The 2023 edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale kicked off last week. Here, Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft selects the most interesting national pavilions from the event.
Curated by Lesley Lokko, the theme of this year's Venice Architecture Biennale was The Laboratory of the Future, and many of the national pavilions aimed to respond to this by focusing on issues of decolonisation and decarbonisation.
Here are 11 of the most interesting pavilions exhibiting this year:

Photography by Schnepp Renou
France pavilion: Ball Theater
Immediately impactful, the French pavilion was designed to "reawaken our desires for utopia". It was designed by architecture studio Muoto and dominated by a reflective hemispherical stage that will host a series of performances over the course of the biennale. "The idea of the theatre came because we wanted to create a collective space," Muoto architect Yves Moreau told Dezeen.
"It was a way to respond to the theme of the biennale, The Laboratory of the Future," he continued. "The theatre is a laboratory because you can do whatever you want. You can put on a hat, you put on makeup and you're somebody else. It was really a place for expression and inclusivity."
Find out more about the French pavilion ?

Photo by Astrid Fadnes
Brazil pavilion: Terra
Curated by Gabriela de Matos and Paulo Taveres, the Brazilian pavilion was filled with earth, which gave it a calm feeling and an incredible aroma. The exhibiti...