For the 23rd International Exhibition Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries, Francis Kéré created four installations that give access to creative worlds long ignored. The architect and Pritzker Prize winner tells us about his practice and the meaning of his works.
Video production: Variante artistica
We want to show the visitor that there is no limit between us and the sky, that we should not be intimidated by the problems the planet is going through, but move forward and imagine solutions.
Using humble materials, working as collectives, and respecting collective heritage does not stand in opposition to contemporary architecture, but enriches it and may unwittingly offer solutions. Visitors to the 23rd International Exhibition, mulling over unknown unknowns, are invited to touch, sit, and listen to the installations while deciphering symbols that were born half a millennia ago but that carry meaning still today. By highlighting a rare, centuries-old vernacular, the studio aims to broaden perspectives on what architecture in the future could be.