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RECORD's monthly list of upcoming and ongoing exhibitions, events, and competitions. 

The term "biophilia,” coined by American biologist and author Edward O. Wilson in his 1995 book, describes humankind’s innate affinity for the natural world, that persists despite the advancement of technology and urbanization. The Denver Art Museum presents an exhibition exploring contemporary design’s reflexive relationship to nature, featuring architectural models, furniture, objects, digital installations, and immersive art experiences by an international roster of designers and artists, including Iris van Herpen, Studio Gang, teamLab, Joris Laarman, and DRIFT, among others. Through a thematic approach, Biophilia reveals the ways in which contemporary architecture, design, and art evoke natural structures, relationships, and phenomena and inspire reflection on our relationships to each other and the natural world. See denverartmuseum.org.  

Ongoing Exhibitions 

In 1958, the home of 18th-century painter Thomas Gainsborough was established as an arts center and museum. Following a major renovation and expansion last year, Gainsborough’s House presents the first solo museum show in the United Kingdom dedicated to British abstract artist Rebecca Salter. The exhibition presents Salter’s ink drawings and watercolors alongside 12 works from the museum’s permanent collection by Gainsborough, Cedric Morris, and Rembrandt, among others. See gainsborough.org. 

Copenhagen-based Henning Larsen offers insight into its design process for this exhibition at the Danish Architecture Center, which explores scalable and climate-friendly architectural solutions for the present day. Visitors can explore the firm’s projects in progress and their research into biogenic materials and unique building technologies, which are paving the way for a sustainable building industry. See dac.dk/en. 

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Displayed projects demonstrate Henning Larsen's sustainable approach to materiality and design, including the timber-and-straw Feldballe School (1) and the thatch-clad Sundby School (2) in rural Denmark, and the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus (3). Photos © Rasmus Hjortshøj (1); Henning Larsen (2); Hufton + Crow (3)

The Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain presents an exhibition especially created for the institution by architect Bijoy Jain, founder of Studio Mumbai in India. The multi-room installation within Jean Nouvel’s 1994 building explores the links among art, architecture, and material composed of architectural fragments, including stone and terra-cotta sculptures, facades of traditional Indian dwellings, rendered panels, lines of pigment drawn with thread, and bamboo structures inspired by Shiite funerary monuments. See fondationcartier.com. 

For its 2023–24 exhibition series, the Canadian Centre for Architecture delves into the work of architect Amancio Williams (1913–89), a key figure of modern architecture in Latin America. Opened last summer, Out of the Box is structured as a series of three distinct exhibitions, the first curated by Studio Muoto, the next by Claudia Shmidt, and now Pezo von Ellrichshausen, with each guest curator bringing their distinct backgrounds in architectural practice and history to Williams’s archive of drawings, photographs, correspondence, and models. See cca.qc.ca.

The Nieue Instituut, in collaboration with the Dutch Board of Government Advisors, presents an exhibition that explores the history and future of urban planning in the Netherlands. Placing new design proposals in conversation with historical examples from the museum's architecture collection, Designing the Netherlands aims to provide much inspiration and insight into the major societal and ecological challenges—such as the climate crisis, housing, the energy transition, and social justice—facing today’s designers. See nieuweinstituut.nl/en.

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Displayed works include: a 1924 competition design by Theo van Doesburg and Cornelis van Eesteren (4); 'The Final Push' a 1978 drawing by Madelon Vriesendorp (5);‘Porous City’, 2023 illustration by Jan Cleijne (6). Images courtesy The Nieue Instituut

Events 

BSA celebrates the power of architecture to shape the future and strengthen communities at their annual awards gala. Held this year at the Arrowstreet Artists for Humanity EpiCenter, the organization will recognize excellence in built and unbuilt design, exceptional small firms, and young designers, among others, as well as announce its most prestigous honor, the Harleston Parker Medal, which recognizes "the single most beautiful building or other structure" built in the metropolitan Boston area in the past 10 years. See architects.org.

The leading trade show for the ceramic and natural-stone industry convenes in the coastal city for a five-day exhibition of the latest trends and technologies in bathroom products and kitchenware, tile and stone, and other related goods. The exhibition will be accompanied by a program of talks and networking events. For more information, see cevisama.feriavalencia.com.