Finland 2025

Title: The Pavilion – Architecture of Stewardship
Commissioner: Katarina Siltavuori, Archinfo – Information Centre for Finnish Architecture
Curators: Ella Kaira, Matti Jänkälä
Exhibitors: Merle Karp, Jussi Hertz, Antti Auvinen, Samuli Saarinen


The exhibition explores the diverse labour involved in constructing and maintaining architecture—from the design contributions of architectural workers and engineers to the efforts of construction workers, restoration architects, maintenance staff, and cleaners, all of whom play vital roles in shaping the built environment.

The Pavilion of Finland is one of only two buildings designed by the renowned modernist Alvar Aalto in Italy—and the only one completed during his lifetime. While its legacy has ensured its preservation, it has also overshadowed the many contributors to its ongoing existence. Architecture of Stewardship seeks to make the invisible visible by bringing the continuous work on the Pavilion out of the shadow of Aalto’s legacy.