Multifaceted retrospective. "Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses" at Vitra Museum

The Vitra Design Museum will be transformed into an immersive environment that evokes the sensual power of Geoffrey Bawa's work. Bawa conceived of buildings not as static stages, but as constantly evolving spatial narratives, in which the monumentality of Sri Lanka often plays a fundamental role.

The architect's extensive work has reflected a deep commitment to collaboration, ecology, and the cultural context of architecture: for Bawa, good architecture had to make sense, both emotionally and practically. In this sense, the exhibition highlights him as an innovator of socially responsible and sustainable construction, whose approaches are more relevant today than ever.

Interior view of living space, Polontalawa Estate Bungalow, Nikaweratiya, Sri Lanka, gelatin silver print. Photograph by Geoffrey Bawa, c. 1969. Courtesy by Geoffrey Bawa and Lunuganga Trusts, all rights reserved. 

As seen in projects such as the Polontalawa Estate Bungalow (1963-1967) and the Jayewardene House (1997-1998), Bawa's buildings respond to the natural terrain, adapting to existing elevations and contours, and harmoniously incorporating rocks, trees, and landscape elements.

A key aspect of the exhibition is Bawa's connection to some of Sri Lanka's most prominent artists and artisans, such as Ena de Silva, Laki Senanayake, and Barbara Sansoni. These art workshops functioned as social enterprises and played a vital role in the education and employment of local communities. Their batik panels, sculptures, and textiles were not mere decorative additions to Bawa's buildings, but integral components of their spatial experience, blurring the boundaries between architecture, art, and design.

Nihal Amarasinghe (attributed), perspectival drawing, Yala Sand Dune House, ink on tracing paper, 1968. Courtesy by Geoffrey Bawa and Lunuganga Trusts, all rights reserved.

Bawa has been hailed as a pioneer of tropical modernism, but the exhibition will present a more complex and multifaceted perspective on his work. At its core is a wide selection of objects, models, and documents from the Geoffrey Bawa Trust, as well as archival images by Sebastian Posingis and Dominic Sansoni, along with new photographs and films that offer a contemporary perspective on the intensity of Bawa's buildings and their powerful natural surroundings.

The exhibition “Geoffrey Bawa: Architecture for the Senses,” a co-production of the Vitra Design Museum, the M+ Museum of Contemporary Visual Culture in Hong Kong, the German Wüstenrot Foundation, and the Geoffrey Bawa Trust, will first be presented at the Vitra Design Museum (from September 26, 2026, to February 28, 2027) and will subsequently travel to Hong Kong, where it will be on view from June 2027. The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue featuring essays, project descriptions, and interviews with architects Kengo Kuma, Tatiana Bilbao, Marina Tabassum, and Lina Ghotmeh.