Inspired by nature

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Gwacheon’s “ITAMI JUN: Architecture of the Wind” exhibition will continue through July 27. / Courtesy of MMCA

• Published Feb 5, 2014 5:44 PM KST
• Updated Feb 5, 2014 5:44 PM KST

Remembering the works of late architect Itami Jun

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Late Korean-Japanese architect Itami Jun always said he took inspiration from nature.

His love of basic elements, however, never precluded him from being forward-thinking.

The products of these seemingly divergent impulses are both simple and futuristic. His body of work, now highlighted in an exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary (MMCA) Gwancheon in Gyeonggi Province, masterfully applies natural forms, colors and textures to modern contexts.

"Itami Jun: Architecture of the Wind’’ is the museum’s second exhibition devoted to architectural design, following its 2013 retrospective on late Korean architect Chung Guyon, which proved to be its one of the most popular exhibitions of the year.

Born in Shizuoka, Japan in 1937, Itami took interest in the art of Korea’s Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), particularly folk paintings and ceramics, which helped shape Japan’s "Mono-ha’’ conceptual art movement of the 1960s.

In Joseon’s folk craft, Itami saw a version of the naturalness and simplicity he wanted to embody in his own creations. Throughout his career, his buildings have been futuristic but also minimalistic ― no lines or materials are wasted. His buildings interact seamlessly with the nature around it.

"The important thing is to listen to the language spoken by the topography of the land and the 'voice of the wind,’’’ he wrote in his book, "Architecture and Urbanism 1970-2011.’’

The exhibition divides Itami’s works by the materials that best define them, such as glass, metal, stone and wood. This underscores the architect’s aversion to concrete.

Itami’s daughter, Yoo E-hwa, an architect herself, helped recreate his father’s old studio at the exhibition hall.

"The studio was recreated based on photographs. I bought the books he read and also studied the Mono-ha paintings and Joseon ceramics that inspired him,’’ she said.

"The sketch on the desk exhibited in the hall is the last one he worked on, three days before he died in 2011… He had a habit of taking memos or drawing sketches all the time. While going through his keepsakes, I found decades-long journals, which conveyed his intensity as an artist.’’

The exhibition’s title refers to a project on Jeju Island to which Itami devoted his later years. Itami had said he considered Jeju as his “spiritual hometown.” He built the Biotopia complex on the island, a complex of buildings that blend into the natural environment.

His work in the complex includes the PODO hotel, which has a curved roof inspired by "oreum’’ or Jeju’s volcanic cones. His Church of Sky resembles a boat floating on the water, with the elegantly shaped roof portraying the ebb and flow.

The MMCA exhibit runs through July 27. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.mmca.go.kr/eng or call (02) 2188-6000.