Icelandic Pavilion Presents SOAK: Rituals of Collective Belonging at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia

Commissioned by Iceland Design and Architecture, the exhibition explores Icelandic bathing culture as a counter-narrative to contemporary social exclusion.

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, May 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Halla Helgadóttir, Iceland Design and Architecture, Commissioner of the Iceland Pavilion, is pleased to announce SOAK: Rituals of Collective Belonging as its entry for the 20th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Lu Wenyu and Wang Shu. Curated by Basalt Architects partner Marcos Zotes, the pavilion is a multidisciplinary collaboration between Basalt Architects (Hrólfur Karl Cela, Marcos Zotes, Perla Dís Kristinsdóttir), design studio Gagarin (Kristín Eva Ólafsdóttir, Nils Wiberg), and artist Rán Flygenring.

In an era of increasing physical and digital isolation, SOAK: Rituals of Collective Belonging posits the Icelandic geothermal pool as the ultimate democratic space. The project reimagines architecture not as a static, protective shell, but as a social fluid capable of dissolving the rigid hierarchies of modern life. By mapping the everyday rituals of Icelandic bathing culture, the exhibition explores water as a radical civic infrastructure - a sanctuary for collective renewal and a blueprint for social cohesion in a fragmented world.

"In SOAK, the Icelandic Pavilion is framed as a laboratory for the future of the everyday," said Marcos Zotes, curator of SOAK and partner at Basalt Architects. "By establishing that infrastructure can be both functional and radically social, we seek to shift the architectural conversation from how we build to how we coexist. We invite a new social consciousness, asking: if we can find common ground through shared immersion in a geothermal pool, what is stopping us from finding it in the city at large?"

"By focusing on the geothermal pool as a 'third space' - neither home nor workplace - the exhibition will open an important discussion about the role of public spaces and their value in fostering social cohesion," said Halla Helgadóttir, commissioner and managing director of Iceland Design and Architecture. "The exhibition is rooted in Iceland's unique bathing culture, designated by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, where access to natural hot water has made it possible to operate swimming pools throughout the country. Often well-designed architectural landmarks, the geothermal pools have served as vital social and cultural infrastructure in most communities in Iceland for decades. They play a central role in everyday life and have become an integral part of Icelandic culture and collective identity. We look forward to bringing the Icelandic bathing culture to Venice!"

The multidisciplinary exhibition team brings together expertise in architecture, interactive design, and visual storytelling, including:

Basalt Architects is an Iceland-based practice specializing in architecture, landscape, interior, and urban design. Founded in 2009 by Sigríður Sigþórsdóttir, the firm is led by her alongside partners Hrólfur Karl Cela, Marcos Zotes, and Perla Dís Kristinsdóttir. Basalt has redefined contemporary bathing culture in Iceland through projects rooted in geothermal environments—most notably the world-renowned Blue Lagoon. Their work prioritizes environmental harmony, material honesty, and human wellbeing, and has earned international acclaim for elevating the relationship between nature and the built environment.

Gagarin is a design studio working across museums, visitor centers, public spaces, and brands worldwide. The studio creates environments where visual communication, interactive media, and spatial design converge to form cohesive, engaging experiences. Their work focuses on creating clear and memorable connections between people, places, knowledge, and ideas, and has received international recognition for innovation in exhibition and experience design.

Rán Flygenring is a designer, author, and illustrator working across picture books, graphic novels, and visual storytelling. She is the author of Sketching Bathing in Iceland, a visual guidebook about Icelandic swimming culture. Her work is known for its lively yet layered narratives, combining strong visual expression with humor and playfulness. Rán collaborates across the fields of literature, climate communication, and the arts.

Additional details and photos are available in the project press kit, here.

Contact:
Gerður Jónsdóttir
Project Manager / Iceland Design and Architecture
[email protected] 

Note to Editors:
The Icelandic Pavilion is commissioned by Iceland Design and Architecture, which facilitates and promotes design of all kinds as a vital aspect of the future Icelandic society, economy, and culture, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education in Iceland. This is the second time that Iceland will participate in the International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia with an open call. The project Lavaforming by s. ap. architects featured as the Icelandic Pavilion in 2025. 

Do Architecture — The Possibility of Coexistence in the Face of Real Reality, is the theme of the 20th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu. It will be held from Saturday, May 8 to Sunday, November 21, 2027.

The theme moves toward a more grounded architectural approach centered on materiality, local participation, craftsmanship, and lived experience. Through the deliberately direct title, the curators call for architecture to move beyond excessive conceptualization and reconnect with the physical realities of building, inhabitation, and coexistence.

SOURCE Business Iceland