Japan Design Committee is pleased to present “Kenzo Tange and Kengo Kuma: Two National Stadiums” as the 791st exhibition of Design Gallery 1953.
Kenzo Tange and Kengo Kuma have three things in common.
First, their major works are strongly related to the Tokyo Olympics. Second, the houses designed by the two architects can be explained by Katsura Rikyu, which is considered a classic of Japanese architecture. Third, both architects were influenced by France and left behind many works.
This exhibition is a re-edition of the “Kenzo Tange and Kengo Kuma Exhibition” held at the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris from May to June 2024, with a particular focus on the Yoyogi National Stadium and the National Stadium.
Although the two national stadiums were built in different historical backgrounds and held different competitions, visitors can experience the characteristics of modern postwar Japanese architecture through four key words: “landscape, line, eaves, and arch effect”. In particular, by comparing the black-and-white photographs of Yasuhiro Ishimoto (late member of the Japan Design Committee) and Mikiya Takimoto, visitors will find clues to the similarities and differences between the two architects.
Message from Kenya Hara, Exhibition Director
The 1964 and 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the architecture of their stadiums are contrasted as a reflection of national sentiment. The photographs by Yasuhiro Ishimoto, who looks at his subjects with modernist eyes, and Mikiya Takimoto, who continues to update his modernity with the evolution of the camera, are interesting because they beautifully capture the work of two architects who symbolically bear witness to the transitions in Japan.
Exhibition Outline
- Title: The 791st Design Gallery 1953 Exhibition “Kenzo Tange and Kengo Kuma: Two National Stadiums”
- Dates: December 27 (Fri), 2024 — February 17 (Mon), 2025 (last day closing at 5:00 p.m.; free admission)
- Venue: Matsuya Ginza 7th floor, Design Gallery 1953
- Organizer: Japan Design Committee
- Co-organized by: General Incorporated Association Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Steering Committee for World Heritage Nomination (G.Y.S.C.) - Supported by: OBAYASHI CORPORATION, SHIMIZU CORPORATION, TAISEI CORPORATION, MAEDA CORPORATION, Azusa Sekkei Co., Ltd.
- Special Cooperation: Daikanyama Hillside Terrace
- Cooperation: The Museum of Art, Kochi Ishimoto Yasuhiro Photo Center, MIKIYA TAKIMOTO PHOTOGRAPH OFFICE Co., LTD., Saki Makuta(Chiba University)
- Curator: Saikaku Toyokawa
- Exhibition Director: Kenya Hara
• Please refer to the Matsuya Ginza website for the opening hours and other information.
