Architectural Cases

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is poised to unveil the eagerly awaited David Geffen Galleries, conceived by the distinguished architect Peter Zumthor, in April 2026. This monumental addition signifies the culmination of a two-decade-long institutional evolution, establishing LACMA as a vastly expanded cultural hub. The new structure, an elegant 275-meter arc of glass and concrete, gracefully spans Hancock Park and extends across Wilshire Boulevard, housing an impressive 10,220 square meters of gallery space dedicated to the museum's enduring collection, all elevated nearly nine meters above ground level.

Beneath the soaring exhibition floor, seven distinct pavilions are strategically placed to host educational initiatives, retail outlets, dining experiences, and a theater. The interstitial spaces between these pavilions transform into accessible public areas, including the East West Bank Commons and the W.M. Keck Plaza. Zumthor's architectural vision rejects a prescribed route through the galleries, instead fostering exploration. Natural light floods the perimeter terrace galleries through expansive windows, while interior rooms offer a more subdued ambiance. Tokyo-based designer Reiko Sud's bespoke sputter-plated chrome textile curtains delicately manage illumination for light-sensitive artworks, showcasing a thoughtful integration of functionality and artistic sensibility.

A groundbreaking curatorial approach defines the inaugural exhibition within the David Geffen Galleries. Developed by a team of 45 curators from diverse fields, the installation moves beyond traditional art-historical timelines. Instead, it adopts a geographical framework organized around four major bodies of water: the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic galleries feature independent artistic traditions and the cultural shifts resulting from European encounters with the Americas, including African and Black American textiles, modern Latin American art, 20th-century photography, and American decorative arts. The Pacific galleries delve into Indigenous navigation, imperial expansion, and global trade, displaying Oceanic artifacts, West Mexican and Peruvian ceramics, Spanish American mercantile objects, East Asian blue-and-white porcelain, and California design. The Indian Ocean section highlights a strong collection of South and Southeast Asian sculpture, Indonesian batiks, Kashmir shawls, and the Ardabil Carpet, presented within the context of one of humanity's oldest maritime trade networks. Lastly, the Mediterranean galleries explore shared material and stylistic elements in Islamic and European painting, Syrian decorative arts, Baroque masterworks, and Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities, offering a rich tapestry of cross-cultural connections.

The interior of the building is graced by four significant new commissions, enriching the visitor experience. Near the entrance, Todd Gray's three-dimensional photographic work, 'Octavia's Gaze' (2025), welcomes guests. Do Ho Suh contributes 'Jagyeong Hall, Gyeongbok Palace' (2026), a translucent, full-scale replica of a section of Seoul's primary Joseon royal palace. Lauren Halsey's two pieces—a 10-foot reclining sphinx sculpture and a large-scale wall relief—and Tavares Strachan's bust 'Fulani (A Map of the Crown)' (2024) are thoughtfully placed within the Mediterranean galleries. At the plaza level, the entire 207,000-square-foot ground plane itself becomes a commissioned artwork: Mariana Castillo Deball's 'Feathered Changes,' created in close collaboration with Zumthor, forges a connection between the new structure and the site's historical identity as a marshy ecosystem. Further enhancing the exterior program south of Wilshire Boulevard are Pedro Reyes's 18-foot stone carving 'Tlali' (2026) and Diana Thater's light installation 'Five Days in Claude Monet's Garden' (2026), alongside Jeff Koons's recently acquired 37-foot topiary 'Split-Rocker,' and Tony Smith's monumental 'Smoke' (1967) with a reimagined pool setting for Alexander Calder's 'Three Quintains (Hello Girls)' (1964).

