Although he has only built a handful of fully-realized buildings over his long career – a school in Algeria, an outdoor museum in India, an apartment building in Israel - Yona Friedman (Budapest, 1923) is one of the most influential living architects. Rather than buildings, what Friedman has constructed over the last 50 years is a body of radical thought that has deeply influenced architects and city planners around the world. With over 50 books and hundreds of articles and interventions, Friedman’s architectural activities lie more in communication and conceptualism than construction, so that while always remaining firmly rooted in architectural thought, Friedman has incorporated sociology, economics, mathematics, film and visual art into his larger ethical program.
"Yona Friedman", curated by George Stolz, includes numerous publications by Friedman, as well as films, drawings and a large-scale sculptural installation conceived of and designed especially by Friedman for the Elba Benítez Gallery space. The nucleus of the exhibition is formed by the three volumes of Friedman’s Manuels, which were developed from Friedman’s many years of work in third-world nations for Unesco in the 60’s and 70’s. Basic to the Manuels (as well as to all his work) is Friedman’s conviction that people must – and must know that they can – influence and create their own homes and cities; it is a premise that extends beyond buildings and into every realm of civic life. Thus while embracing a do-it-yourself method and aesthetic with regard to basic architectural issues, Friedman’s deeper goal is in fact the empowerment of the individual in a world that rarely ceases to push hard in the other direction; in a word, freedom.
In addition to the Manuels, "Yona Friedman" includes various publications such as Architecture without Building (2012) and Why do people live in town? (2007), all of which display Friedman’s signature technique of employing simple communications methods – stick drawings and clear language – to distill and convey ideas that are anything but simplistic but rather are at once complex and profound.
The exhibition also includes two films, Films d’animation (1960 – 1963) and Gribouilli (1980 – 1990). Gribouilli is a hand-painted abstract film that derives its structure from Friedman’s belief that simple forms can create visual complexity – a position echoed in a series of prints by Friedman that accompany the film in the gallery space. Films d’animation is a compendium of Friedman’s ingenious hand-made animations from the early 60’s that were made with his wife, Denise Charvein for the French television and which was awarded a Gold Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1962.
"Yona Friedman" also features Ville Spatiale, a large-scale sculptural installation conceived of and designed by Yona Friedman especially for the Elba Benítez Gallery space. Additionally, in conjunction with the exhibition, a workshop will be organized with the Universidad Europea School of Architecture, during which participants will create structures according to Friedman’s instructions. Taken together, these sculptures serve to illustrate, in three dimensions, the basic tenets of Friedman’s theories.
In the late fifties and in the sixties I was regarded by some people as a utopian. But I see myself as a realist. In all of my work I have been trying to demonstrate that everything people experience as utopian can actually be realized. So I see my role as that of someone who passes on ideas to reflect on. To make people think. And when I succeed I’m very happy!
Yona Friedman
Opening.- 24 April 2013 at 20:00 p.m.
Venue.- Galería Elba Benítez. C/ San Lorenzo 11, Madrid. Spain.
Exhibition.- April - May 2013.
Curator.- George Stolz.
