The Nordic Pavilion in Venice will explore the politics of bodies and inclusive architecture
Anni Koponen
At the upcoming Biennale Architettura, the Nordic Pavilion's exhibition will examine the impact of spaces on bodies and society. This time, Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki is in charge of the joint pavilion of Finland, Sweden and Norway.
Performance artist Teo Ala-Ruona and his team have been chosen to create the exhibition for the Nordic Pavilion at the Biennale Architettura 2025, commissioned by Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki and curated by architect Kaisa Karvinen.
The exhibition invites audiences to think about inclusivity and accessibility of the spaces we design and live in, while also exploring how this broader perspective can transform the way architecture is imagined and created.
“Architecture reflects societal ideologies and thought. It impacts human bodies and their political realities,” states Ala-Ruona.
“My work addresses the sociopolitical pressures and impacts on bodies, particularly trans bodies. I am intrigued by how architecture, as an everyday environment, has influenced the ways we categorise things and each other,” Ala-Ruona continues.
For the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Ala-Ruona has assembled a multidisciplinary team including architect A. L. Hu, set designer and artist Teo Paaer, sound designer Tuukka Haapakorpi, dramaturge Even Minn, visual artist Venla Helenius, fashion designer Ervin Latimer, graphic designer Kiia Beilinson and performers Kid Kokko, Caroline Suinner, and Romeo Roxman Gatt.
Based in Helsinki, Ala-Ruona works across performance art, contemporary theatre, and choreography. His works have been featured at prominent venues such as the Performa Biennial in New York, Vilnius Performance Biennale, Kiasma Theatre, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in London.
Ala-Ruona views everyday environments as stages that guide how people observe one another. The Nordic Pavilion itself functions as such a space, subtly shaping ways of seeing and experiencing.
According to curator Kaisa Karvinen, Ala-Ruona's piece challenges us to reconsider our relationship with the environment, history, and the future, offering new perspectives on the built world.
"The trans experience of architecture brings to light rules and structures that many people take for granted – in the same way that we each experience unconscious bias, our understanding of our agency in buildings and space are pre-conditioned by our culture and experiences," says Karvinen.
"What excites me about Ala-Ruona's proposal is how he combines the methodologies of architecture and the performing arts. These two fields share much in common: they engage with materiality, the body, and space, while both also envision possible futures.”
The Nordic Pavilion is co-owned by Finland, Norway, and Sweden, with a rotating exhibition production responsibility. The upcoming exhibition is produced by Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki. The museum's Director of Content Services Carina Jaatinen serves as the exhibition's commissioner in cooperation with Karin Nilsson of ArkDes, Sweden, and Stina Högkvist of the National Museum of Norway. The curatorial team includes, in addition to curator Kaisa Karvinen, curatorial advisor Suvi Saloniemi.
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia opens in May 2025 under the curatorship of Italian architect, urban planner and researcher Carlo Ratti. The Biennale will explore different forms of intelligence and humanity during an era of redefined boundaries.
The year 2025 will be Finland's super year, as once every six years Finland is in charge of two pavilions. Archinfo is the commissioner of the Pavilion of Finland, which will feature an exhibition curated by architects Ella Kaira and Matti Jänkälä.
