The first large-scale retrospective of world-renowned Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, "Life Is Architecture" traces the life and work of one of the most influential builders of the 20th and 21st centuries.
PAYING TRIBUTE TO ASIA'S CONTEMPORARY VISUAL CULTURE
Located in Hong Kong, M+ is a museum dedicated to the collection, exhibition and interpretation of the visual arts, design and architecture, the moving image and visual culture of 20th and 21st century Hong Kong. An innovative museum, reflecting a time and a place, M+ has set itself the mission of becoming one of the world's leading cultural institutions. And what better setting than the cultural district of West Kowloon to offer this unique space a setting worthy of its ambitions? Spread over 40 hectares of reclaimed land along Victoria Harbour, this vibrant and dynamic district has seen the establishment of an eclectic variety of theaters, theaters and museums. It's the perfect way to embody the true face of Hong Kong, a small territory open to the world that has managed to strike the perfect balance between tradition and modernity! Renowned for its daring exhibitions, M+ cultivates a melting pot of influences and cultures. Few lives embody the vision of transcultural exchange as meticulously and elegantly as that of Ieoh Ming Pei...
IN THE WORLD OF I. M. PEI
East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, modernization of the Grand Louvre in Paris, Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, Museum of Islamic Art in Doha: Ieoh Ming Pei (1917-2019) is a legendary architect who has left his mark on the history of architecture and popular culture with these prestigious projects all over the world. For seven consecutive decades, the man would strive to honor both the culture of regional histories and the intensity of global movements through his architecture. Inseparable from existence, his work evokes a belief in collaboration and transcultural dialogue between buildings and their environment. Although he is best known for his museum projects, I. M. Pei is to be commended for the significance of his work, which goes far beyond its emblematic form. Blending art and architecture, he often commissioned works of art, usually large-scale sculptures, to be integrated into the museums, banks and housing projects he designed. All of which underscores art's ability to enhance our experience of space! Born in China, I. M. Pei studied architecture in the United States. Growing up against a backdrop of global upheavals and troubles such as the economic depression, the Sino-Japanese war and the Second World War, this citizen of the world transformed cities around the world, weaving a mosaic of power dynamics, geopolitical complexity and cultural traditions. Or how to lay the foundations of the contemporary world!
SPOTLIGHT ON AN EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITION
More than seven years in the making, the "Life Is Architecture" retrospective presents over 400 previously unseen objects. These include original drawings, architectural models, photographs, films and other archival documents from institutional and private collections. To interest a new generation of architecture students in the work of I. M. Pei, M+ has teamed up with the University of Hong Kong and the School of Architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Their students contributed to the creation of five models of some of Pei's most important projects, including the Shanghai Museum of Chinese Art (1946, unbuilt), the Hyperboloid (1954-1956, unbuilt) in New York and the Luce Memorial Chapel (1954-1963) in Taichung. The exhibition also features new photographs of 11 projects built by Pei, taken by seven international photographers including Naho Kubota (New York), Lee Kuo-Min (Taipei), Giovanna Silva (Milan) and Mohamed Somji (Dubai), to reconsider the lasting influence of his work. Above all, however, the exhibition takes a close look at the architect's life and work, exploring six areas of interest that not only define his unique practice, but also place his architectural projects in dialogue with social, cultural and biographical trajectories. His upbringing, his approach to cities, his engagement with art, his relationship with clients, his masterful use of geometry, materials and structure, his profound reflection on the past: these are all themes that constitute the very essence of I. M. Pei's work, and show that architecture and life are inseparable. An exhibition to be discovered as a matter of urgency...
" I. M. PEI: LIFE IS ARCHITECTURE" M+ EST KOWLOON CULTURAL DISTRICT, 38 MUSEUM DRIVE, KOWLOON (HONG KONG)
FROM JUNE 29, 2024 TO JANUARY 5, 2025
MPLUS.ORG.HK
