of your work and your career to be? On architecture, and on the public at large?
I think what each of us do in our daily lives does impact the world. In my view, in general, we should all think about this more, and that the outcomes of collective responsibility are all because of the responsibility of the individual. Not everyone has the chance to make a big gesture, but small gestures are equally important. What is really important for me is not to be passive and hand my future over to someone else. If I had to consider what success means in my career, it is if I can contribute somehow to architects and artists and support them in changing relationships between human beings through their spaces. If I feel that I can do that, I would call that a success.
Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their careers, and do you have any additional advice specifically for women?
Women have always played a most important role in history - in politics, in culture, and in revolutions, sometimes without knowing it. Now women are more aware, but still not enough, of their power. We need to be more aware. That being said, my advice is very simple: never give up. Never compromise. Be open and curious. Take risks. And don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone, because something good will always come from that.