What’s Next?

Set against the backdrop of war across the region, the third edition of the Tbilisi Architecture Biennial is a visceral reckoning with the uncertainty—and openness—of the present. Organized by Tinatin Gurgendize, Gigi Shukakidze, and Otar Nemsadze, What’s Next? compels with site-specific interventions and installations scattered across the Georgian capital and beyond. I encountered these impressive works within the biennial’s ambit, where I also made sure to sample from the extensive list of complementary programs ranging from satellite exhibitions and symposia to tours and film screenings. Taken as a whole, the biennial had the feeling of a big festival, exuding both urgency and ambition.

Four projects are at the heart of the biennial: Shorisdebuli, a pencil tower of scaffolding situated in between two buildings in the center of the city that highlights the legacies of outdated planning systems; Tumbleweed Rodeo, a performative reflection on the plant’s tendency to break boundaries by bringing it back to where it originally came from—Caucasia—and letting it roll; Th…