Renowned Japanese architect Atsushi Kitagawara has always aspired to be a poet of architecture, drawing inspiration from literary and artistic figures like Stéphane Mallarmé and Marcel Duchamp. His first solo exhibition, "The Constellation of Time and Space," is now showcasing his life's work at the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, running through May 17, 2026.
The 73-year-old architect, who served as professor emeritus at Tokyo University of the Arts until 2019, has distinguished himself through an architectural language that incorporates influences from various artistic disciplines. "Literature, art and philosophy figures, such as Stéphane Mallarmé and Marcel Duchamp, who defined the nature of modern art, are crucial elements that inspire my designs," Kitagawara explains. "I create architecture with the dream of one day becoming a poet like Mallarmé."
The exhibition takes place in a building that Kitagawara himself designed - the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum, which houses the world's only Keith Haring museum and Japan's only queer museum. Located among the lush natural surroundings on the slopes of Mount Yatsugatake, the building incorporates six distinct architectural elements: inverted cone, darkness, giant frame, nature, hope, and colliding walls. These elements serve as both structural features and thematic sections for the exhibition, creating what Kitagawara calls a "meta-retrospective."
Visitors can experience this unique symbiotic relationship between art and architecture by first exploring Haring's permanent collection before entering Kitagawara's world. "While this exhibition introduces my architectural ideas, it also interprets the design of the museum itself," Kitagawara notes. "I hope that visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the exhibition by first experiencing the building's architecture."
The exhibition displays over 100 materials, including an ongoing series of drawings and diverse architectural models. Some models contain verses such as excerpts from Mallarmé's poem "A Throw of the Dice will Never Abolish Chance." The collection also features depictions of Kitagawara's first project, the now-demolished House of Nadja built in 1978, which attempted to translate the essence of André Breton's novel "Nadja" into architectural form. Personal items that shaped his creative identity are also on display, from butterfly specimens he collected during his childhood in rural Nagano Prefecture to books that inspired his design aesthetic.
When asked about the exhibition's title, Kitagawara becomes poetic: "In my head, there are countless ideas scattered like stars. At certain moments, they connect by chance and come together as a piece of architecture. In other words, all the architecture I have designed so far is interconnected." A prominent display showcases the initial plans for the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum, where each section was originally imagined as separate buildings requiring visitors to walk outside between them.
The surrounding area features its own constellation of Kitagawara works, with the museum as the main star. A short walk away stands Hotel Keyforest Hokuto, offering luxury boutique accommodation in a building of asymmetric trapezoid shapes with sharp edges extending in different directions. Visitors arriving by train pass through Kobuchizawa Station, another Kitagawara design that blends with the area's natural volcanic landscape through its brown color scheme and effective use of wood.
Kitagawara's architectural philosophy centers on balance. "Earth, people, architecture: I pursue a balance between these three," he explains simply. His Tokyo buildings stand out from rectangular office structures through the use of curved lines, as exemplified in the Japanese Centre of International P.E.N. and Shibuya's Cinema Rise. The latter building first brought him international attention with its surrealist elements including melty iron curtains facade, giant mirrors, and sculptural peacocks.
The exhibition marks a significant turning point in Kitagawara's career. He is stepping back from leading his studio, which has undergone a rare rebranding that drops his well-known name. The studio, now called MET Team Architects, is led by three partners: Motomi Nishiuchi, Angel Estevez Calvo, and Tomohiro Kitaguchi, all former members of Kitagawara's team.
"All three of them have distinct personalities," Kitagawara observes. "Through inspiring and challenging one another, they're capable of producing interesting works together. It's a bit of an old-fashioned expression, but I would call it Aufheben," he says, citing the German philosophical term used by Georg Hegel meaning both preserving and changing.
The transition presents both opportunities and challenges for the new studio. "From a company perspective, moving away from the Kitagawara brand might have its drawbacks, but he wanted to support the next generation," explains Estevez, a Spaniard who now leads one of Japan's premier architecture firms. The three architects are committed to maintaining the bottom-up approach that nurtured them under Kitagawara's guidance.
"Kitagawara ran his office like his design studio at Tokyo University of the Arts," Kitaguchi notes. "It was a creative space where innovative ideas could spark from anyone, no matter their role, and everyone was encouraged to propose new ideas. That's the kind of environment we aim to maintain." The trio is already working on diverse projects across Japan and internationally, including the masterplan for a 6.5-hectare plaza at a new station in the Nagano area for the upcoming Chuo Shinkansen maglev line.
Despite the excitement of new opportunities, taking over from such a prominent figure carries weight. "It feels heavy on our shoulders, but fortunately, we're a team of three that share the responsibility," Nishiuchi acknowledges. "The fact that we've been working together for a long time makes it easier." Kitagawara agrees, quoting a Japanese proverb: "Three heads are better than one. I want the young architects who have been working alongside me over the years to be able to spread their wings and create freely."
