Coinciding with the centenary of Malevich’s Black Square (1915), Room of Manifestoes recognizes the role Manifestoes played in the development of visionary ideas and social, political and aesthetic projects in the 20th Century, while reaffirming their latent potential in developing discourses of contemporary architecture.
In an era of shifting values and conflicting narratives, the manifesto remains the quintessential tool to focus on critical architectural issues and their ramifications in life. The exhibition explores the Manifestoes at the centre of WAI’s architectural practice, and their materialization in projects that span from genealogical reconstructions of architectural history, to the reconceptualization of tools and strategies of representation of a critique of architectural ideology, and the reformulation of principles and fundamentals of architectural programs and their spatial possibilities.
With a selection of books, self-published magazines, prints, digital and hand-made collages, models, artifacts, and videos, Room of Manifestoes provides a screen in which to project architectural intentions, ambitions, fears and desires, showcasing projects that feed from previous failures and victories of utopia in order to create the possibility of dreaming architectural futures.
WAI Architecture Think Tank
WAI Architecture Think Tank is an international studio practicing architecture, urbanism and architectural research. Founded in Brussels in 2008 by Puerto Rican architect, artist, author and theorist Cruz Garcia and French architect, artist, author and poet, Nathalie Frankowski, WAI and its parallel artist practice Garcia Frankowski are currently based in Beijing.
WAI focuses on the understanding and execution of Architecture from a panoramic approach. WAI aims to contribute to the collective intelligence of architecture by means of intelligent buildings and master plans, groundbreaking research projects and innovative publications.Recent projects include the shortlisted design of the National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA) in Moscow, the Housetelier in Beijing, the publication of Pure Hardcore Icons: A Manifesto on Pure Form in Architecture (London: Artifice Books on Architecture) and the self-published WAIzine What About It?
Of growing international interest, the work of WAI and Garcia Frankowski has been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA) in Manchester, Chicago Architecture Biennal, 2015 and more.