NLE, Iwan Baan, SO-IL, Bas Princen and RAAAF Participation in the Chicago Architectural Biennial

Sat, Oct 3 - Sun, Jan 3  2016

The title of the 2015 edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial will be ‘The State of the Art of Architecture’ and there are five Dutch participants; NLE, Iwan Baan, SO-IL, Bas Princen and RAAAF. The exhibition is on view from October 3 (2015) until January 3 (2016). 

About the exhibition

What is ‘The State of the Art of Architecture’ today? More than a profession or a repertoire of built artifacts, architecture is a dynamic cultural practice that permeates fundamental registers of everyday life—from housing to education, from environmental awareness to economic growth, from local communities to global networks. In an age of accelerated change, today’s architects, artists, designers, planners, and activists are developing an extraordinary range of visionary ideas that test the limits of these realms of everyday life. As a platform for the creative breakthroughs that are reimagining the ways we inhabit and shape the world around us, the Chicago Architecture Biennial will bring an international and intergenerational network of architectural talent together to explore the ambitions, challenges and possibilities that are fueling the architectural imagination today and steering the future of the field.

About Iwan Baan

Iwan Baan is a Dutch photographer known for portraying the human life and interactions that take place within buildings. After some experience in publishing and documentary photography, he began collaborating with many of the world’s leading architectural firms, including OMA, Herzog & De Meuron, and Toyo Ito. A relentless traveler, Baan is currently one of the most published photographers in the field of architecture; his photographs have appeared on Domus and The New York Times, among many other outlets. In 2010, he won the Julius Shulman Photography Award. Among his published books is Brasilia-Chandigarh: Living with Modernity(Lars Müller, 2010).

About NLE

NLÉ is an architecture, design and urbanism practice founded by Kunlé Adeyemi in 2010, and based in Lagos and Amsterdam. Recent work includes the Makoko Floating School, a floating structure located on the lagoon heart of Lagos, Nigeria; this acclaimed project is part of an extensive research initiative, African Water Cities. Adeyemi has previously worked for OMA for nearly a decade. In 2014, he was Baird Distinguished Visiting Critic at Cornell University.

About RAAAF

RAAAF, founded in 2006 by Ronald and Erik Rietveld, develops research strategic interventions at the intersection of science, art, and architecture. Architect Arna Mackic joined the Rietvelds in 2009, bringing her interest in cultural heritage. Among their projects are the celebrated installation Vacant NL at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2010, and Secret Operation 610, completed in 2013.

About Bas Princen

Bas Princen (1975) is an Rotterdam based designer/artist. He joined the Design Academy Eindhoven in the education program Public Space Design and later joined the Berlage Insitute in Rotterdam for Architecture. On the ocassion of his solo exhibition in deSingel, Antwerpen, his publication called ‘Reservoir’, was published by Hatje Cantz. At the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Bas Princen is exhibiting together with Kersten Geers and David Van Severen founders of OFFICE. 

About SO-IL

SO-IL is an idea-driven design firm that brings together extensive experience from the fields of architecture, academia, and the arts; it is lead by partners Florian Idenburg, Jing Liu, and Ilias Papageorgiou. SO-IL has worked on an array of projects including the master plan of a cultural campus in Shanghai, China, the flagship store for United Colors of Benetton in New York City, the Frieze Art Fair in NYC, and Kukje Gallery in Seoul.