Tadao Ando show opens at the Armani/Silos in Milan

Working wonders out of light, concrete and water, Pritzker Prize winner Tadao Ando has long been celebrated for his lyrical minimalism, evidenced in scores of projects around the world, like his Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas and the Church of the Light in his native Japan. Now, the Osaka-based architect has just arrived in Milan for the debut of a new exhibition of his work at Armani/Silos, the eponymous fashion brand’s cavernous gallery and event space.
Giorgio Armani himself was integral in bringing the show to Italy following the successful run (of a slightly different version) at Paris’s Centre Pompidou; the fashion maven has long had a penchant for Ando’s work, having commissioned him to create the nearby Armani Theatre almost two decades ago. For his part, Ando sees a natural affinity between his own aesthetic philosophy and that of the famed fashion designer. ‘We both appreciate quality in materials and simplicity in expression,' he says.
Armani commissioned Ando to create the Armani Theatre, also in Milan, almost two decades ago.
The exhibition is a testament to that same sensibility. Entitled ‘The Challenge', the show unfolds in a series of darkened rooms and uses exquisite models, videos and shop drawings to track Ando’s career from its unlikely beginnings through to its most recent triumphs. ‘I was never trained as an architect,' Ando points out, and ‘The Challenge' documents the process of self-education that shaped the designer early on, mapping his global peregrinations in search of great buildings.
The detailed mockups of his most high-profile projects to date - such as the restoration of the Punta della Dogana facility in Venice, including a whole chunk of the Venetian landscape - bring the designs to life in their fullest context; one ongoing project in Paris, the transformation of the historic Bourse into a new museum, is rendered in richly textured wood, with a cutaway showing exactly how Ando is placing an elegant ring of concrete directly under the great nineteenth century dome.
At the same time, the cool atmosphere that hangs around the Armani compound seems an appropriate complement to the work. As Ando notes, he and his sometime client share a special bond. ‘I can see into Giorgio’s heart,’ he says, ‘and he can see into mine.’
The show is entitled ’The Challenge’.
The exhibition spans Ando’s whole career.
Ando also designed the Armani Teatro in Milan.
Chichu Art Museum Naoshima, 2004.
Church On The Water Yufutsu, 1988.
INFORMATION
’The Challenge’ is on view until 28 July 2019. For more information, visit the Armani/Silos website
ADDRESS
via Bergognone 40
Milan
Italy
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressing
Part of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
By Orla Brennan
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationship
Announcing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
By Hugo Macdonald
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craft
The heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
By Cristina Kiran Piotti
-
Tadao Ando: the self-taught contemporary architecture master who 'converts feelings into physical form’
Tadao Ando is a self-taught architect who rose to become one of contemporary architecture's biggest stars. Here, we explore the Japanese master's origins, journey and finest works
By Edwin Heathcote
-
At Lee Ufan Arles, tension and calm guide relationships between space and art
Lee Ufan Arles opens in the south of France, a collaboration between the famed Korean artist and Japanese architect Tadao Ando
By Amah-Rose Mcknight Abrams
-
Tadao Ando’s ‘Space of Light’, a meditation pavilion, opens in South Korea
Tadao Ando’s ‘Space of Light’ pavilion opens at Museum SAN in South Korea
By SuhYoung Yun
-
Tadao Ando’s Shinmonzen hotel in Kyoto is a new classic
Respectful of the past but with a unique take on the present, Kyoto’s Tadao Ando-designed Shinmonzen hotel should be a hit for years to come
By Danielle Demetriou
-
Pinault Collection at the Bourse by Tadao Ando opens in Paris
Tadao Ando’s Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection museum opens in Paris with a selection of culture and hospitality spaces that emphasise art and design wrapped in concrete minimalism
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Tadao Ando and François Pinault win Best Double Act: Wallpaper* Design Awards 2021
Tadao Ando and François Pinault have been awarded the Best Double Act at the 2021 Wallpaper* Design Awards. Here, they discuss their joint work over 20 years, and the upcoming opening of the Bourse de Commerce in Paris
By Amy Serafin
-
Commerce redesign in Paris announces opening
Tadao Ando's transformation of the Bourse de Commerce in Paris for the Pinault Collection announces its opening on 23 January 2021
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Tadao Ando’s He Art Museum draws on local Chinese vernacular
The famed Japanese architect draws on traditional, local architecture in his latest cultural project, the He Art Museum (HEM), which prepares to open its doors in Shunde, Southern China
By Catherine Shaw