“Architecture is not static. Architecture is dynamic. Architecture is fluid. Then we also talk about local materials, local conditions, local technologies. And then you look at the climate, economies, etc., and you put them together. That is how really you create a habitat.” —Balkrishna Doshi
Perhaps not as well known outside of his home country as many of his fellow starchitects, Indian architect and urban planner Balkrishna Doshi (b. 1927, Pune, India) is one of the few practitioners of modern architecture in India, and was the winner of the 2018 Pritzker Prize for architecture. In over 60 years of practice, and a vast array of projects throughout India, Doshi has incorporated the precepts of modern architecture with local culture, traditions, resources, and climate. Visitors to Basel will now have the opportunity to experience the first retrospective of Doshi’s work outside of Asia, at the Vitra Design Museum, in the postmodern masterpiece designed by fellow Pritzker Prize winner Frank Gehry. Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People is now open at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, until September 8, 2019.
In this film, Doshi, curator of the exhibition Khushnu Hoof (also Doshi’s granddaughter), and Vitra Design Museum curator Jolanthe Kugler talk about the architect’s work and the exhibition at the museum.