The exhibition in the Pavilion of the Nordic Countries at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale puts Finland, Norway and Sweden in the spotlight and ‘in therapy,’ shedding light on what is commonly perceived as contemporary Scandinavian architecture from a psychological viewpoint.

Architecture – which never starts with a clean slate – is based on what exists and on the future. In Therapy raises three simple questions: What has been done? What is being done now? What awaits us?

“The exhibition puts Finland, Norway and Sweden face to face, three countries with different histories, cultures and attitudes regarding design, in the limited space at the Giardini, addressing perceptions and preconceptions of Scandinavian architecture through the most direct possible analysis of its concrete manifestations,” says David Basulto, curator of the installation along with James Taylor-Foster, assistant curator.

For Basulto, all the selected projects embody a Scandinavian spirit. “Just like the Pavilion of the Nordic Countries by Sverre Fehn is a crystallization of Scandinavian architecture (thanks to precise and fluid arrangement of structure, light and nature), so the nine projects we have chosen as being particularly representative of the contemporary scene have a similar dignity and complexity, while keeping their identities distinct.”

All the projects will be presented so that visitors can easily and freely explore a “physical snapshot “ of the last nine years (2008-2016) of contemporary Scandinavian architecture.

The overview will be joined by a collection of filmed reflections, showing the connections and conflicts between architecture and the Scandinavian society in general.