Kengo Kuma's First Italian Retrospective Opens in Venice

The first Italian retrospective on Japanese architect Kengo Kuma opens at Palazzo Franchetti in Venice, nearly thirty years after his debut at the 46th Venice Art Biennale. Titled 'Onomatopoeia Architecture,' the exhibition features over twenty maquettes and two site-specific installations—'L'albero della barca,' a chestnut wave homage to Venice's wooden foundations, and 'Laguna,' a polymorphic installation in the garden on the Grand Canal. Curated by Marco Imperadori, the show is organized around thirteen onomatopoeic concepts, such as 'Para-Para' (empty/full) and 'Zara-Zara' (rough/perception), which Kuma uses to translate his design principles. Kuma, born in Yokohama in 1954, rejects concrete and rigid geometries in favor of lighter materials like wood, paper, and metal, aiming to 'give warmth to people.' The exhibition coincides with the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale and offers insight into the holistic, ecological vision of Kengo Kuma & Associates, which has completed over 400 projects worldwide.