22/05/2023
vba2023jp
Architecture, a place to be loved
— when architecture is seen as a living creature
As of early summer 2023, sixty-seven years have passed since the completion of the Japan Pavilion. The pavilion has welcomed many people over the years, and is still standing today. The exhibition we present here this year has the theme of “Architecture, a place to be loved,” and has been carefully crafted and nurtured with a focus on the pavilion, as designed by Takamasa Yoshizaka.
A place to be loved is made possible when architecture includes its engraved memories and stories, when it embodies the scenery behind it and the activities that took place in and around it. That enables the architecture to take on a broader meaning. For that reason, we start by thinking of the architecture as a “living creature”.
To quote Takamasa Yoshizawa, “Creating something involves giving it life”. If we regard architecture as a life-form with an individual existence, it enables us to cherish and nurture it lovingly, embracing its defects and inadequacies. It goes beyond the appraisal of a building’s functionality and performance. Accepting the individuality of architecture with an easygoing stance leads us to a tolerant and broad-minded world in which we can recognize and accept the differences between us, encompassing animals and plants as well as other humans.
It is interesting to wonder how our gaze—the way that we look at this place—would change if the Japan Pavilion were a living creature. Inside are a variety of suggestions and hints for ways of responding to the pavilion. We invite visitors to engage with them and think about what sort of architecture is a place to be loved. It is an opportunity to re-establish the relationship we have with architecture.
Curatorial Team | Maki Onishi / Yuki Hyakuda / Tomomi Tada / Yuma Harada