Ongoing Exhibitions

The Museum of Architectural Drawing, in collaboration with the Alvar Aalto Foundation in Finland, presents over 70 original works from husband-and-wife architecture team Alvar and Elissa Aalto. The exhibition spans from the 1950s, when Alvar was involved in post-WWII reconstruction efforts, to the 1980s, when Elissa brought to completion major projects left unfinished after Alvar’s death. Featured are original drawings from the duo’s work in Germany, including six realized and eight unrealized projects. See tchoban-foundation.de.

This exhibition at the Akademie der Künste presents over 40 works from the worlds of art, architecture, and spatial practices in which repair becomes a new design paradigm. Pushing against growth-oriented narratives of progress, the displayed interdisciplinary proposals explore contradictions between growth and ecology in the material culture of architecture. Curated in cooperation with the department of architecture at ETH Zürich and the University of Luxembourg’s human sciences program, the exhibition includes contributions from Assemble, Brenne Architekten, and Lacaton & Vassal. See adk.de/en.

An exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center looks at the legacy of the late Zaha Hadid as a “point of departure full of possibilities and reflections” rather than presenting an overview. Alongside a selection of paintings and ephemera by the Iraqi-British architect is a host of newly commissioned works in a diverse set of media including sculpture, textiles, sound, and video, plus installations and performance. The exhibition uses Hadid’s distinct mode of architectural thinking as a starting point that opens a range of evolving concepts, questions, and practice. Participating artists include musician Khyam Allami, sculptor Rand Abdul Jabbar, and architects Hamed Bukhamseen and Ali Ismail Karimi. See contemporaryartscenter.org.

Focusing on the learning environments of young people, this exhibition at the Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture explores how the classroom typology influences adolescent development and reevaluates the traditional classroom model as recent developments and new insights into the fields of digitalization and ecology bring it into question. Including models of iconic school buildings, videos of student testimonies, school furniture, and floor plans, the exhibition investigates what kinds of learning environments are needed today and how existing school buildings can be adapted to meet these new requirements. See z33.be/en.

Focusing on the new relationship between contemporary design and heritage, this exhibition at the Flanders Architecture Institute explores the different positions that architects and designers can adopt in relation to existing buildings. On display are seven innovative approaches to intervening in existing buildings and spaces, realized by architects from Flanders and Brussels. See vai.be/en.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum presents the first monographic exhibition devoted to the work of British artist and stage designer Es Devlin. Beginning her career in small London theatres in the 1990s, Devlin has charted a course from kinetic stage designs and installa- tions at major institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, and the United Nations headquarters. The exhibition includes never-before-seen sketches and small cardboard models from her 30-year archive, illuminating the through lines that connect her teenage paintings to her stage designs to her contemporary installations. See cooperhewitt.org.  

Events

The world’s biggest international trade fair for home and contract textiles returns to the sprawling Messe Frankfurt exhibition grounds in January with more than 2,600 exhibitors set to present their newest products, including upholstery, bed, bath, and table linens, window coverings, and more. See heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com.

imm cologne

The international furniture and interior design show returns to the Cologne Messe Fairground for its 2024 edition, hosting over 1,000 exhibitors from around the world over a five-day run. This year's show—the first since 2019 when 129,000 attendees from 139 countries attended—will emphasize collaboration and dialogue between exhibitors, designers, industry experts, and buyers via a circular layout in Hall 1. In total, the event will encompass 10 halls, showcasing lines in categories including wall coverings, lighting, bathrooms, kitchen, and more. See imm-cologne.com.

The largest event of Paris Design Week, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, returns for its winter edition, featuring the latest design trends in furniture, crafts, accessories, textiles, and fashion from a global roster of exhibitors. The five-day trade show will be accompanied by a program consisting of installations, talks, and an awards ceremony for the show’s Rising Talent recognition. See maison-objet.com.

Relocated to the Santa Monica Airport this year, the fourth edition of the international art fair features contemporary work from 120 of the world’s leading galleries. This year’s signature Frieze bespoke tent, to be built from the ground up in the southeast corner of the airfield, is designed by Kulapat Yantrasast’s WHY Architects. See frieze.com.

IPA Independent Project Residency

Deadline: December 22, 2023