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ARThitecture
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“ARThitecture,” an innovative exhibition at Nipponbashi House in Osaka, Japan is curated by Helga Jensen in cooperation with the Danish and Japanese artist Yuko Takada Keller.
Over the past twenty years the two of them together have arranged many big exhibitions in Denmark with Japanese artists and combined Danish and Japanese artists. This is their first exhibition in Japan and this time with Danish artists.
(Kanamori Residence) by Architect Tadao Ando
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The site is located in the vicinity of Kuromon Market in the south of Osaka, an area where commercial facilities and residential buildings are mixed together, and where people live a chaotic yet energetic life. The four-story building is made of reinforced concrete and has an extremely long and narrow plan with a width of 2900mm and a depth of 15,000mm. The first floor will be used as a store, and the second to fourth floors will be used as residences.
The residential area has two atrium spaces. The first is an open atrium at the top that spans the third and fourth floors. It creates a courtyard where light pours in and breezes blow through this narrow urban space. It also functions as a street connecting each private room, an alley space incorporated into the house. This external space inserted at the center of the house is a device that is set up to transform the interior of a simple box into something complex and rich.
Another atrium is an interior space with a strong verticality that runs through the 2nd to 4th floors, but this space faces the road and radiates its presence to the streetscape through the frosted glass. This space, used as a living room, reverses the balance of brightness between inside and outside during the day and night, and is a place where light breathes inside the house.
The two atriums, each with a different nature, each have a dual meaning and run through the house. They are gaps in a space that fulfills a single function. Each private room faces one of these gaps, and can only be accessed by passing through them. In other words, when the diverse meanings of these gaps absorb and vibrate with the dynamism of nature and the city, each room sandwiched between them will also begin to resonate richly.
Tadao Ando’s philosophy and artistic approach to architecture have been a profound source of inspiration for our exhibition ARThitecture. Ando’s work, with its emphasis on simplicity, natural materials, and a close relationship between architecture and nature, provides a foundation for exploring the boundaries between art and built space. His ability to create spaces that invite reflection and introspection has directly influenced our curatorial approach.
In ARThitecture, we have drawn on Ando’s concept of “haiku” architecture, where the space itself becomes a poetic experience. This is reflected in the design of the exhibition, where we use minimalist structures and strategic lighting to create an atmosphere of calm and contemplation. Just as Ando integrates natural elements like water and light into his buildings, we have incorporated these elements to highlight the interplay between the artworks and their surroundings.
Ando’s influence is also evident in our choice of materials and colors, where we have selected natural and raw textures that echo Ando’s signature use of concrete and wood. The exhibition is not just a visual experience but an invitation to feel the space, to understand how architecture can be a form of art that transcends the physical and touches our inner world.
Overall, ARThitecture is a tribute to Tadao Ando’s philosophy, where architecture and art merge to create a profound and sensitive experience that goes beyond the visual and speaks directly to the soul.
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