PRESS RELEASE October 9, 2015

No. 2015-032-1/2

en: beyond – SHARINGThe Japan Pavilion Exhibition at the 15th International ArchitectureExhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, Curated by Yoshiyuki Yamana
The Japan Foundation is pleased to present the Japan Pavilion exhibition at the 15th International
Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia from Saturday, May 28 to Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016.
The theme of the pavilion will be en: beyond – SHARING. With Yoshiyuki Yamana (Professor, Department ofArchitecture and Building Engineering, Tokyo University of Science) as curator, the exhibition will introduce
four themes through the work of a younger generation of architects who are striving to attain new values incontemporary Japan marking the end of the high-growth economy and experiencing the Great East JapanEarthquake.

■Japan Pavilion at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia[Title]en: beyond - SHARING[Organizer/Commissioner][Curator]

The Japan Foundation
Yoshiyuki Yamana(Professor, Department of Architecture and Building Engineering,Tokyo University of Science)
Seiichi Hishikawa (Creative Director, Filmmaker/Photographer)
Masaki Uchino (Editor)
Ishibashi Foundation[Production Committee][With special support of][Exhibitors]mnm (Mio Tsuneyama), ondesign (Osamu Nishida), Erika Nakagawa, Naruse Inokuma Architects(Jun Inokuma, Yuri Naruse), Naka Architects’ Studio (Toshiharu Naka, Yuri Uno), Nousaku Architects(Fuminori Nousaku, Junpei Nousaku), miCo. (Mizuki Imamura, Isao Shinohara), Levi Architecture(Jun Nakagawa), Shingo Masuda+Katsuhisa Otsubo Architects (Shingo Masuda, Katsuhisa Otsubo),
Koji Aoki Architects(Koji Aoki), 403architecture [dajiba] (Takuma Tsuji, Takeshi Hashimoto, ToruYada), BUS (Satoru Ito, Kosuke Bando, Issei Suma), dot architects (Toshikatsu Ienari, Takeshi
Shakushiro, Wataru Doi)
[Venue Design]

teco (Chie Konno, Rie Allison)

Outline of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia[Dates]Saturday, May 28 – Sunday, November 27, 2016
[Venues]

Giardini di Castello, Arsenale, and various other venues[Director]

Alejandro Aravena[Theme]REPORTING FROM THE FRONT[Official Website] http://www.labiennale.org●Organizer/Contact: The Japan Foundation, International Operations SectionⅡ, Arts and Culture Dept.
Persons in charge: Harada (Mr.), Tasaki (Ms.), Okawa (Ms.)
Tel: +81-(0)3-5369-6063 / Fax: +81-(0)3-5369-6038 / E-mail: venezia@jpf.go.jp●Press Contact: Taira (Ms.) (TAIRAMASAKO PRESS OFFICE)
Tel: +81-(0)70-2151-4567 / Fax: +81-(0)3-3468-8367 / E-mail：info@tmpress.jp〒160-0004

東京都新宿区四谷 4-4-1
www.jpf.go.jp

No. 2015-032-2/2
Curator’s statement
en: beyond – SHARINGIn contemporary Japan, where unemployment, particularly among the young, has become chronic, and inequality and poverty
grow worse every day, the high-growth economy of the postwar era is now a historical event that belongs to the distant past.
Though there are several world-renowned works of architecture that emerged in tandem with economic growth in modern
Japan, the brilliant Japanese “century of change in modern architecture” was preserved in A Storehouse of Contemporary
Japanese Architecture, the exhibition held in the Japan Pavilion at the last Venice Biennale, and many architectural works thatemerged at the height of the growth period have become subjects for historians.
A wide range of phenomena acts as an index of our times, such as the popularization of the Internet and other developmentsthat have dramatically altered the information environment. But neoliberalism, rooted in the principle of competition, hasdeeply eroded the framework that permeates every corner of society – despite the fact that it does not appear to be an
immediate threat like war, terrorism or environmental pollution caused by radioactive materials. Nonetheless, unlike themodern era, driven by a social engine powered by the overarching, meta-narrative of “progress,” and the high-growth period,
we are unable to form or pursue a clear picture of the future that might counteract such circumstances and trends. This hascaused a dark heavy, layer of despair to descend upon our society.
With the additional sense of loss that arose in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11,
2011, Japanese society is currently on the verge of a huge turning point. While the notion of a happy family life in the city,
created by the modern state, has collapsed, a new community, based on “sharing” (values, lifestyles, etc.) has appeared in its
place. How is our architecture changing to fit this new era? And where is our architecture headed? Many of the things that weare now focusing on have the potential to exert huge changes (at least superficially) on beautiful decorative elements such asarchitecture magazines (a propaganda tool for Modernism), and the architectural framework shaped by the modern state that isconcealed in many buildings. This is why it is essential to place a strong emphasis on altering the state of society and various
relationships – or in other words, the en (connections, relation, ties, chance, edge, fringe, rim), which serve as the theme of thisexhibition.
This exhibition will not attempt to formulate a vehicle, such as that seen in Modernism, based on a big narrative or some kindof slogan. Instead, it will examine a variety of aspects of individual struggles in the fight against the conditions and issues that
we are currently confronting. Though this fight, being waged on the front lines to ensure that we can survive these difficult
conditions, may be in its infancy, it has the latent potential to serve as a basis for social change.
––Yoshiyuki Yamana●Organizer/Contact: The Japan Foundation, International Operations SectionⅡ, Arts and Culture Dept.
Persons in charge: Harada (Mr.), Tasaki (Ms.), Okawa (Ms.)
Tel: +81-(0)3-5369-6063 / Fax: +81-(0)3-5369-6038 / E-mail: venezia@jpf.go.jp●Press Contact: Taira (Ms.) (TAIRAMASAKO PRESS OFFICE)
Tel: +81-(0)70-2151-4567 / Fax: +81-(0)3-3468-8367 / E-mail：info@tmpress.jp〒160-0004

東京都新宿区四谷 4-4-1
www.jpf.go.jp