junya ishigami shows ‘freeing architecture’ at fondation cartier in paris

from march 30 to june 10, 2018, the fondation cartier pour l’art contemporain presents freeing architecture, the first major solo exhibition devoted to the work of japanese designer and architect junya ishigami. an important and singular figure of japan’s young architecture scene, ishigami—winner of the golden lion award at the venice biennale of architecture in 2010—is the creator of a conceptual and poetic body of work in which the landscape occupies an important place.

house of peace, sectional perspective
©junya.ishigami+associates

the exhibition reveals ishigami‘s research into freedom, fluidity, and the future of architecture accompanied by a book retracing the genesis of his collaboration with the fondation, including mixed photographs, drawings, models, and all the poetry inherent to ishigami’s work. ‘I wish to think about architecture freely’, ishigami explains. ‘to expand my perspective on architecture as flexibly, broadly, and subtly as possible, beyond the stereotypes of what architecture is considered to be.’

hope for peace, interior perspective

ishigami reveals twenty of his architectural projects in asia and europe, presented through a series of large-scale models, accompanied by films and drawings, documenting their different stages of conception and construction. in dialogue with jean nouvel’s iconic building, the steel structure designed to house the cartier fondation in 1994, this event is the first large-scale solo-show that the pour l’art contemporain has devoted to an architect. 

lecture hall in the park, holland (read more here)

interior view of house with plants (read more here)

exterior view of kanagawa institute of technology workshop (read more here)

perspective view of art biofarm

portrait shot of junya ishigami