London

Serpentine Pavilion 2025 A Capsule in Time, designed by Marina Tabassum, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA). Exterior view. © Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA), Photo Iwan Baan, Courtesy: Serpentine.

Serpentine Pavilion 6 June - 26 October 2025

The Serpentine Pavilion 2025, A Capsule in Time, designed by Bangladeshi architect and educator Marina Tabassum and her firm, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA), opens on 6 June 2025 with Goldman Sachs supporting the annual project for the 11th consecutive year.

Tabassum’s Pavilion will mark the 25th year of this pioneering commission and continues Dame Zaha Hadid’s ethos of pushing the boundaries of architecture. Her mantra “There should be no end to experimentation”, is the foundation in which this commission is built upon and Tabassum’s Pavilion exemplifies this.

Celebrated for her work that seeks to establish an architectural language that is contemporary while rooted and engaging with place, climate, context, culture and history, Tabassum’s design will resonate with Serpentine South and aims to prompt a dialogue between the permanent and the ephemeral nature of the commission.

The 2025 Pavilion is elongated in the north-south direction and features a central court that aligns with Serpentine South’s bell tower. Inspired by the tradition of park-going and arched garden canopies that filter soft daylight through green foliage, the sculptural quality of the Pavilion is comprised of four wooden capsule forms with a translucent façade that diffuses and dapples light when infiltrating the space. Marking the first structure by Tabassum to be built entirely from wood, it also employs light as a way to enhance the qualities of the space. Emphasising the sensory and spiritual possibilities of architecture through scale, geometry and the interplay of light and shadow, Tabassum’s design also features a kinetic element where one of the capsule forms is able to move and connect, transforming the Pavilion into a new spatial configuration.

Built around a semi-mature Ginkgo tree – a climate resilient tree species that dates back to the early Jurassic Period – Tabassum’s Pavilion, like much of Tabassum’s previous projects, considers the threshold between inside and outside, the tactility of material, lightness and darkness, height and volume. Throughout the course of summer and into autumn, the Gingko tree leaves will slowly shift from green to luminous gold-yellow. The selection of a Gingko, was inspired by the fact this species is showing tolerance to climate change and contributes to a diverse treescape in Kensington Gardens. The species is not susceptible to many current pest and diseases, and will be replanted into the park following the Pavilion’s closure in October.

In an era of increasing censorship, Tabassum expands on her desire for the Pavilion to function as a versatile space where visitors can come together and connect through conversations and sharing of knowledge. Tabassum and her team at MTA have compiled a selection of books that celebrate the richness of Bengali culture, literature, poetry, ecology and Bangladesh. Stored on shelves built into the structure, it draws on the Pavilion’s afterlife once no longer sited on Serpentine’s lawn, which is envisioned as a library open to all.

More www.serpentinegalleries.org

Copyright Text: Serpentinegalleries

20. June - 7.  September 2025

National Portrait Gallery, London

Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting is the largest major museum exhibition in the UK dedicated to one of the world’s foremost contemporary painters.

Saville rose to prominence in the early 1990s, following her acclaimed degree show at the Glasgow School of Art. Since then, she has played a leading role in the reinvigoration of figurative painting – a genre that she continues to test today. Her unique ability to create visceral portraits from thick layers of paint reveals an artist with a deep passion for the process itself.

From charcoal drawings to large-scale oil paintings of the human form, this chronological display includes works that question the historical notions of female beauty, the monumental nudes that launched Saville to acclaim in 1992, and new works on display for the first time.

Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting brings together 45 works made throughout the artist's career. It traces the development of her practice, spotlighting key artworks, and exploring her connection to art history. The exhibition was created in close collaboration with the artist. It brings together works from public and private collections worldwide.

More Info www.npg.org.uk

Copyright Text: National Portrait Gallery, London