The work of the famous African Architect Francis Kéré arrived for the first time in Madrid as part of an exhibition in the Official Credit Institute (ICO) Museum. Being open to the public since October the 3rd, the exhibition titled “Primary Elements” focuses on Kéré’s method of marrying old and new building techniques and materials.
Photography: Iwan Baan
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The Madrid exhibition is curated by Luis Fernández-Galiano and organized by the ICO foundation. Structuring the whole exhibition is a thesis relating the works of Francis Kéré to that of Gottfried Semper, a 19th-century German architect, and scholar. Therefore, Semper’s primary elements: the stereotomic floor, the tectonic roof, and the textile wall are reconstructed in full scale using kéré’s original techniques to create his own ‘Primary Elements’.
Photography: Andrea Maretto
27 projects and six artistic installations, representing works from three continents, are also exhibited. Under one roof, visitors will find reproductions of Louisiana Canopy’s wooden platform: a reduced reproduction of London’s Serpentine Gallery pavilion, walls wrapped with textiles imported from Burkina Faso, and finally, an adobe wall and platform built by the students of “Architecture with Earth” Workshop held in Segovia. Moreover, the exhibition incorporates a portion of the Kéré Architecture studio in Berlin. This includes samples of working models and construction materials, representing parts of the work process of the study.
Courtesy of Francis Kéré Architecture
As evident from his work, Kéré’s ideas are ingrained from his native country, Burkina Faso. The architect’s sense of social burden and his strong connection with his country strengthen his belief that architecture must serve people. Most of his work is community-focused architecture, incorporating sustainable techniques and making use of limited resources.
Kéré further explains, “Architecture is at the service of humanity. Building a building is a team effort. When I raised the school from my village, I implored all the inhabitants. Architecture is also emotion: what you transmit with what you build. And it must be realistic: I use the materials that I have at hand, mud, and water, wood.”
Photography: Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk
However, while most of his buildings serve a functional purpose, his clever way of merging between light, colors, and textures makes spaces playful and interactive. Finding the right balance between the aesthetic and function in different elements makes Kéré’s work stand out. And getting the chance to explore all of these elements in one place makes the “Primary Elements” exhibition worth the visit.
Photography: Iwan Baan
“Primary Elements” is open to the public at the ICO in Madrid from Oct. 3, 2018-Jan. 20, 2019
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