Serpentine Pavilion 2022

Theaster Gates

The Serpentine Pavilion 2022, ‘Black Chapel’ by Theaster Gates was a gift for a photographer. Because it had openings on either side and above. So on an overcast day it was essentially a three light set up. A stage for people watching. I loved the way the light touched people within this space.

"Black Chapel suggests that in these times there could be a space where one could rest from the pressures of the day and spend time in quietude," said Gates.

"I have always wanted to build spaces that consider the power of sound and music as a healing mechanism and emotive force that allows people to enter a space of deep reflection and deep participation."

With a diameter of 16 metres and a height of 10.7 metres, the 201-square-metre cylindrical building is the largest Serpentine Pavilion to date.

Its form references religious structures including Bramante's 16th-century Tempietto in Rome, as well as industrial structures including the bottle kilns in the English city of Stoke-on-Trent in England.

"The concept pays homage to the craft and manufacturing traditions of England and acknowledges these architectural structures, made for the purpose of producing bricks, tiles and ceramic wares,".

"The kilns themselves are also amazing empty vessels that can produce the energy and acoustics of a sacred space or chapel through their sound chamber and their condensed volumes."

A cylindrical, dark-colored modern pavilion in a park setting, surrounded by grass and trees, with people standing nearby on a path.
Large cylindrical building with black facade next to trees and a grassy area, featuring a traditional brick building in the background.
Curved modern architectural structure with a circular opening against a cloudy sky.
Two people standing and talking inside a dimly lit room with dark wooden walls and floor.
Circular skylight in a dark ceiling
Person standing in front of a large black wooden wall, taking a photo with a camera, wearing a green outfit and blue vest.
Two people standing in a dimly lit, large, dark wooden room with high walls; one person is in the center looking upward, the other stands in a doorway on the left side.
Interior of a dark, minimalist architectural space with textured black walls and wooden flooring. Several people are inside, some taking pictures and others observing the surroundings. A bright opening shows the outside with a glimpse of a brick buil
Two fashionably dressed individuals in a dimly lit room, one wearing a white fur-trimmed coat and pink boots, holding a small white purse, the other in dark clothing with pink footwear, standing on a dark wood floor.
Tall cylindrical black structure with a vertical opening, surrounded by green grass and trees.