Today, we are living in an era of unprecedented high-speed, and the 'digital revolution' has greatly pushed the process of globalisation. However, the outbreak of an epidemic has suddenly halted the fast paces. Where is the future of mankind? And who can predict it accurately? In such chaos, the traditional thinkings of pursuing short-term interests should be unsustainable. We should therefore rethink about the most fundamental questions: what is happiness, and what should the world look like?
Maybe art can provide the answer. It stimulates people's inner creativity, creates unbounded ideas, breaks boundaries and makes a difference. It is this opportunity that shows the significance of the existence of art.
In He Art Museum, where collections of many art treasures meets, I try my best to make it strong and sophisticated. The exhibition Beyond will break the boundary between architecture and art, and introduce the works of art that have an indelible impact on my life. These works will be integrated into the architecture, and through the space design, the creative energy of the artists will be released to the greatest extent, hence the spirit of transcendence that radiating 'the light of hope'.
–– Tadao Ando
Curatorial Statement
I've been thinking about how to understand Tadao Ando, but it's not an easy task. Ando and his identity as an architect are inseparable, but in essence, he has already gone beyond the scope of the simple identification. Like a swift fighting boxer, he continues to explore the boundaries of an architect's power - to do more for the benefit of mankind. He never broke away from architecture and was never limited by it. Therefore, his social identity is more guerrilla-like, bouncing in-between an architect to an artist, a social activist, an environmentalist or the guardian of children.
This exhibition is a review on Tadao Ando's life, as well as my fourth attempt to understand him, following his exhibitions Surroundings and Architecture, Leading, and Endeavors. 'Beyond' is a dynamic word, is also a literal translation of Tadao Ando's volitional catchphrase '乗り越える' when facing with constraints and difficulties. The exhibition has three chapters: Beyond Art, Beyond Light, and Beyond Ando. Beyond Art is consisted of artworks from 10 artists personally chosen by Mr. Ando himself who have influenced him, it can be seen as a cooperation to realize the artistic expression through space.
Tadao Ando is far-reaching, his life itself is a deep dive into the art scene. Throughout his life, important moments are all related to art. Influenced by artists when he was young, he decided to devote himself to architecture; his friendship and cooperation with artists became Ando's driving force to explore the world; later, as an artist, he created art with space and other various media.
From architecture to art, he continues diving into deeper and broader dimensions, and into Tadao Ando, this is the original thoughts of this exhibition.
–– Ma Weidong
Press release courtesy He Art Museum .
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