Teo Ala-Ruona’s Industry Muscle Emerges as a Biennale Highlight in Venice
The Nordic Pavilion’s exhibition Industry Muscle: Five Scores for Architecture drew exceptional attention at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, held from 10 May to 23 November, 2025. A large majority of the Biennale’s 300,000 visitors passed through the pavilion, which also gained strong traction in international media. The exhibition was curated by architect Kaisa Karvinen. Performance artist Teo Ala-Ruona was invited as the commissioned artist, who assembled a multidisciplinary team to conceive and deliver the work.
Industry Muscle Proposed Five Scores for the Future of Architecture
The starting point for Industry Muscle was the Nordic Pavilion itself. The pavilion, designed by Sverre Fehn, was completed in 1962 and it is celebrated as a landmark of modernism. In his work, Teo Ala-Ruona examined the design premises typical of the period through a trans-bodily lens. These also included the standardised body image and the fossil-fuel culture embedded in modernist thinking. Through performance and installation, the exhibition encouraged audiences to look at the pavilion and the modern built environment in a new way.
The exhibition was structured around five scores – Impurity, Decategorisation, Performance, Techno-body, and Reuse – each posing a provocation for the architecture of the future. At the heart of these scores was a key question: could the body serve as a catalyst for reimagining architecture in a time of ecological crisis?
“Modern architecture surrounds us, and its value is widely acknowledged. But we cannot approach our environment as the architects of that era did. Modernism was grounded in a standardised conception of the body and the assumption of inexhaustible natural resources. Industry Muscle challenges these paradigms”, notes curator Kaisa Karvinen.
Developed with an extensive artistic team, the exhibition featured sculptural works, video installations and large-scale typographic paintings across the pavilion’s glazed facades. During the Biennale’s opening days, three durational performances translated the work into the language of bodies, compelling visitors to pause amid the bustle of the Biennale. A companion essay, Bodytopian Architecture, provided further theoretical framing.
Watch Teo Ala-Ruona’s video interview
International Media Spotlight on a Standout Exhibition
The Nordic Pavilion received wide attention in the international media, with coverage reaching a total of 186 million readers. The exhibition was featured in outlets such as ArchDaily, Dezeen, Domus, e-Flux, Frieze, Vogue Italia, Architect’s Journal, and Galerie, which named it one of the most compelling pavilions of the Biennale. Audiences and critics described the work as an intellectually challenging and emotionally resonant whole, as well as one of the boldest statements of the Biennale.
During the Biennale’s opening days, three durational performances translated the work into the language of bodies. The dramaturgy of the performance was created by Teo Ala-Ruona and dramaturg Even Minn. The entire working group participated in the creation of the choreography. Performing: Romeo Roxman Gatt and Teo Ala-Ruona.
Each member of the working group contributed their own artistic input to the exhibition. The performance outfits were designed by fashion designer Ervin Latimer. Performing: Caroline Suinner. Photos: Venla Helenius.
Industry Muscle sculptures were created by scenographer and artist Teo Paaer. The soundscape was composed by sound artist Tuukka Haapakorpi. Performing: Kid Kokko (left), Caroline Suinner, Romeo Roxman Gatt and Teo Ala-Ruona. Photo: Venla Helenius.
The video works presented in the Industry Muscle exhibition were created by visual artist Venla Helenius. Romeo Roxman Gatt (left) and Kid Kokko perform. Photo: Venla Helenius.
The Industry Muscle Team
The Industry Muscle exhibition was created by Teo Ala-Ruona together with architect A.L. Hu, scenographer and artist Teo Paaer, sound artist Tuukka Haapakorpi, dramaturg Even Minn, visual artist Venla Helenius, fashion designer Ervin Latimer, graphic designer Kiia Beilinson, and performers Kid Kokko, Caroline Suinner and Romeo Roxman Gatt. Each contributed a distinct artistic voice to the work.
Learn more about Industry Muscle and the team
Teo Ala-Ruona and architect A.L. Hu’s essay Bodytopian Architecture provided the theoretical foundation for the work. The essay was available to read in the exhibition. Performing: Kid Kokko and Romeo Roxman Gatt. Photo: Venla Helenius.
Performing: Romeo Roxman Gatt (left), Teo Ala-Ruona (top), Caroline Suinner and Kid Kokko (bottom). Photo: Venla Helenius.
19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
The Venice Architecture Biennale is the world’s most influential platform for presenting contemporary architectural thought. The curator of the 19th edition, Italian architect, urban planner, engineer and researcher Carlo Ratti, invited participating countries to bring together diverse forms of intelligence to address the major challenges of our time. The Nordic Pavilion approached the main theme – Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.– through intimate, embodied experience.
Industry Muscle sculptures were created by scenographer and artist Teo Paaer. Photo: Ugo Carmeni.
The car’s typographic paintings are the work of graphic designer Kiia Beilinson. Photo: Ugo Carmeni.
The Nordic Pavilion is located in a central spot in Venice’s Giardini park. The typographic window paintings that are part of the work Industry Muscle were created by graphic designer Kiia Beilinson. Photo: Ugo Carmeni.
Nordic Collaboration in the Nordic Pavilion
The Nordic Pavilion is jointly owned by Finland, Norway and Sweden, with each country taking turns producing the exhibition. In 2025, production was led by the Finland’s Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki. The exhibition’s commissioner was Carina Jaatinen, working in collaboration with Karin Nilsson (ArkDes) and Yngvill Aagaard Sjöösten (National Museum of Norway). The curatorial team at the Architecture & Design Museum included curator Kaisa Karvinen and curatorial advisor Suvi Saloniemi.
