Iceland Design and Architecture, Commissioner of the Iceland Pavilion, has announced SOAK: Rituals of Collective Belonging as Iceland’s contribution to 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, Gagarin 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. 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. Marcos Zotes, curator of SOAK and partner at Basalt Architects
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 Halla Helgadóttir, commissioner and managing director of Iceland Design and Architecture
Rooted in Iceland’s unique bathing culture, recently designated by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, the project reflects on how access to natural hot water has shaped both everyday life and collective identity across Iceland.
Often designed as important architectural landmarks within communities, geothermal pools have served as vital social and cultural infrastructure throughout the country for decades. SOAK brings these rituals and spaces into a wider architectural conversation, asking what contemporary cities and societies might learn from them today.
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.
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.
Additional details and photos are available in the project press kit, here.