Oulu-based research is part of Finland’s exhibition at the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale
Aini Pihlajaniemi
The University of Oulu School of Architecture is partnering with Archinfo for the world’s most prestigious architecture event. The partnership was announced as part of Alvar Aalto Week in Oulu on the last Saturday of August.
The exhibition at the Pavilion of Finland at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will emerge from a dialogue between research-based knowledge and architectural exhibition-making.
“At Archinfo, we want to make visible the high-quality architectural research being carried out in Finland, and there is no more visible platform for this than the Venice Architecture Biennale. The University of Oulu is a natural partner for us as we seek to bring research from northern Finland to international audiences,” says Katarina Siltavuori, Director of Archinfo.
Archinfo is responsible for the Pavilion of Finland’s exhibitions at the Biennale Architettura, as commissioner appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture. This is the first time Archinfo has established an exhibition partnership of this kind with a university. The University of Oulu is the world’s northernmost architecture school.
“Architectural research combines a societal perspective with the development of the field through both theoretical and practical approaches. Being selected as a partner for the Pavilion of Finland is a recognition of the quality of our research, both nationally and internationally,” says Mirja Illikainen, Vice Rector of the University of Oulu.
The Pavilion of Finland’s exhibition is curated by architect and curator Kaisa Karvinen. Alongside her curatorial work, she is preparing a doctoral dissertation at the University of Oulu and conducting independent grant-funded research into architectural exhibitions as a means of producing meaning and knowledge.
“In my work, I have explored the connections between research and architectural exhibitions. What I have learned at the University of Oulu about conducting research has strongly supported my work as an exhibition curator,” says Kaisa Karvinen.
The collaboration with the University of Oulu will also extend to teaching. In autumn 2026, the Oulu School of Architecture will organise a course whose participants will have the opportunity to apply for internships at the Biennale Architettura 2027 in Venice.
“Researchers’ work often reaches only an expert audience within the field. The collaboration around the Biennale project offers an excellent opportunity to bring this work, as well as important topical research themes, to the world’s largest architecture event – while also introducing our students to the world of international exhibitions,” says Henrika Pihlajaniemi, Associate Professor at the Oulu School of Architecture.
Pihlajaniemi is currently leading the EU-funded research project Art of Darkness, coordinated by the University of Oulu. Read more about the project here.
The partnership was announced at Aaltosiilo in Oulu, an Alvar Aalto-designed former cellulose factory silo now turned into a cultural venue, on the last Saturday of August, a day that is celebrated in Finland as Venetian Night, the end-of-summer celebration. The event was part of the Alvar Aalto Week and the Oulu2026 programme.
The 20th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will be open to the public from 8 May to 23 November 2027. Held every other year, the Biennale Architettura attracts more than 300,000 visitors over its six-month duration. The exhibition at the Pavilion of Finland is expected to welcome 150,000 visitors.
cover image: Representatives of the partner organisations, Henrika Pihlajaniemi and Katarina Siltavuori, at the University of Oulu. photo: Aini Pihlajaniemi
