Several patterns emerged this year. The archive, as a depository of the kind of historical research performed by this year’s curators, is invoked in various capacities. Many pavilions reference work from previous Biennales, like the American and Swiss displays, which attempt to enliven a site that is typically reserved for solitude and study. Other displays, notably the Koolhaas-curated Monditalia section in the Arsenale, employ dance, film, and photography — but not architecture — to represent the built environment. At times, these methods produced overwhelming exhibitions crammed with text and visual stimulation; at others, they struck a delicate balance between mediums and historic moments that allowed for a moment of pause required for insightful reflection. Below are some of our favorites