Well it seems that Korea is the destination for contemporary Architecture these days! Platoon opened their new spot in Korea on April 11. Dubbed as the new home for subculture in Asia it will be a space for street art, graphic design, fashion, video art, music and political activism in particular. My favorite part is that it is made of non other then…shipping containers!!…Once again showing how to transform such a rough and unattractive material into beautiful architecture. For more go to the Kunsthalle web site.
Prada and Rem Koolhaas have unveiled their latest attempt to mix architecture and fashion with their $10 Million tetrahedron-shaped Transformer on the grounds of an ancient Korean palace in Seoul. To read more check the article in WWD
Here’s an interesting tip! Richard Meier is reopening his exhibition of his models from past projects. I went last year and it is really worth seeing. Here is more on the Model Museum. Thanks to my colleague Emily Whyte for sending this in!
ArchNewsNow.com has started a new interview series called “One-on-One.” Conducted by architect, curator and writer Vladimir Belogolovsky, this new series begins with an interview of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Great read.
One on One: Elusive Architecture: Interview with Kengo Kuma
On April 13, architect Peter Zumthor from Switzerland will be announced as the 2009 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate. Zuthmor’s work is described by Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, as having “a strong, timeless presence. He has a rare talent of combining clear and rigorous thought with a truly poetic dimension, resulting in works that never cease to inspire.” His buildings include the Thermal Baths in Vals, Switzerland and the Field Chapel to Saint Nikolaus von der Flue near Cologne, Germany. In addition he has buildings in Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, England, Spain, Norway, Finland and the United States.
Zumthor, who is well known amongst his peers but not to the greater public, is the author of the influential book Thinking Architecture.
For more information on the architect please visit:
The Pritzker Architecture Prize Web Site
NYT: Pritzker Prize Goes to Peter Zumthor
Jenny Holzer: PROTECT PROTECT is a retrospective of Holzer’s work from the last 15 years. The exhibit, which opened last month at the Whitney Museum, exhibits new works of not only Holzer’s usual LED technology, but also sculpture and paintings of government documents attained under the Freedom of Information Act. As per usual Holzer’s works are beautiful and thought provoking while discussing her usual themes of pain, love, cruelty, peace, and survival.
The Whitney’s exhibit is beautifully laid out, successfully exhibiting her monumental LED sculptures while leaving room for her paintings to be clearly displayed. There were two aspects of the exhibit though that I thought could have been ameliorated. The first was that the connection between the paintings and the rest of the works could have been more clearly spelled out. Walking around the exhibition I sometimes caught myself asking what the paintings had to do with the other pieces in the show.
The second and more important issue is that of artistic mediums. While her work is beautiful, as always, I would enjoy seeing more out of the box works of hers such as the projections she did at the Guggenheim and the projection at Mass MoCA this summer. As a Jenny Holzer fan I am ready to see the next evolution of her work.
With all said though, the exhibition is definitely a recommended visit, especially for her fans who certainly won’t be disappointed.
