From Norman Foster, Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel shown earlier at Louisiana, to Wang Shu, Alejandro Aravena and Tatiana Bilbao. The first exhibition focuses on the Chinese architect Wang Shu (b. 1963), who together with his wife Lu Wenyu stands at the head of Amateur Architecture Studio based in Hangzhou in China. The name of the studio underscores the vision of letting spontaneity, available materials and local culture and building traditions form the basis for an architecture which in Wang Shu’s own words should be a “a house rather than a building”. The innovative practice that typifies Amateur Architecture thus emphasizes simple functionality over spectacular form, restoration over new construction, local traditions over global standardization.

The exhibition is organized in close collaboration with Amateur Architecture Studio and will present a number of selected projects as well as a more general introduction to traditional Chinese culture and philosophy as declared sources of inspiration for Wang Shu. In addition Amateur Architecture’s installation At The Parallel Scene from the 2016 Venice Biennale will form part of the exhibition.