Serpentine Pavilion Beijing 2018

7 May - 28 October ‘18

Modelled on the Serpentine’s annual Pavilion commission in London’s Royal Park of Kensington Gardens, the inaugural Serpentine Pavilion Beijing will launch in May 2018 at the opening of WF CENTRAL on Wangfujing in Beijing’s Dongcheng District. Located just 600m away from the historic Forbidden City, this bustling area has been home to cultural and commercial activities since the middle of the Ming Dynasty. The Serpentine Pavilion Beijing will be a public space for cultural activities, events and social encounters at the very heart of WF CENTRAL.

The eminent Chinese practice JIAKUN Architects, led by architect Liu Jiakun, has responded to the brief of designing a world-class temporary Pavilion that takes into consideration both the historic and social context of Beijing and the 17-year history of the Serpentine Pavilion commission. Initiated in 2000, the London scheme has showcased renowned architects from Zaha Hadid to Rem Koolhaas.

With a focus on society, community and a respect for local context and vernacular craftsmanship, Liu Jiakun aims to address contemporary architectural issues with a sense of realism, an approach inspired by folk wisdom. His vision remains open to China's many traditions and his projects shed light on the reciprocal relation between Chinese public life and urban cultural space.

JIAKUN Architects’ Serpentine Pavilion Beijing takes inspiration from Confucianism with an architecture that is a physical representation of the traditional pursuit of Junzi. The design is characterised by the figure of the Archer, in the form of a curved cantilever beam that incorporates the forces of elasticity through cables stretched between steel plates. Although modern architecture in Beijing has developed a series of powerful techniques to fight the external forces of fierce winds and unpredictable earthquakes, the Pavilion’s integral structure aims - like the Tai Chi Master – to conquer the harshness of those forces with softness.

A selection committee of eight chose JIAKUN Architects’ design, including Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director, and Yana Peel, CEO, of the Serpentine Galleries; architect Sir David Adjaye, trustee of the Serpentine Galleries; David Glover, CEO of Intelligent Engineering and technical advisor to the Serpentine Pavilion Commission; Raymond Chow and James Robinson, executive directors of Hongkong Land; artist Wang Jianwei; and Philip Dodd, director of Made in China.

This exciting collaboration marks the first Pavilion co-commissioned and built by the Serpentine outside the UK. Previous Serpentine Pavilions have enjoyed a life after – and outside – London: Zaha Hadid’s 2000 Pavilion has relocated to Cornwall, UK; Toyo Ito’s structure is in the grounds of Le Beauvallon in Sainte-Maxine, France, Sou Fujimoto’s Pavilion is on show in Tirana, Albania, courtesy of the LUMA Foundation; and Smiljan Radić’s Pavilion is at Hauser & Wirth, Somerset, UK. Francis Kéré’s 2017 Pavilion is moving to Ilham Gallery in Malaysia.

The inaugural Serpentine Pavilion Beijing will be in place at WF CENTRAL for six months. The commission represents a unique cultural association between the Serpentine Galleries and WF CENTRAL, marking the beginning of a partnership that has the potential to unfold in various ways, founded on a shared passion for architecture and design.