The Finnish pavilion houses Finland's national representation during the Venice Biennale arts festivals in addition to the Nordic pavilion shared with Sweden and Norway.
Background
Since 2013, the Frame Contemporary Art Finland foundation has commissioned and produced exhibitions for the Finnish pavilion as part of its mission to promote contemporary Finnish art.
Building
The pavilion, designed by Alvar Aalto and Elissa Aalto, was built between 1955 and 1956. It was originally designed as a temporary space for the Finnish national exhibition at the 28th Venice Biennale, but it remains in use today. It is the only Alvar Aalto building in Italy that was completed during Aalto's lifetime.
After the shared Nordic pavilion was completed in 1962, the building was lent to other countries, including Italy, Argentina, Portugal, and Iceland. It has been used again by the Finnish national exhibition since 2007.
The building is constructed primarily of wood, a challenging material for the humid and flood‑prone Venice. The pavilion is fully coated and painted, providing a layer of protection from sunlight and water. This is considered a contributing factor to the endurance of the wooden building in the hostile environment.
The building was restored by Fredrik Fogh between 1976 and 1982, with a further restoration taking place in 1993. The exhibition at the pavilion for the 19th Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2025 was titled The Pavilion – Architecture of Stewardship and used the pavilion itself as an example of architecture as a collaborative task: architects, engineers, construction workers, maintenance staff, cleaners, and other roles all play a part in the creation and upkeep of any building over its lifetime.
Representation by year
Art 2005 — Jaakko Heikkilä 2007 — Maaria Wirkkala 2011 — Vesa‑Pekka Rannikko (curator: Laura Köönikkä) 2013 — Antti Laitinen, Terike Haapoja (curators: Mika Elo, Marko Karo, Harri Laakso) 2015 — IC‑98 – Visa Suonpää, Patrik Söderlund (curator: Taru Elfving) 2017 — Erkka Nissinen, Nathaniel Mellors (curator: Xander Karskens)Hannah Ghorashi (13 April 2016), Erkka Nissinen and Nathaniel Mellors To Represent Finland at the 2017 Venice Biennale ARTnews. 2019 — Miracle Workers Collective 2021 — Pilvi Takala 2024 — Pia Lindman, Vidha Saumya, Jenni‑Juulia Wallinheimo‑Heimonen (curators: Yvonne Billimore, Jussi Koitela)Alex Greenberger (28 March 2023), A Guide to the 2024 Venice Biennale National Pavilions ARTnews. 2026 — Jenna Sutela (curator: Stefanie Hessler)
References
Bibliography
Further reading
External links