Pavilion of Finland’s exhibition explores architecture as a collaborative endeavour through the iconic Aalto-designed Pavilion

Curators Ella Kaira and Matti Jänkälä will use the iconic architecture of Alvar and Elissa Aalto’s Pavilion of Finland to explore architecture as a collaborative endeavour at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.

The Pavilion, built in Venice’s Giardini della Biennale Park in 1956, is one of only two buildings the legendary modernist Alvar Aalto and his office designed in Italy – and the only one completed during his lifetime. The building carries a mythos that has undoubtedly bolstered its preservation but also obscures the many contributors to its ongoing existence. The Pavilion – Architecture of Stewardship aspires to make the invisible visible by bringing the ongoing work on the Pavilion out of the shadow of Aalto’s legacy.

Response to the theme Intelligens

The exhibition, commissioned by Archinfo, the Information Centre for Finnish Architecture, will challenge us to rethink our relationship with the built environment and the labour that goes into its creation and maintenance by revealing the ongoing process of creation involved in preserving the Pavilion.

“The Pavilion of Finland in the Giardini della Biennale has been celebrated internationally as one of the masterpieces of Finland’s greatest architect, but this perspective has shifted in recent years. Over a period shorter than many people’s careers, scholarship has developed its recognition of the significant contribution made by Aalto’s wives, Aino and Elissa, to his corpus of work. It is no longer accepted that he was a lone genius, creating in isolation,” says Katarina Siltavuori, Director of Archinfo and Commissioner of the Pavilion of Finland.

“Kaira and Jänkälä’s exhibition aims to further re-examine the process of authorship by broadening its enquiry to the myriad workers involved in the design, construction and maintenance of the built environment. As the 19th International Architecture Exhibition asks us to consider the nature of Intelligens, the Pavilion of Finland’s investigation takes on a new significance: challenging widely-held assumptions about the nature of creativity and intelligence – and revealing a broad and nuanced understanding that celebrates the work of individuals as part of collaborative systems,” Siltavuori concludes.

Stewardship and authorship

The Pavilion – Architecture of Stewardship delves into the labour required to ensure the longevity of architecture, exploring who shoulders this responsibility and why it matters. It brings to life the memories embedded in the walls, tracing the Pavilion’s journey from its construction through decades of continuous maintenance and three major restorations to today. Through these stories, brought to life in an audio-visual work created by video artist Merle Karp and sound designer Jussi Hertz, the exhibition positions the people involved in this work as co-creators alongside the original architect.

“The Pavilion of Finland is an architectural icon, but it wouldn’t exist without the ongoing labour and care contributed by many workers throughout its life. Every architectural project has a story of intentions that unravelled on the journey from sketch to inhabited building. We think that the solutions these give rise to are as much a part of history as the intent of the original architect. Our exhibition seeks to ask whether architecture is fixed instruction or an ongoing collaboration and recognise the importance of a broad range of contributions to the authorship of buildings,” says Curator Ella Kaira.

Preserving built heritage depends on stewardship – a timeless practice rooted in care and responsibility. In the context of architecture, stewardship is a shared duty between architects and non-architects, requiring the negotiation of land, resources, and the built environment within an interplay of human and non-human agency.

“The Pavilion of Finland invites us to reflect on the concept of ephemerality in our built environment. The building was originally designed as a temporary structure, but it has become a permanent monument. However, today, many buildings that were designed to remain in place are demolished in under 50 years of age. The built environment is treated as a collection of pavilions characterised by ephemerality rather than heritage characterised by permanence. Our exhibition explores the stewardship of our built environment that enables its continued use from one generation to another,” says Curator Matti Jänkälä.

Ella Kaira (b. 1992) and Matti Jänkälä (b. 1995) are Helsinki-based architects and co-founders of the architectural practice Vokal. Jänkälä advocates modern built heritage and justice in urban development. His interests lie primarily in repairing and caring for the existing built environment instead of new construction. Kaira’s architectural focus has, over time, shifted from building design to restoration, with a strong emphasis on fostering community resilience.

Finland’s super year

At the Biennale Architettura 2025, Finland will have a uniquely strong presence, as in its turn once every six years, Finland also hosts the Nordic Pavilion, and three Finnish groups have been invited to the main exhibition. In the joint Nordic Pavilion with Sweden and Norway, Finland’s Museum of Architecture and Design will present a work by performance artist Teo Ala-Ruona and their team. The work invites visitors to reflect on the designed and lived environment from the perspectives of accessibility and inclusivity.

Architect Marco Casagrande’s exhibition in the main exhibition, curated by the Biennale’s chief curator Carlo Ratti, addresses biourbanism, ecological urban restoration, and city-scale circular economy in war-torn Kharkiv, Ukraine. The Alusta Pavilion, presented in Venice by architect duo Elina Koivisto and Maiju Suomi, offers a vision of a future where the environment simultaneously supports the well-being of both humans and non-human lifeforms. Architect Jaakko Heikkilä and designer Emil Lyytikkä’s work Soft Infrastructure was selected for the main exhibition through the Biennale College Architettura, a program aimed at young architects that engages with the climate crisis.

Pavilion opening ceremony on 8 May

The Biennale Architettura 2025 will open to the public on 10 May and remain open until 23 November. The public opening will be preceded by preview and pre-opening days from 7 to 9 May. The Pavilion of Finland’s opening ceremony will be held on Thursday 8 May. Design professionals and media can already apply for accreditation to the 19th International Architecture Exhibition directly from the Biennale organisation (link). Accreditation as a guest of the Pavilion of Finland will open in March.

The Biennale Architettura 2025 is the fourth occasion that Archinfo has taken charge of the Pavilion of Finland’s presentation at the International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. Each of Archinfo’s previous exhibitions has raised global awareness of Finnish architecture and the Finnish way of life by presenting the innovations present in uniquely Finnish typologies. In 2018, Mind-Building presented the architecture and culture of the Finnish library system. In 2021, New Standards told the post-war story of prefabricated timber Puutalo Houses – one of Finland’s most widespread architectural exports. 2023 saw the first use of the word Huussi in the New York Times, as the exhibition turned its attention to the traditional Finnish composting toilet in the context of the global climate crisis.

Archinfo has been appointed by Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture as Commissioner for the Finnish Pavilion’s exhibitions at the Biennale Architettura. The Ministry is the main supporter of the exhibition. Additional support has been granted by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The main partner of the exhibition is Kontio. Other partners include Artek, Tervakoski Oy Delfort, Helsinki Distilling Company, and the Embassy of Finland in Rome.