On 18 January 2023, UNU will host “The UNU Headquarters Building: Iconic Architecture as a Reflection of International Postmodernism”, a conversation with Dr Eva Kraus, Artistic Director of the Bundeskunsthalle (Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany). This event will start at 18:30 in the 1F Annex Space at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
The UNU Headquarters building in Tokyo was designed by Japanese architectural firm Kenzo Tange Associates and completed in 1992. The building’s design reflects the quarter century that preceded it — a postmodern era punctuated by rapid development in Japan, shifting geopolitics, and global milestones in education, architecture, fashion, music, and graphic design.
Despite its historical distance, postmodernism has again become the subject of controversy in recent years. While many intellectuals born after 1980, particularly artists and designers, enthusiastically return to eccentric provocations in art, theory, architecture, and design, conservative authors accuse postmodernism of nihilism and paving the way for populism.
Dr Eva Kraus will join UNU Rector David Malone for a conversation exploring the international role of postmodernism, both historically and today. By centring the discussion on the links between postmodernist principles and the rise of buildings such as UNU Headquarters and the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany, the discussion will pivot to examine the influence of Japanese architecture and culture within the western world and vice versa.
The UNU Conversation Series aims to foster audience participation; you are encouraged to engage with the speakers during the conversation and at the reception that will follow, where all audience members are invited to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks while exchanging ideas and making new contacts
Please note that this event will be in English. Advance registration (by 17 January) is required. Please click on the REGISTER button above to access the online registration page.
About the speaker
Eva Kraus serves as the Artistic Director of the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn (Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany), a position she has held since August 2020. Previous engagements include directorships of the Neues Museum – State Museum of Art and Design (Nuremberg), the Steinle Contemporary Gallery (Munich), and the Friedrich Kiesler Private Foundation (Vienna).
