A major solo exhibition by Kengo Kuma (b. 1954), one of Japan's foremost architects, titled 'Kengo Kuma Exhibition: Five Principles for Creating New Publicness,' will be held from Friday, June 18 to Sunday, September 26, 2021, at The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. The exhibition features a selection of Kuma's highly public-oriented works, each accompanied by his personal commentary. It also includes video works exploring how his architecture is used and how it relates to the urban environment, as well as 360-degree VR experiences for an immersive feel of the interior spaces. Furthermore, a new research project, 'Tokyo Plan 2020 (Nyan Nyan): The 5656 (Gorogoro) Principles of Cat Architecture,' re-examines the city from a feline perspective. Held during these exceptionally challenging times of the pandemic, this exhibition offers an opportunity to contemplate new publicness and the future of urban living.

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, will host the 'Kengo Kuma Exhibition: Five Principles for Creating New Publicness' (Organized by: The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan Arts Council) from Friday, June 18 to Sunday, September 26, 2021.

Kengo Kuma, a leading contemporary Japanese architect, has been involved in the design of projects such as 'V&A Dundee,' selected as one of TIME magazine's 'World's 100 Greatest Places of 2019,' and the 'National Stadium.' This exhibition presents 68 public-oriented architectural works selected from Kuma's global portfolio, categorized according to his five principles: 'Holes,' 'Particles,' 'Diagonal,' 'Soft,' and 'Time.' These are showcased through architectural models, photographs, and mock-ups. In addition, a total of 74 items, including video works and a trailer house displayed in the forecourt, introduce Kuma's world. All chapter and work commentaries are provided by Kuma himself. Visitors can also experience Kuma's architecture from various perspectives through new video works by leading artists such as Mikiyas Takimoto and Hikaru Fujii.

The videos feature not only the aesthetic beauty of the buildings but also interviews with Kuma's clients and the citizens who use the spaces. This reflects Kuma's belief that the words of clients and users are as important—if not more so—than those of the architect, as most buildings begin with a commission and are maintained by their users after completion. The exhibition includes 4K footage, time-lapse videos, and 360-degree VR experiences captured by drone.

Additionally, the research project 'Tokyo Plan 2020 (Nyan Nyan): The 5656 (Gorogoro) Principles of Cat Architecture' (in collaboration with Takram) re-examines urban life from a cat's perspective. This project is a response to Kenzo Tange's ambitious 'Tokyo Plan 1960,' published in an architectural magazine before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, which proposed a futuristic city on Tokyo Bay. Kuma posits that in today's era, proposals for the city should be viewed from below, rather than from a bird's-eye perspective as during the period of high economic growth. His focus is on the viewpoint of cats, close to the ground. The results of fieldwork and GPS measurements conducted in Kagurazaka, Tokyo, are presented through 3DCG and projection mapping. Kuma suggests that people today, in the post-pandemic era, could learn from the behavior of cats, who live nomadically, find their own paths through gaps, and do not stay in one place. This exhibition, even amidst the challenging times of the pandemic, offers a chance to consider new publicness and the future of urban living.