Tadao Ando, a renowned Japanese architect, said Friday he wants to deliver messages of hope through his architecture and life as he is set to hold a solo exhibition at Museum SAN, which he designed.
The exhibition titled "Tadao Ando - Youth" will run from April 1 to July 30 at Museum SAN in Wonju, 87 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its opening.
The exhibit features over 250 representative works encompassing his architectural world, including his early works from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s.
Among them are the Naoshima Project in Japan that took 30 years to complete, his architectural works in public places around the world since the mid-1990s and the Bouse de Commerce renovation project in Paris, which was completed in 2020.
The 81-year-old, known for minimalist architect constructed with exposed concrete, said he tried to carefully observe objects in nature with fresh eyes to create his own architectural world and keep his youthful spirit alive.
"To maintain youth, you must always seek new things and discover hope from them. I wanted to create architecture that embodies hope," Ando said in a press conference at Museum SAN.
Renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando speaks during a press conference at Museum SAN in Wonju, 87 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to promote a solo exhibition at the museum, which he designed.
Ando is largely self-taught, having studied architecture through books and site visits rather than attending a formal architecture school. Before finding his passion in architecture, he was a professional boxer and a taxi driver.
His designs are characterized by use of geometric forms, natural light and a focus on the relationship between buildings and their surrounding landscapes. He has received numerous awards, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the field's top award, in 1995.
Without a college degree and personal connections, Ando said he struggled to find clients early in his career and his innovative designs often faced hurdles.
"The more interesting a design is, people are more likely to reject it at first. Even if people reject it, I didn't take it to heart and didn't listen to them," he said. "I always believed it will be realized somewhere."
Ando has had a difficult struggle with cancer, resulting in five of his organs being removed, including his duodenum, pancreas and galls, through several surgeries between 2009 and 2015. Still, the architect is not discouraged by his ordeal and wants to continue his true passion.
"I have lived in misery, but I want to continue to search for hope and become a role model of hope," he said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency