Paris-based gallery Solo has just launched its third ever show; a new exhibition by inspiring and unconventional Dutch architect Anne Holtrop. The exhibit, titled 'Barbar, Batara', draws on photographer Bas Princen’s series on Petra, Jordan and the excavation of the Barbar Temple in Bahrain.
For most, architecture is defined by the physical presence of bricks, mortar, concrete and glass, but not for Holtrop. Instead, the architect sources his inspiration from the unexpected. ‘The way someone can see a butterfly or a lake in the ink blots of a Rorschach test. I want to look freely – more or less without a plan', explains Holtrop.
The first part of the show – 'Batara' – is a collection of five immersive full scale models. These 'objects' are sand casted walls without doors or windows and without a specific function. They have little relation to a specific typology or architectural style, referencing instead something ‘prehistoric and primitive,’ says Holtrop.
The project began with a visit to the ancient city of Petra, where Holtrop drew inspiration from the transition from natural to man-made, which Princen’s photography captured over the duration of his visit. The walls of this installation reflect this particular aesthetic. ‘Concrete or plaster is poured directly into pits of earth or sand, giving the walls a smoothness on one side and a rough, uneven surface on the other’, says the architect.
‘Barbar’, the second part of the exhibit, is a series based on the rediscovery of the Barbar Temple in Bahrain in 1954 and the excavations of the site which continued up until 1962. Taking cues from the temple’s formal language, Holtrop uses arches and straight lines to form a loose pattern to create an interior atmosphere that pays tribute to the monument. A collection of forms carved out of pink marble resulted from this investigation, which Holtrop named Floor.
The exhibit draws inspiration from photographer Bas Princen’s series on Petra, Jordan and the excavation of the Barbar Temple in Bahrain
Architecture, for most is defined by the physical presence of bricks, mortar, concrete and glass, but for Holtrop it has no preconceived form
’Barbar’, the second part of the exhibit, is a series based on the rediscovery of the Barbar Temple in Bahrain, 1954. Linked to this studfy is Holtrop’s newly released collection of unique forms carved from pink marble
’Batara’ is a collection of five full scale models. These objects are sand casted walls without doors or windows and without a specific function
INFORMATION
’Barbar, Batara’ will run at Solo Galerie until 7 May. For further information visit the Solo Galerie website
ADDRESS
Solo Galerie
11 Rue des Arquebusiers
75003 Paris
-
Corner Corner may be London's most unique entertainment destination yetThe newly-opened venue combines food, jazz and—yes—urban farming beneath one sprawling roof
-
The Wallpaper* Design Issue comes with our Salone del Mobile must-seesThe May 2025 issue of Wallpaper* is on sale now, taking in Milan Design Week, the Venice Biennale, and a very stylish tea party
-
Aboard Gio Ponti's colourful Arlecchino train in Milan, a conversation about design with FormafantasmaThe design duo boards Gio Ponti’s train bound for the latest Prada Frames symposium at Milan Design Week
-
Stay in a Parisian apartment which artfully balances minimalism and warmthTour this pied-a-terre in the 7th arrondissement, designed by Valeriane Lazard
-
Marta Pan and André Wogenscky's legacy is alive through their modernist home in FranceFondation Marta Pan – André Wogenscky: how a creative couple’s sculptural masterpiece in France keeps its authors’ legacy alive
-
The museum of the future: how architects are redefining cultural landmarksWhat does the museum of the future look like? As art evolves, so do the spaces that house it – pushing architects to rethink form and function
-
Paris’ architecturally fascinating Villejuif-Gustave Roussy metro station is now openVillejuif-Gustave Roussy is part of the new Grand Paris Express, a transport network that will raise the architectural profile of the Paris suburbs
-
Explore wood architecture, Paris' new timber tower and how to make sustainable construction look ‘iconic’A new timber tower brings wood architecture into sharp focus in Paris and highlights ways to craft buildings that are both sustainable and look great: we spoke to project architects LAN, and explore the genre through further examples
-
A transformed chalet by Studio Razavi redesigns an existing structure into a well-crafted Alpine retreatThis overhauled chalet in the French Alps blends traditional forms with a highly bespoke interior
-
La Grande Motte: touring the 20th-century modernist dream of a French paradise resortLa Grande Motte and its utopian modernist dreams, as seen through the lens of photographers Laurent Kronental and Charly Broyez, who spectacularly captured the 20th-century resort community in the south of France
-
Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain unveils plans for new Jean Nouvel buildingFondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain has plans for a new building in Paris, working with architect Jean Nouvel
