Lanza Atelier and Laila Gohar transform Serpentine Summer Party 2026

The Serpentine Summer Party 2026, held on Tuesday 23 June, featured a collaboration between Lanza Atelier, architects of the 2026 Serpentine Pavilion, and artist Laila Gohar. Gohar, fresh from her vegetable merry-go-round at Salone del Mobile, shaped the creative direction with an immersive programme spanning architecture, furniture, food, and performance. Central to the event was Lanza Atelier's Spiral Bench, a modular timber seating system that also served as a stage for Gohar's culinary interventions, including esquites and elotes. Inside the pavilion, a limited-edition stool inspired by the Coco de Mer seed was unveiled. Gohar's culinary programme featured corn, mole, chocolate bricks modelled on the pavilion's bricks, hibiscus-mango-guava sorbets, and signature drinks. Another installation, The Weight of Air, used flowing silk fabrics animated by wind. Guests also experienced Jesús Rafael Soto's Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999; 2023 Edition) in the park. This marked the first time Serpentine invited pavilion architects to collaborate with an artist for the party, dissolving boundaries between architecture, art, design, and performance. The event raised funds for Serpentine's free programme.