Marina Tabassum to Design Serpentine Pavilion 2025
Tabassum’s proposal will reflect on the commission’s ‘transient nature’, while providing a place for visitors to connect. Save to My Ocula
Serpentine‘s annual pavilion commission will be designed by Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and her firm, Marina Tabassum Architects. Tabassum describes her approach as ‘contemporary’ yet ‘rooted to place and prioritising climate, context, culture, and history’.
Set to open on 6 June, the 2025 Pavilion will comprise a central court facing Serpentine’s bell tower inside London‘s Kensington Gardens. The structure, titled A Capsule in Time, is composed of four wooden capsules inspired by garden canopies and park going. Each is semi-open and conceived with translucent façades to filter light, recreating the experience of resting under a Shamiyana tent at a Bengali wedding.
‘When conceiving our design, we reflected on the transient nature of the commission which appears to us as a capsule of memory and time,’ Tabassum said. ‘The Serpentine Pavilion offers a unique platform under the summer sun to unite as people rich in diversity.’
From summer onward, the Pavilion will host live events and public programmes, including ‘Park Nights’ the gallery’s annual performance series inside the pavilion. Last year’s events included North Korea Dance, a performance comparing dance in North and South Korea.
’A Capsule in Time will honour connections with the Earth and celebrate the spirit of community,’ said Serpentine’s chief executive Bettina Korek and artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist.
Prior to opening Marina Tabassum Architects in 2005, Tabassum co-founded URBANA, the Dhaka-based firm behind the Independence Monument of Bangladesh and Bangladesh’s Museum of Independence.
Tabassum’s pavilion will mark the 25th year of the Serpentine commission, whose inaugural edition was conceived by Dame Zaha Hadid. Last year, the project was awarded to South Korean architect Minsuk Cho for his proposal Archipelagic Void. —[O]
Main image: Marina Tabassum, A Capsule in Time (design render, exterior view), Serpentine Pavilion, London. Courtesy Serpentine Galleries. Photo: © Marina Tabassum Architects.
A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services