Iwan Baan exhibition travels the world through 'moments in architecture'

'Iwan Baan: Moments in Architecture' at the Vitra Design Museum offers just what it promises - a sumptuous compilation of architectural photography, taken by one of the most sought after artists within the genre. With this show, Baan, whose career encompasses works by leading names in architecture such as Rem Koolhaas, Herzog & de Meuron, Kazuyo Sejima, and Tatiana Bilbao, is launching his first ever retrospective, drawing on the Dutch photographer's 'wider scope' and telling the stories he encountered in some of the world's most famous architecture oeuvres. 

Be transported through Iwan Baan: Moments in Architecture exhibit

'The rise of digital media over the past thirty years has fundamentally changed the world of photography and architecture,' write the show's organisers. 'No other photographer has shaped these developments as emphatically as Iwan Baan.' And it is true, as Baan's is now-iconic style, still and at the same time dynamic, blending architecture and humans, calm and tension, materials and textures, stands out in its category. 

The show follows Baan's career from the early 2000s, blending still photography and film footage, and covering the photographer's different areas of interest within four display groupings. A section focuses on China and buildings such as CCTV Headquarters by Koolhaas’s architectural firm OMA (2002–2012) and the Olympic Stadium by Herzog & de Meuron (2003–2008), both in Beijing - shot at the beginning of his photographic journey. 

More leading names in contemporary architecture follow, in the part of the show discussing 'Perspectives' and highlight the documentation of works by some of the world's most era-defining names - including Herzog & de Meuron, Francis Kéré, Sou Fujimoto, Tatiana Bilbao, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, SANAA, Toyo Ito, and many more.

Baan's interest in the built environment as a whole takes centre stage in the displays within the 'Cities' hub of the exhibit, documenting 'real-estate booms or crashes, increasing density, urban evolution, and individual life stories.' Here, the lens broadens, going from single building- to city-scale. 

'Moments in Architecture' closes with a zoom into the theme of 'Continuity.' With it, Baan's work is used as a vehicle to help the audience travel across the globe, exploring countries, places, and informal or traditional buildings.

'What's important is the story,' Baan says, 'which is very intuitive and fluid. I am not so interested in the timeless architectural image as much as the specific moment in time, the place, and the people there – all the unexpected, unplanned moments in and around the space, how people interact with that space, and the stories that are unfolding there.'

'Iwan Baan: Moments in Architecture' will be on display at the Vitra Design Museum 21.10.2023 – 03.03.2024

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