Kazuo Shinohara is considered one of the most influential architects of his generation in contemporary Japanese architecture, thanks in part to the work of David Butler Stewart in "The Making of a Modern Japanese Architecture", which identifies Arata Isozaki and Kazuo Shinohara as the most prominent figures of the second half of the 20th century in Japan. His work was posthumously recognized at the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Pritzker Prize winner Kazuyo Sejima, with the first-ever Leone d'Oro In Memoriam.
Enric Massip-Bosch, who worked as a student at Shinohara Atelier in Japan (1987-1988) and later wrote his doctoral dissertation on Shinohara (2016), presents the exhibition with the idea that Shinohara "took the residential project beyond its conventional limits, introducing the idea of aesthetic emotion as a fundamental component of his designs." Despite their welcoming interiors, the idea of comfort is questioned and transcended, constituting, as a whole, a cultural critique of society.
Kazuo Shinohara, Uehara House, Tokyo, Japan, 1976.
The exhibition is organized into six themes. The first, "Introduction," offers a brief overview of the artist and the exhibition's content. The second, "Kazuo Shinohara: An Overview," provides a biographical and genealogical overview, as well as an exploration of his working methods and his national and international impact. The third, "Three Themes," is structured around three ideas: tradition, machine, and chaos. The fourth, "Styles," briefly addresses the debatable concept of stylistic classification in four examples of the Japanese artist's work. The fifth, "The House as a Work of Art," is the most extensive section, occupying the majority of the exhibition space. This fifth section advocates for a cross-disciplinary understanding of Shinohara's work and presents the house as an "aesthetic catalyst for new meanings and cultural critique." Each of the houses displayed in this section focuses on different themes in its explanation: materials, places, and forms.
The section follows a sequential process over time, presenting the houses built over three decades, organized under the headings: Domesticities, A Foundational Tandem, Divergences, Transgressions, and Synthesis.
The exhibition concludes with "A Non-Residential Epilogue," focusing on the final period of his work and showcasing two public projects: the Tokyo Tech Centennial Memorial Building and the Central Police Headquarters in Kumamoto.
Yokohama House by Kazuo Shinohara, Yokohama, Japan, 1984.
Two parallel events will take place. On Wednesday, April 8, at 7:15 p.m., at the Barcelona headquarters of the College of Architects of Catalonia, where Shinohara gave a lecture in 1986, a round table discussion will offer a multifaceted view of him through the commentary of Hideaki Ariizumi, Taku Sakaushi, Seng Kuan, Koshiro Ogura, and Enric Massip-Bosch.
Subsequently, on Monday, April 13, at 1:00 p.m., at the Vallès School of Architecture, two lectures will be held presenting the context in which Shinohara's work developed.
The exhibition has been funded by the Department of Territory of the Government of Catalonia and constitutes the closing event of the Catalonia-Japan Year.
