Born in 1931, Arata Isozaki was a teenager during the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Witnessing this kind of large scale destruction was what moulded Isozaki’s beliefs and philosophy when it came to his own designs later in life. About these events, Isozaki said, “when I was old enough to begin an understanding of the world, my hometown was burned down. Across the shore, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, so I grew up near ground zero. It was in complete ruins, and there was no architecture, no buildings and not even a city. Only barracks and shelters surrounded me. So, my first experience of architecture was the void of architecture, and I began to consider how people might rebuild their homes and cities.” Interestingly, it is this idea of architecture’s destruction that led him to work in the way that he did.

Arata Isozaki

Hiroshima Bombing

Isozaki has been practising since the 1960s and many architects and scholars feel that it was about time for him to win this prestigious award. He has been considered a visionary due to his fearless and unconventional approach to design. Often called the ‘Emperor of Japanese Architecture’ Isozaki is credited with bringing together eastern and western, modern and postmodern and global and local in a way that was diverse and inspiring. He used a multi-disciplinary approach where his work goes beyond architecture and includes writing, music, art, film and visual art. During the 1980s, he was commissioned the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles which was to become the first project he worked on in the United States. The red sandstone structure was met with critical acclaim for its use of geometry and light, with his ability to fuse popular culture and classical principles of architecture being highlighted.

MOCA Grand Avenue

He looks at architecture in a very unique way. He doesn’t want to build a legacy or show the world how his mind works, for him, architecture is a meeting of time and space. It’s something that can be felt with all five senses and replicates the cycle of birth and death. Always embracing the avant-garden, his work has never focused on any singular style or theme but uses change as a foundation. Change is constant and something that he says has become the cornerstone of his own style. His work span the entire world from the Art Tower MITO in Japan and China. Central Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum in Beijing to the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona and Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha. His creativity seems to be limitless as he creates designs for unique contexts and situations in almost every project.

Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona

His work is everything and nothing all at the same time. It looks to the past while keeping both eyes on the future, it respects the modern while blending it with postmodern. It is grounded in the east but with an ear to the west. The Pritzker Prize celebrates a combination of talent, vision, commitment and consistency and is one of the most significant awards in the art world. He was chosen for his body of work that spans over 50 years and the impact he has made on the world through the many forms of artwork that he has done. One of the most influential figures in contemporary architecture, we congratulate Mr Isozaki on this immense honour.