Mexico City's annual art week, anchored by the Zona Maco fair, is expanding its focus to include a significant design component in 2026. The event features 15 highlighted design-focused exhibitions and installations, including site-specific shows in modernist houses, a dedicated collectible design category at Zona Maco, and exhibitions by international names like Lee Broom and Lanza Atelier.
The Serpentine Gallery in London has announced that Mexican architecture studio Lanza Atelier, founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, will design the 25th Serpentine Pavilion, titled "a serpentine," on view from June 6 to October 25. The pavilion draws inspiration from the English crinkle-crankle wall, featuring a translucent roof, brick columns, and a winding outdoor bench. To mark the anniversary, the Serpentine is collaborating with the Zaha Hadid Foundation on a dedicated architecture program at Serpentine South, exploring Hadid's legacy and contemporary architectural issues. The project is sponsored by Goldman Sachs, which has supported the pavilion for 12 years.
LANZA atelier, a Mexico City-based architecture studio founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, has been commissioned to design the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens. The pavilion, which will be unveiled on June 6, marks the 25th anniversary of the Serpentine Pavilion program. Inspired by the English serpentine or crinkle-crankle wall, the design features a brick wall of alternating curves, a translucent roof resting on brick columns, and a second wall that harmonizes with the tree canopy. This year’s pavilion will be accompanied by a dedicated architecture program at Serpentine South, honoring the legacy of Zaha Hadid, who designed the inaugural pavilion in 2000.
The National Labor Relations Board has accused Snøhetta, a prominent New York-based architecture firm, of illegally firing eight employees who supported a 2023 unionization campaign. The NLRB complaint alleges that managers tracked union supporters and improperly questioned staff about their sympathies, while Snøhetta denies the claims, attributing layoffs to business pressures predating the union drive. Separately, Singapore Art Week is spotlighting women artists from Southeast Asia, with the launch of Krystina Lyon's book "You Are Seen" and the National Gallery Singapore exhibition "Fear No Power: Women Imagining Otherwise." Other news includes the death of Artforum founding editor Philip Leider at 96, LANZA chosen for the Serpentine Pavilion, and a Louvre heist caught on newly released footage.