The Serpentine Pavilion 2019 will be designed by the Japanese architect Junya Ishigami

"My design of the pavilion plays with our perspectives of the built environment in the context of a natural landscape, emphasizing a natural and organic feel as if it had come out of the lawn, resembling the a hill made of rocks, "says Ishigami in a statement to the press. "This is an attempt to complement traditional architecture with modern methodologies and concepts, in order to create an unprecedented range of landscapes in this area. Slate seen around the world, while appearing so light that it could dull in the breeze, the cluster of scattered rocks levitates like a piece of swollen tissue. "

Ishigami is the 19th architect to design a pavilion at the Serpentine, following the works of Frida Escobedo of Mexico City (2018), Francis Kere of Burkina Faso (2017), Bjarke Ingels of Denmark (2016) and Selgascano of Denmark. Spain (2015.) The Serpentine Pavilion program was created in 2000 by Julia Peyton Jones and Hans Ulrich Obrist to give international designers the opportunity to share their talent with a new and influential audience. The commission is known for its busy schedule: the designers selected have only six months to design and build their pavilion, resulting in a compressed process that encourages experimentation and speed of reflection.

"We are delighted to be able to share the designs of Junya Ishigami's Serpentine Pavilion, a natural-world-inspired structure located in one of London's lushest spaces: Kensington Gardens," said Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director. from Serpentine Galleries, Yana Peel in a joint statement. "The pavilion and its accompanying program will be at the heart of Serpentine's general ecology component – an ongoing investigation into complex systems, interspecific landscapes and the environment."

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I think the conversation with Junya Ishigami in her experimental (and very international) studio in Tokyo was one of the most memorable experiences of my recent trip to Japan. Junya's visions not only for his own architecture, but also for the profession, were inspiring.

The 2018 Serpentine pavilion of Frida Escobedo opens in London

The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2018, designed by Frida Escobedo, was inaugurated today in Hyde Park, London. The design of Escobedo, which fuses elements typical of Mexican architecture and local references in London, includes a courtyard enclosed by two rectangular volumes constructed of cement tiles.

Ishigami received the Golden Lion Award at the 2010 Venice Biennale, organized by Kazuyo Sejima. More recently, it has been the subject of a large-scale and successful exhibition at the Cartier Foundation in Paris. The exhibition, which took place during the spring season, is now traveling to Shanghai, where it will be showcased at the Power Station's art website.