Tosin Oshinowo Appointed Curator of 2nd Sharjah Architecture Triennial

The triennial based in Sharjah, UAE, is described as "a platform for architecture and urbanism from West Asia to South Asia and the African continent." The inaugural edition, held in 2019, was curated by Adrian Lahoud under the theme "Rights of Future Generations."

Though early in the process (title and dates are TBD), an announcement from SAT hints at Oshinowo's theme, with director Hoor Al Qasimi saying, "the theme of adaptability that is central to Oshinowo’s curatorial proposal builds on the Sharjah Architecture Triennial commitment to addressing the challenging conditions we face not only in the Global South but around the world." 

Oshinowo's statement sheds a little more light on her proposal: "My approach is inspired by the history, traditions, and landscape of Sharjah and other cities across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, exploring architecture and design solutions that are built from conditions of scarcity. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues around the world to illuminate a pathway forward that reorients our global conversation on sustainable architecture, urbanism, and infrastructure."

Oshinowo is the principal of cmDesign Atelier, an eleven-person studio that she founded in 2012. The firm's output ranges from resorts and single-family houses to office and apartment blocks, with a new community in northern Nigeria underway with the United Nations Development Programme. Beyond the studio's architectural work, Oshinowo curated the second Lagos Biennial, in 2019, and has written extensively on architecture and urbanism, including a contribution to Expansions, one of the publications created for the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale.