Canadian pavilion, National pavilion in Giardini della Biennale, Venice, Italy.

The Canadian Pavilion is located in the Biennale gardens and displays contemporary art and architecture within modernist exhibition spaces. The building provides visitors with a place to explore current artistic and architectural projects.

Canada has taken part in the Venice Biennale since 1952, first showing in existing venues. The Italian architects BBPR designed this pavilion, erected between 1956 and 1957, giving Canada a permanent home in the Giardini. The National Gallery of Canada took over the artist selection from the Canada Council for the Arts in 2010.

The pavilion serves as a space where Canadian artists and architects present their work on pressing social topics. Visitors experience how the country communicates contemporary ideas through visual and spatial installations.

The pavilion stands in the Giardini, the garden complex in the Castello district that holds about 30 national pavilions; Canada owns its building and covers its upkeep. Access follows the Giardini's opening during the Biennale, and the national pavilions are closed between editions. The BBPR design's spiral of open and closed rooms means some spaces are entered from the side rather than the front.

The pavilion was designed by the Italian architects BBPR and erected between 1956 and 1957, which makes its architecture more modern than that of the neighbouring pavilions. Inside, its rooms unfold in a spiral of open and closed spaces. Canada has taken part in the Biennale since 1952, and since 2010 the National Gallery of Canada has handled the artist selection.