David Adjaye is a representative of a new generation of "arch-stars" - after all, this caste does not even think to leave the stage, but only transforms in the spirit of the times - however, this "spirit of the times" is not too noticeable in the exhibition at the Garage Museum. On the contrary, it is surprisingly conservative: the projects selected for the exhibition are presented in the form of spectacular, but quite traditional models, there is an obvious division into sections (public buildings, residential buildings, studies, drawings), detailed explanatory texts. A concession to the media era can be considered a video interview with the architect himself, his partners and customers, as well as several slideshows, but this concession is in the spirit of a fearful domestic museum, and not the international curator Okwui Envesora, who originally created this exposition for the Munich House of Art headed by him.
On the other hand, perhaps this is exactly how modern architecture should be shown to the general public: without frightening it with the innovation of exhibition design (since it is often already frightened or at least annoying by the object itself), but as if enticing with the familiarity and even banality of the approach. And the viewer, examining clearly and even boringly submitted materials, himself will not notice how he will change his anger for mercy and will consider that not all architects of our days (or the last hundred years) only spoil urban and natural landscapes, and that they can be given a chance.
In any case, there are two uniquely entertaining components in the exhibition. The first one is a kind of mock-ups on a 1: 1 scale, mock-ups - a pattern of the same facade of the Stephen Lawrence Center in London, designed by Chris Ofili, applied to the glass facade of the Garage, and a fragment of an equally ornamental facade
National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. Another point of attraction is the initial materials and impressions that became the basis for a particular project. The striped fabric tents of local street vendors appear to have influenced the façades of two new libraries in London's East End - Idea Store, Adjaye's first public buildings. He was also drawn to the colorful wildflowers in the meadow where the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management was later built. There you can also learn more about the original source of "roses" on the walls of a social residential building in Harlem: the decor of nearby townhouses of the early 20th century is striking in its splendor and variety. It also becomes clear that Ajaye is almost always inspired by African art, even when there is not even a formal reason for this - as with the same Skolkovo.
However, the main function of the monographic exhibition is performed by the exposition, allowing you to look anew at the work of Ajaye, to embrace it with a glance and be surprised at its heterogeneity and even unevenness. Thoughtful, complex objects coexist with buildings of the same technique or gesture, such as
the Francis Gregory Library in Washington with monotonous large rhombus facades. But they all have one thing in common: the particular attention that an architect pays to the exterior of his buildings. In early projects, London houses and workshops for young representatives of London bohemians - Jake Chapman, Chris Ofili, Ewan McGregor and many others, which brought fame to Adjaya, this is an imitation of solidity, emphasizing their closeness to the environment - dense urban development. In public buildings, this is a game with ornament, material, color: stripes of the mentioned Idea Store, "mosaic" of the Skolkovo school, "roses" in Harlem, Ofili painting and perforated metal in the center of Stephen Lawrence, ornamental "masonry" in Rivington- Place, the grille of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture at the Mall of Washington. Almost everything Ajaye has done so far has been about the surface, or mostly about it.
At the same time, the space is more difficult: the atrium is not very successful - the key space
Idea Store on Whitechapel Road, uncomfortable and poorly sunlit apartments in a residential building in Harlem … So it's hard to get rid of the feeling that Ajaye's ideas and values are also superficial. He researches the architecture of African capitals - but does not seek help from local experts or books dedicated to this topic, but simply asks the taxi driver to show him the city - and photographs everything interesting. He talks about sociality as a category of his work, while his not so many "folk" projects are usually quite high-status, obviously entrusted to him as a person with African roots and contribute to his career. There is no activism here. It is a bit of a stretch to suggest that the image of this architect - who knows how to attract and retain attention, including such unexpected ways as cooperation as a model with a fashion brand - is also a thoughtfully built facade, much denser and more elegant than that of his predecessors - more direct “archi stars "of the older generation. The success of Adjaye - large projects, knighthood - shows that, obviously, behind such "facadeism" is the future: at least in the field of architectural self-promotion.
