Venice - Fundamentals, the 14th edition of the Biennale of Architecture, begins today, June 7th . This year it will be open almost six months, until November 23rd, 2014.
After several editions devoted to celebrating the contemporary, this one, directed by Rem Koolhaas, focuses on stories, with the aim of investigating the current state of architecture and imagine its future.
This year, three complementary exhibitions are designed in the two main venues, the Gardens and the Arsenal, but also in many locations across the city.

The 65 national pavilions were invited to try their hand on a common theme: "Absorbing Modernity: 1914-2014", exploring the decisive moments of a secular path of modernization, achieved through culture, politics, national identity, territory, industry and even tourism.

The Central Pavilion in the Giardini is presented as a "catalog" of the main "Elements of architecture". The exhibition amazes with its detail, its comparisons, the insights into the history and geography of each component, from floors to ceilings, ramps and balconies, through corridors, windows, lifts and even toilets. The spaces, which are very different from each other, from time to time are conceived as museums, laboratories, factories, archives and lounges.

Inside the Arsenale, finally, Monditalia blended for the first time the different fields of the Biennale, including Dance, Music, Theatre and Cinema. The path becomes a fascinating but also a distressing journey through the wonders and complexities of the Bel Paese, where art and culture are combined with examples of mismanagement, a topic which is now very relevant.
The itinerary ends near the Italian Pavilion designed by Cino Zucchi, entitled "Innesti/Grafting", which will allow visitors inside channeling them through an "Archimbuto", a portal leaning against the brick wall of the entrance.