Sofie Pelsmakers joins a panel to select curatorial concepts for the Pavilion of Finland at the Venice Biennale of Architecture
The information centre for Finnish architecture, Archinfo, is in charge of the Pavilion of Finland’s exhibitions in the world-renowned arena for presenting current architectural phenomena. The 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is expected to run from May to November 2025.
”I am honoured to have been invited to join the selection panel for a curator for the Finnish Pavilion. Each country, including Finland, faces major societal, climatic and ecological challenges of which the climate and biodiversity crises are just a few. This also sheds an urgent light on the role of architecture in restoring our planet, rather than just being part of the problem,” says Sofie Pelsmakers.
Personally, Pelsmakers wishes to see concepts that show that another future world of architecture is possible.
“I hope that some interdisciplinary and curatorial collectives will be inspired by the call’s focus and how that this can also be embedded in production practices,” she adds.
Sofie Pelsmakers is a Professor of Sustainable Housing Design at the Tampere School of Architecture. She has dedicated the past two decades to teaching, designing and researching sustainable architecture with a focus on matters that have a clear societal urgency and that are not limited to technological innovations but offer wider insights into socially and environmentally responsible design.
Searching for an idea that supports sustainability and diversity
Through the open call, Archinfo is looking for a curator with thought-provoking and original curatorial concepts that stem from topical issues facing the future and that are relevant to Finnish architecture while resonating with a broad international audience. In the end, the chosen concept will be developed into an impressive exhibition. The desired concept will reflect the ways in which architecture can support sustainability and diversity as well as inclusivity and well-being of humans and non-humans.
The curatorial concept will be selected by a panel comprising Pelsmakers, architect Pia Ilonen, and Dr Aura Seikkula. The panel is chaired by Archinfo’s director, Katarina Siltavuori, who is also the commissioner for the Pavilion of Finland.
The Pavilion of Finland is a permanent pavilion structure in the Giardini della Biennale Park in Venice. It was designed by architect Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) and completed in 1956. In the 2023 Biennale of Architecture, the Huussi exhibition in the Finnish pavilion received more than 140,000 visitors.
In 2025, Finland will participate in two pavilions since the Museum of Finnish Architecture will be in charge of the exhibition at Nordic Pavilion designed by Sverre Fehn. The pavilion is run jointly by Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian museums, taking turns in the lead.
The call is open until 5 February in 2024. More information about the open call can be found on Archinfo’s website.
More information about the open call can be found on Archinfo’s website.
Further information
Sofie Pelsmakers
+358 50 447 8491
sofie.pelsmakers [at] tuni.fi
