Santiago Calatrava: The Architect’s Studio
North Galleries
July 17 - November 21, 2004

Artist Lecture Note:

A videotape of the November 7 Santiago Calatrava exhibition is available through the Simpson Center for the Humanities. Please visit http://depts.washington.edu/uwch/projects_lectures_Katz.htm#calatrava for more information.

Santiago Calatrava: The Architect’s Studio highlights the work of one of the most celebrated and original architects of the present day. From the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens to the PATH terminal at New York’s Ground Zero, Calatrava is responsible for many of today’s signature building sites. The exhibition presents these projects within the context of his entire career, with special attention to the Lyon TGV Station, the Milwaukee Art Museum, Tenerife concert Hall, and two of his extraordinary bridges, along with his continuing work in Valencia, Spain and Malmö, Sweden.

Santiago Calatrava: The Architect’s Studio emphasizes movement. Videos create the sense of moving in and through his built works, including Calatrava’s largest building project— the City of Arts and Sciences, which occupies over one million square feet in Valencia. Another video travels up the construction elevator on the exterior of the high rise apartment tower in Malmö, called “Turning Torso”— at 54 stories, the tallest building in Scandinavia.

The Architect’s Studio also explores Calatrava’s dynamic process in the milieu of the architect’s studio, including the way its floor is strewn with sketches of figures in motion and charging bulls. Viewers navigate working materials, sketches, and works in-
progress to experience the sweep of the architect’s distinguished career. Presentation and working models and sculptural studies further explore the essential element of motion, often abstracted from his graceful bird and figure studies. This exhibition affords a first-hand view of Calatrava’s renowned and groundbreaking designs, his creative working practice, as well as an experiential perspective on his built projects.

Santiago Calatrava: The Architect’s Studio is organized for the Henry Art Gallery by independent curator Kirsten Kiser with Curatorial Coordinator Jordan Howland. Support for this exhibition has been provided by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, City of Seattle; NBBJ Group; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Magnusson Klemencic Associates; Bon-Macy’s; España Acción Cultural Exterior; Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects; Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership; LMN Architects; Donnally Architects, and donors to the Henry Art Gallery Contemporary Art Fund. In-kind support provided by the Grand Hyatt Seattle, The Stranger, KEXP 90.3 FM, AIA Seattle, and Peter Miller Books.

Photos: Courtesy Santiago Calatrava SA

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