The Mugak/ Biennial unveils in detail its program for another autumn of architecture

2025 September 16

• The leading architectural event of the Atlantic Arc unveils the full programme of its fifth edition, taking place from 9 October to 14 November
• Internationally renowned architects will visit the Basque Country this autumn: the English architect Sir Peter Cook and the Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas will deliver keynote lectures, among others.
• The central exhibition, “Eu-topias, Ou-topias”, invites nine prominent figures from architecture and the arts—including Sir Peter Cook and the celebrated Rem Koolhaas—to represent utopia through their work.
• Nearly one hundred activities will bring architecture closer to the public across the three Basque capitals: from ephemeral architectural installations to exhibitions, guided tours, lectures, film screenings, and immersive experiences.

16|09|2025

The Basque Country International Architecture Biennial, Mugak/, today presented in Donostia-San Sebastián the complete programme for its fifth edition. The event gathered around thirty of the organisations whose projects are part of this extensive programme. Beginning on 9 October, the Biennial will bring nearly one hundred activities to the three Basque capitals, engaging citizens with architecture until 14 November.

The Deputy Minister for Housing of the Basque Government, Miguel de los Toyos, whose Department promotes the initiative, highlighted that “the growth, reach, and acceptance of this kind of event are undeniable,” noting that the Biennial has gone from 30,000 visitors in 2017 to over 90,000 in 2023, “with a younger audience that inspires genuinely optimistic expectations for the future.”

De los Toyos explained that Mugak/ “has always sought to combine the presence of major figures in architecture with a meeting place for local practitioners—and this year will be no exception.” He also underlined the “territorial character of the event,” with activities distributed across the three Basque capitals.

Adding to these remarks, María José Tellería, Director-General for Culture of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, stated: “This Biennial champions an accessible, participatory, and decentralised form of architecture—an artistic discipline that strengthens community bonds and fosters creativity.”

The curator of Mugak/ 2025, María Arana, then detailed all aspects of an edition that “is not limited to an exhibition programme, but becomes a cultural device that promotes reflection, challenges inertia, and stimulates shared imagination. It also embodies the institutional ambition to foster new systems of cooperation and cultivate a culture that drives transformation—just as utopias did in the past.”

Under this premise, Mugak/ 2025 will officially open on 9 October at 6:00 p.m. at the Kursaal, with an inaugural lecture by the Ghanaian-Scottish architect, academic, and activist Lesley Lokko OBE. Admission is free, and tickets are already available through the Mugak/ website.

From that day onwards, the central exhibition of this edition, titled “Eu-topias, Ou-topias”, will open to the public. Hosted at the Basque Institute of Architecture (EAI-IAE), this year’s show once again takes the form of a collective exhibition, inviting leading figures from architecture and the arts to represent utopia through their work. In total, nine internationally recognised individuals and entities have created this exhibition, aligned with the theme of the fifth edition: “Castles in the Air, or How to Build Utopia Today.”

The exhibition presents diverse approaches to utopian thought within architecture and includes works and pieces by Professor Lesley Lokko OBE, Constant Nieuwenhuys, John Porral, Txuspo Poyo, Aristide Antonas, Sir Peter Cook, David Brown, Richard Sennett, Juno Calypso, and Rem Koolhaas.

Some of these leading figures will visit the Basque Country this autumn. Among them, Sir Peter Cook, who will deliver a lecture on 22 October at the Teatro Principal in Donostia, and the Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas, who will speak with Ramón Prat of Actar Publishers at Azkuna Zentroa in Bilbao on 31 October.

Architecture across the three Basque capitals

One of the highlights of this Biennial will be the construction of three ephemeral architectural installations in three emblematic public squares. Donostia will inaugurate its installation on 10 October with “Lightness and Protest: Embroidery as a Feminine Utopia”, by Izaskun Chinchilla Architects, located in Alderdi Eder. “Etxenoi”, the winning proposal by AMA Architectural Office for Plaza de las Mujeres in Bilbao, will open on 17 October. Finally, “Utopia: No Entry”, a wall designed by architect and artist Sebastián Bayo, will divide Virgen Blanca Square in Vitoria-Gasteiz in two from 23 October onwards.

All three installations will serve as stages for various activities during this edition, including the travelling workshop co-organised by Maushaus and No Man’s Land, titled “Architecture Without Building.”

In addition to the main exhibition, this edition will feature new exhibitions. Santos Bregaña will present “Ucronías de San Sebastián” in the DBus shelters across Donostia starting 10 October, showcasing architectural and urban projects that were never realised in the city. Chillida Leku will host “Limina – Cosmopolitan Chicken Project 30” from 16 October, an exhibition focusing on cultural diversity that invites visitors to deviate from the usual exhibition route. On the same day, the Peña Ganchegui Prize exhibition will return to the EAI-IAE, presenting the finalists of this edition.

As part of the parallel programme Off Mugak/, Donostia will host “Hurrengo Geltokia: Amara-Easo”, dedicated to “Playa de Vías”, the city’s largest urban regeneration project for social housing. The exhibition will open on 15 October at the former Fire Station on Easo Street. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, the exhibition “Entretejidas”, curated by Zaida Muxí and a team from the Tecnológico de Monterrey, will highlight the work of women architects on the Mexican border, with the installation “Utopia: No Entry” serving as its setting from 23 October.

Visitors will once again enjoy a rich and diverse programme of talks. The creators of the ephemeral architectures will join their respective openings to discuss their projects with the public. The New Babylon of Dutch artist Constant Nieuwenhuys will be revisited by historian Juan Pro, who will give a talk on 31 October at the EAI-IAE. The Off Mugak/ programme also adds compelling events, such as a conversation on the legacy of Lilly Reich, also at the EAI-IAE, on 18 October.

Among the most innovative formats is “HAUSTURAK”, which combines lectures with an immersive audiovisual installation and live performance by Edorta Subijana, Garazi Egiguren, and J. Sasso, held at the Iesu Church in Donostia from 6 to 8 November at 9:00 p.m.. At Chillida Leku, Fernando Cremades will offer the performance-workshop “Interespecies” on 25 October at 5:00 p.m. Across the three capitals, different companies and artists will perform live interpretations of the structures produced in the “Architecture Without Building” workshop.

The Biennial will conclude on 14 November. The closing event will take the form of a collective reflection on architectural biennials as platforms for emerging discourses. Today, these events face the challenge of defining themselves between the critical and the spectacular, the experimental and the institutional. In this context, curators and cultural agents of international standing will take part in a roundtable discussion on the meaning and future of architectural biennials: Eva Franch, Ethel Baraona, Iker Gil, Fabrizio Gallanti, and José Ángel Medina, moderated by Marta Rincón. The event will culminate with a musical performance that will bring Mugak/ 2025 to a close.

All activities are completely free of charge, although some require prior registration. Full information and the complete programme are now available here.