A major Frank Lloyd Wright retrospective and a display of avant-garde womenswear by Comme des Garçons are among the 10 best upcoming architecture and design exhibitions for 2017, picked by reporter Eleanor Gibson.
The Architect's Studio: Wang Shu
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
9 February – 30 April 2017
Chinese architect Wang Shu of Amateur Architecture Studio will open the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art's Architect's Studio series.
Beginning with an introduction to traditional Chinese culture and philosophy, the exhibition will include Shu's At The Parallel Scene installation from this year's Venice Architecture Biennale and a selection of signature projects.
The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945
The Barbican, London, UK
23 March – 25 June 2017
Following a stint at the MAXXI in Rome, this exhibition at the Barbican will explore domestic architecture in Japan through the work of "starchitects" Kenzo Tange, Toyo Ito, Kazuyo Sejima and Shigeru Ban; promising young architects; as well as filmmakers and manga cartoonists
It will address a range of themes like the coexistence of traditional extreme architectural innovation, the continuity in Japanese culture and the role of the domestic space in Japan today.
Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
12 June – 1 October 2017
MoMA's major exhibition of work by famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright will coincide with what would have been his 150th birthday, showcasing some works to the public for the first time.
Each section will be based around a key item or cluster of objects from the Wright archives, featuring approximately 450 works created over his 60-year career, including architectural drawings, models, building fragments and films.
Rei Kawakubo: Comme des Garçons
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
4 May – 4 September 2017
A thematic showcase of 120 examples of avant-garde womenswear by Japanese fashion designer and Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo will be the focus of The Costume Institute's spring 2017 exhibition.
Ranging from her first Paris runway show in 1981 to her most recent collection it will be unlike the institution's previous fashion exhibitions, as mannequins will be arranged at eye level with no physical barriers.
California
Design Museum, London, UK
24 May – 15 October 2017
Starting in the 1960s, the California exhibition will explore the US state's design legacy – from counterculture to Silicon Valley's tech scene.
The newly reopened Design Museum will include a wide range of items, like pioneering tools of personal liberation, skateboards, iPhones, political posters, personal computers and self-driving cars, as well as work by user interface designers in the Bay Area.
Virtually Real
Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
12 January – 14 January 2017
Aiming to showcase the potential of VR, the Royal Academy of Arts will present the first ever 3D-printed artworks created in virtual reality, created by Royal Academy Schools' alumni and current third-year student Jessy Jetpacks.
Each piece will be viewed with the HTC Vive device, which will allow visitors to walk through, over, under and around the artwork. Aspects of each of the artists' work will be 3D printed and displayed at the Royal Academy.
Mies van der Rohe & James Stirling: Circling the Square
The Architecture Gallery, RIBA, London, UK
8 March – 25 June 2017
Two iconic architectural schemes proposed for the same London site – Mies van der Rohe's unrealised Mansion House Square project and its built successor, the recently listed No 1 Poultry by James Stirling Michael Wilford & Associates – will examined together and compared by the RIBA.
Mies van der Rohe & James Stirling: Circling the Square will feature models and materials, as well as initial design sketches and axonometric views of the designs.
Disobedient Bodies: J W Anderson
Hepworth, Wakefield, UK
18 March – 18 June 2017
British fashion designer Jonathan Anderson will curate a showcase of modern art and fashion pieces from The Hepworth Wakefield's collection that have influenced his own creative practice.
Giant knitted garments designed by Anderson will also be on display, creating an immersive and tactile experience for visitors, while a recreation of his working environment will offer a glimpse at the sources of the designer's creative practice.
Álvaro Siza, Sacro
MAXXI National Museum of the XXI Century Arts, Rome, Italy
9 November 2016 – 26 March 2017
Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza has designed inclined walls, a sinuous layout, and a mix of ample restricted spaces to display his religious practice projects at the Zaha Hadid-designed museum in Rome.
A mixture of his drawings, projects and objects will demonstrate a range of design, including spaces for religious practice to objects designed for the pope.
Yayoi Kusama: My Eternal Soul
National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
22 February – 22 May 2017
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's solo show at the National Art Center in Tokyo is set to be her biggest yet in the city.
Her large-scale My Eternal Soul paintings, which were shown at London's Victoria Miro this year, will dominate the exhibition set to be filled with her signature dot motifs.