Constructed Geographies: Paulo Mendes da Rocha / Paulo: Beyond Drawing

Four years after the donation of his entire archive to Casa da Arquitectura, in December 2019, the time has come to celebrate Paulo Mendes da Rocha. Casa da Arquitectura—Portuguese Centre for Architecture has organised two simultaneous exhibitions, published a book that is seminal in the context of knowledge of Paulo Mendes da Rocha’s work, and launched a ten-month parallel programme of activities, which aim to stimulate dialogue around the principles, aesthetics, and ethics of Paulo Mendes da Rocha.

First Honorary Member of Casa da Arquitectura and an old friend of the institution, Paulo Mendes da Rocha is now the subject of an extended tribute that evokes various aspects of his personality, from the man who ponders the world to the architect who builds it.

Constructed Geographies: Paulo Mendes da Rocha
Curators: Jean-Louis Cohen and Vanessa Grossman / Scientific adviser: Catherine Otondo / Exhibition design: Eduardo Souto de Moura and Nuno Graça Moura. One of the most acclaimed architects of contemporary Brazil, Paulo Mendes da Rocha (1928–2021) began building in the 1950s, championing an approach that expanded well beyond brutalism. Embedded in Brazil’s urban culture, his works condense a constant concern for natural resources and materials from the Earth. His critical consideration of the Americas and the planet at large crystallises the geographic interplay of culture and nature. It reflects his imaginative engagement with the social and anthropogenic impact of the continent’s development as well as its colonial past and postcolonial future. Thanks to his mastery of structural principles and building techniques, he has constructed a unique response to these challenges. In 2006, Paulo Mendes da Rocha became the second Brazilian architect, after Oscar Niemeyer, to win the Pritzker Prize.

The exhibition proposes a promenade through an oeuvre which spans seven decades, unveiling twelve major projects, from the most inventive domestic confines to his far-reaching designs for the rivers and the territories of South America. New videos explore their inner and outer spaces, perceived in the everyday life of Brazilian cities. This itinerary is paralleled by the presentation of more than two hundred original drawings, from conceptual sketches to extraordinary details of construction plans. Architectural models punctuate the gallery, including Mendes da Rocha’s compelling originals in paper or cardboard and new interpretations of his major buildings. They contribute to the discovery of a unique saga of contemporary design.

Paulo: Beyond Drawing
Curators: Marta Moreira and Rui Furtado / Exhibition design: Ricardo Bak Gordon. Paulo Mendes da Rocha is a figure who transcends architecture. Humanist, singularly lucid and nonconformist with the direction of the world, his discourse conveys a message of hope that comes from his belief in the collective awareness of the need to ‘avoid disaster’.

An exhibition of his work requires the visitor to be made aware of his thoughts and his position regarding Life, Humanity and the Profession, which are the basis of the work he left us as an architect. “Paulo: Beyond Drawing” offers visitors a conversation with him, so that, in an intimate way, without filters or interpretations, they can listen to him talk about the most varied subjects, expressing what he thought, what moved him and what he fought for. The aim is to share an experience that many of those who were able to have contact with him will never forget.

Parallel programme
Curators: Nuno Sampaio, Catherine Otondo and Vanessa Grossman. This wide-ranging parallel programme will feature debates, conferences, and site visits in Portugal (Matosinhos and Lisbon), Brazil (S. Paulo) and the United States (New York) and is intended to be a great feast of architecture and a celebration of the work and person of Paulo Mendes da Rocha. The programme will include the most diverse personalities from the world of architecture who have crossed paths, directly or indirectly, with his professional or personal life, bringing unpublished and intimate testimonies to light.