Abstract
Beyond mere display, the architecture exhibition is a thing in itself: it is research, knowledge, content and even space production as much as it is representation of something that lies outside the exhibition space.
Transgressions (not only in the format of the exhibits but also in the aims they wish to achieve as well as the public they address), which can often lead to Transformations, should certainly be considered among its effects. In 2012, Toyo Ito presented the contributions of his recent experience in the areas affected by the 2011 tsunami in the Japanese Pavilion at the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale. The exhibition was conceived as a catalyst for future interventions, and it has, in fact, become the trigger for a more extensive project of architectural and social transformation in the areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami. This well-known paradigmatic case represents an opportunity to address further examples of exhibitions that proved capable of
activating processes of care for cities, communities and urban fabrics.