Salma Hayek Pinault, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu. Getty/Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Brigitte Lacombe Salma Hayek Pinault, Alfonso Cuarón, and Alejandro González Iñárritu are set to co-host London’s exclusive Serpentine Summer Party this year.
On June 23, at the iconic gallery’s most important annual fundraiser — ensuring exhibitions and artist projects remain free and open for all — the event will be hosted by Michael R. Bloomberg, Chairman of Serpentine’s board of trustees; Bettina Korek, CEO; and Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director.
They will be joined by the world-famous Mexican film stars in Kensington Gardens, The Hollywood Reporter can reveal, in what will mark the 25th Serpentine Architecture Pavilion — an architectural commission that began with Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and Oscar Niemeyer in 2000, and has since become one of the most significant platforms in the world for introducing emerging and mid-career architects to a global audience.
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The 2026 Pavilion, titled a serpentine, is designed by Mexico City-based practice LANZA atelier. They chose brick as their primary material, creating a rhythmic structure that moves from opaque to permeable: a bridge, they say, in architecture and in spirit, between the U.K. and Latin America.
“Throughout my career I have been driven by a belief that Latin American voices, stories and creativity belong at the centre of global culture, not at its edges,” said the Oscar-nominated Hayek Pinault. “The Serpentine Pavilion has always understood this. When I visited Frida Escobedo’s Pavilion in 2018, I felt it immediately — a Mexican architect in conversation with one of the world’s great parks, on her own terms. LANZA atelier’s a serpentine continues that dialogue, and I am honored to be part of celebrating it.”
Harry Potter and Gravity director Cuarón added that the most powerful moments in cinema happen when “space, light and structure stop being separate things.” He continued: “That’s what LANZA atelier have achieved with a serpentine, a structure that breathes with its surroundings. I am proud to celebrate this alongside my fellow Mexicans, and honored to be part of an evening that belongs to London and Mexico in equal measure.”
Iñárritu, who this year will premiere Digger with Tom Cruise, said: “The English brick city and the Mexican brick wall speak different languages, yet both turn earth, fire, and craft into culture. It’s my honor to co-host this evening at Serpentine and see Mexico City’s creative spirit take root in Kensington Gardens.”
The evening will bring together Serpentine supporters alongside leading figures from art, culture, fashion, architecture, business and technology. Guests are promised an artist-led journey through Kensington Gardens, encountering highlights from Serpentine’s summer program, including major exhibitions by Cecily Brown (Picture Making) and David Hockney (A Year in Normandie and Other Thoughts on Painting) alongside special activations centred on the Pavilion.
This year’s Summer Party will also feature a creative collaboration with LANZA atelier, bringing the flavors of Mexico to live through food. As with recent editions, some of Britain’s biggest emerging fashion designers will be invited to dress their friends and cultural figures for the evening.
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