sir david adjaye and cai guo-qiang to be awarded with 2020 isamu noguchi award

the noguchi museum has selected architect sir david adjaye and artist cai guo-qiang as recipients of the 2020 isamu noguchi award. the prize, which will be presented at the museum in new york on tuesday, may 19, 2020, has previously celebrated different creatives around the world, including lord norman foster, hiroshi sugimoto, jasper morrison, yoshio taniguchi, tadao ando, elyn zimmerman, john pawson, hiroshi senju, naoto fukasawa, edwina von gal, and rei kawakubo (read more on designboom here.)

the isamu noguchi award is presented to individuals who share noguchi’s spirit of innovation, global consciousness, and commitment to eastern and western cultural exchange.

national museum of african american history & culture in washington D.C. by david adjaye associated
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recognized as one of the leading architects of his generation, ghanaian-british architect sir david adjaye has received international acclaim for his impact on the field. born in tanzania to ghanaian parents in 1966, adjaye quotes influences from contemporary art, music, and science, to african art forms and the civic life of cities. similar to noguchi, he has collaborated with a variety of influential art world and cultural figures. in 2000, he founded adjaye associates, with projects spanning all around the world.

130 william skyscrapper in new york city
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adjaye is widely recognized as an architect with an artistic sensibility and vision. similar to noguchi, he is committed to a multidisciplinary practice, with projects raging from private houses, bespoke furniture collections, product design, exhibitions and temporary pavilions to major art centres, civic buildings and master plans. in 2016, adjaye inaugurated his largest project to date, the national museum of african american history and culture in washington D.C. this project was nominated for the design prize on the social impact category.

ruby city in san antonio, texas
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other completed projects include: ruby city, a new art center in san antonio, texas; the webster, a new flagship retail space in los angeles; the sugar hill mixed-use development, in harlem, new york; two neighborhood libraries in washington, d.c.; the alara concept store in lagos, nigeria; the museum of contemporary art in denver, colorado; the ethelbert cooper gallery of african and african american art at the hutchins center at harvard university; the nobel peace centre in oslo; and the idea stores—two community libraries in london.

sydney plaza
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ongoing projects include a new home for the studio museum in harlem, new york; 130 william, a high-rise residential tower in new york’s financial district; the new sydney plaza, a public plaza, community building, and artwork in sydney’s central business district; the abrahamic family house, an interfaith complex in abu dhabi; the UK holocaust memorial and learning centre in london; and the national cathedral of ghana in accra.

cai guo qiang explodes colorful ‘mushroom cloud’ : a vivid reflection on the nuclear age
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born in 1957, cai guo-qiang works on a variety of mediums but is recognized for his innovative works that incorporate gunpowder and controlled explosions. trained in stage design and known for his exploration of multiple mediums not only for his artistic expression, but also as commentary on contemporary social issues, cai’s involvement in diverse fields reflects the same multidisciplinary, boundary-defying spirit present in noguchi’s path.

99 animals flock together for cai guo-qiang exhibition
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cai’s solo exhibitions and projects have been presented at the metropolitan museum of art, new york (2006); solomon r. guggenheim museum, new york (2008); pushkin state museum of fine arts, moscow (2017); museo del prado, madrid (2018); uffizi galleries, florence (2018); national archaeological museum of naples (2019); national gallery of victoria, melbourne (2019); and cleveland museum of art (2019), among other venues. his solo exhibition da vincis do povo toured brazil in 2013 and was the most visited exhibition by a living artist worldwide that year, attracting over one million visitors.

cai guo-qiang suspends 10,000 porcelain starlings over terracotta warriors in melbourne
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cai has received numerous honors, including the golden lion at the venice biennale (1999), the hiroshima art prize (2007), and the fukuoka asian culture prize (2009). in 2012, he won the prestigious praemium imperiale and was one of five artists to receive the first u.s. department of state medal of arts for his outstanding commitment to international cultural exchange. other honors include the barnett and annalee newman foundation award (2015), the bonnefanten award for contemporary art (baca), and the japan foundation award (both 2016).

cai guo-qiang sends flaming sky ladder soaring 500 meters in the air
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