Prestel, Sachbücher, Atlas - Tadao Ando (Englisch, Yann Nussaume, Philippe Séclier, 2021)

This highly original and personal exploration of Tadao Ando&rsquo,s work, one of Japan&rsquo,s leading architects, traverses both the physical and spiritual world. In 2012, Philippe Sé,clier visited Tadao Ando&rsquo,s iconic Church of the Light, and was immediately compelled to journey around the world to further study the architect&rsquo,s buildings. This unique presentation of Ando&rsquo,s work is the result of what turned into a nine-year project to photograph 130 buildings. Walking around each structure, trying to find the proper framing, helped Sé,clier understand Ando&rsquo,s genius for siting and composition. Loosely organized by chronology, each building is represented in numerous black and white images, arranged like a mosaic on the page. These fragmented views correspond to Ando&rsquo,s own philosophy of the logic of structure and geometry. This »,atlas«, embraces not only the geographic but also thematic range of Ando&rsquo,s oeuvre&mdash,from transit stations in Tokyo and Kobe to art museums in Fort Worth, Texas and Provence, France, from an artists&rsquo, retreat on the Mexican coast to the now-demolished Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester, England, from a theater in Milan, Italy, to an upscale restaurant in New York City. Sé,clier&rsquo,s photographs of Ando&rsquo,s numerous religious structures brilliantly illustrate his use of light and shadow to evoke spiritual depth and timelessness while his short texts offer concise observations of each building. A helpful appendix pinpoints the geographic diversity and range of Ando&rsquo,s oeuvre.