This ambitious project by Peter Zumthor represents a transformative moment for LACMA, not merely as an expansion of physical space, but as a bold reimagining of how art can be experienced and understood. The deliberate choice to organize the inaugural collections around the concept of global oceans underscores a profound commitment to showcasing the interconnectedness of human cultures and artistic expressions across continents and through time. This innovative approach invites visitors to engage with art in a more fluid, thematic way, encouraging deeper reflection on shared histories and diverse perspectives. The integration of contemporary commissioned works further enriches this dialogue, bridging historical narratives with modern artistic voices and reinforcing the museum's role as a dynamic platform for both preservation and innovation. LACMA's new David Geffen Galleries are poised to become a beacon of cultural exploration, fostering a greater appreciation for the vast and varied tapestry of human creativity.

The "Parallel Tunes" exhibition by Suzuko Yamada at TOTO GALLERY·MA redefines architectural displays, presenting the field not as static structures but as dynamic, interacting voices. Rather than isolating individual works, the entire gallery becomes an immersive environment where fragments, sketches, and artistic installations collectively adapt in scale and pace as visitors move through the space. This innovative approach offers a continuous narrative that blurs the lines between built projects and evolving architectural concepts, challenging traditional perceptions of exhibition design.

This immersive exhibit encourages a non-linear exploration of architectural concepts, drawing parallels to how various elements in natural environments coexist and intersect without explicit resolution. Yamada's vision for architecture as a polyphonic state is evident in the arrangement of diverse components, each maintaining its distinct character while engaging in a subtle dialogue with its surroundings. The exhibition invites viewers to experience a fluid, ever-changing spatial narrative, reflecting the complex interplay of form, function, and perception inherent in her work.

Exploring Architectural Polyphony and Dynamic Spatial Narratives

The Suzuko Yamada: Parallel Tunes exhibition in Tokyo presents architecture as a symphony of simultaneous voices, where various spatial components interact without a singular focal point. Elements like a fragmented staircase, layered panels, and soft partitions form an intricate network, each maintaining its identity while visually connecting with neighboring forms. This arrangement challenges conventional exhibition layouts by avoiding a hierarchical structure, allowing visitors to navigate the gallery incrementally and discover multiple interpretations of the architectural display. The curatorial strategy emphasizes a polyphonic understanding of space, reflecting Yamada's philosophy that independent systems can coexist and overlap, creating a dynamic and engaging experience.

Yamada's design philosophy, deeply influenced by observing independent systems in natural environments, translates into an exhibition that maintains tension without seeking a definitive resolution. This approach allows for a multitude of spatial readings, where the relationships between objects and forms are constantly evolving. The exhibition blurs the boundaries between art and architecture, transforming the gallery into a fluid, adaptable environment. Visitors are encouraged to engage with the installations, drawings, and fragments in a way that highlights the inherent complexities and interconnectedness of architectural elements. The dynamic interplay of light, shadow, and materiality further enhances the sense of continuous adjustment, making each visitor's journey through the space a unique and personal exploration of architectural polyphony.

Bridging Built Works and Conceptual Explorations Through Artistic Interpretation

The exhibition seamlessly integrates references to Suzuko Yamada's completed projects, such as the house daita2019, reinterpreting their core elements within the gallery setting. Vertical circulation, shelving, and flexible partitions from these built works are reimagined at varying scales, evolving from purely functional components into suggestive spatial cues. These reinterpretations hint at occupation without dictating it, allowing visitors to engage with the architectural concepts on a more abstract and contemplative level. The display also contextualizes Yamada's recent work within a broader scope, encompassing both public and infrastructural endeavors, demonstrating the consistent evolution of her design principles across diverse projects.

Yamada's conceptual proposals, including a rest area for Expo 2025 in Osaka, illustrate her exploration of how natural clusters and built structures can harmoniously share space. This innovative thinking extends into civic and rural contexts, with these ideas distilled into a series of open-ended spatial experiments within the gallery. Drawing plays a pivotal role in the exhibition's assembly, with layered diagrams and patterns extending across surfaces, acting as both notation and structural guides. This emphasizes architecture as an ongoing negotiation between elements, each retaining its unique character while participating in a larger dialogue, resulting in an exhibition that continuously adjusts to the viewer's movement and perception, offering a nuanced understanding of Yamada's architectural vision.