Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima
They look like rock stars or Andy Warhol Factory refugees. Who are they?
Ryue Nishizawa, 38 (left), and Kazuyo Sejima, 49, are about the hottest architectural duo around, renowned for the chic simplicity of their technique. In the guise of the Tokyo firm they run, Sanaa, they appear intent on winning every hip, high-profile commission available.
What buildings have they designed? On the small-scale, they are responsible for the Toledo Museum of Art glass pavilion in Ohio and an extension to the Institute of Modern Art in Valencia, which is wrapped in a perforated metal skin with a mirror sheen that reflects the city. On the large scale, they have developed the prototype for Prada cosmetic stores, in Japan, they designed the Christian Dior shop in Tokyo that one commentator called 'as elegant and sexy as a silk slip', the N-Museum in Wakayama and the O-Museum in Nagano. Doubtless, a P-Museum is in the pipeline.
What are they best known for? Probably the 21st Century Art Museum (right) in Kanazawa. The museum is set in a castle town in Ishikawa prefecture on the Sea of Japan. A dazzling circular building, it makes great play of glass and stands more than 100 metres high. It houses the work of sculptor Anish Kapoor, cinematographer Doug Aitken, surrealist Jan Fabre and shock-tactic conceptualist Damien Hirst, among others. According to the museum's website, it is meant to provoke 'a subtly disorienting sense of weightlessness, an otherworldly sense of separation from daily life and openness to unexpected experiences and perceptions'. The 21st Century Art Museum won Sejima and Nishizawa the Golden Lion prize for the most remarkable work at last year's Architecture Biennale in Venice.
What's their story? Sejima studied architecture at the Japan Women's University before working for
the famous architect Toyo Ito. She started her own practice in 1987 and was named Young Architect of the Year in Japan in 1992. Nishizawa read architecture at Yokohama National University and has run an independent practice since 1997. The pair have worked together as Sanaa since 1995.
What are their influences? They admire buildings that use daylight as an architectural element - such as the courtyard of the Menil Collection in Houston. They also embrace buildings making bold statements, such as the Pompidou Centre in Paris.
