Nordic Countries Pavilion announces artists for the 61st Venice Biennale

Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma has has selected artists Benjamin Orlow (Finland), Klara Kristalova (Sweden) and Tori Wrånes (Norway) to represent the Nordic Countries Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2026. The exhibition will be curated by Kiasma’s Chief Curator, Anna Mustonen. It is commissioned by Kiasma in collaboration with Moderna Museet and OCA – Office for Contemporary Art Norway.

“Representing a dynamic and diverse approach to contemporary Nordic artistic practice, the exhibition brings together artists from different backgrounds and creative disciplines. Known for their distinctive approaches to sculpture, installation and performance, the artists share a common exploration of transformation, resilience and vulnerability, often blurring the boundaries between the real and the imagined”, Kiasma states in the press release.

“The exhibition invites visitors to journey through a dynamic interplay of imagination and reality that bridges Nordic cultural heritage with broader global contexts. Sverre Fehn’s iconic architecture itself serves as a timeless backdrop, that fosters a dialogue between art, culture, and the built environment.”, curator Anna Mustonen says.

The Nordic Countries Pavilion was designed by Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn and completed in 1962. It has since been a space for collaboration between three Nordic countries – Finland, Norway and Sweden – who alternate as principal commissioners of the Pavilion.

At the 2026 Venice Biennale, Finland will host two pavilions in Giardini: the Aalto Pavilion commissioned by Frame and The Nordic Pavilion commissioned by Kiasma.

Artists

Benjamin Orlow (b. 1984, Turku, Finland; lives and works in London, UK) works across sculpture, video and installation, to investigate the ways in which cultural narratives shape public and private spaces. His practice examines historical transitions, material culture and human interactions with built environments. His sculptures are often monumental, embodying solitude or the metamorphosis inherent in life’s cyclical nature. His artworks have recently exhibited at Kunsthalle Seinäjoki (2025, Finland), Des Bains (2024, London, UK), Kohta Kunsthalle (2023, Helsinki, Finland) and Horst-KANAL Centre Pompidou (2022, Brussels, Belgium).  

Klara Kristalova (b. 1967, Prague, Czech Republic; lives and works in Norrtälje, Sweden) creates expressive sculptures that blend fairytale-like imagery with themes of isolation, transformation, and psychological depth. Her works, often made from glazed ceramics, embody a tactile sense of vulnerability and evoke memories of childhood emotions.

Tori Wrånes (b. 1978, Kristiansand, Norway; lives and works in Oslo, Norway) is a transdisciplinary artist and vocalist who fuses music, performance and sculpture to construct alternate realities. Her immersive, often otherworldly environments challenge perception and redefine traditional performance spaces, creating new rituals and dreamlike constellations.