Kazuyo Sejima

Kazuyo Sejima (妹島 和世, Sejima Kazuyo, born 29 October 1956) is a Japanese architect and director of her own firm, Kazuyo Sejima & Associates. In 1995, she co-founded the firm SANAA (Sejima + Nishizawa & Associates). In 2010, Sejima was the second woman to receive the Pritzker Prize, which was awarded jointly with Nishizawa.[1] They were only the second partnership to be honored with this prize.

Kazuyo Sejima
Sejima in 2014
Born (1956-10-29) 29 October 1956 (age 67)
NationalityJapanese
OccupationArchitect
AwardsRolf Schock Prize 2005
Pritzker Prize 2010
PracticeKazuyo Sejima and Associates (1987–1995)
SANAA (since 1995)
Christian Dior building, Omotesandō
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, 2009
The EPFL Learning Centre, Lausanne (Switzerland).
Police box outside Chofu Station in Tokyo (1993–94)
Sumida Hokusai Museum.Tokyo, Japan(2016)

Early life and education

Sejima was born on 29 October 1956 in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. She graduated from Japan Women's University in 1979. She then went on to complete the Master's Degree course in architecture in 1981. In the same year, she began working with the architecture firm Toyo Ito and Associates until 1987.[2]

Career

After apprenticing with Toyo Ito, Sejima established Kazuyo Sejima & Associates in 1987. One of her first hires was Ryue Nishizawa, a student who had worked with Sejima at Toyo Ito and Associates.[3] After working for Sejima for several years, Sejima asked him to form a partnership. In 1995, the two founded the Tokyo-based firm SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates).[citation needed] In 2010, Sejima was appointed director of architecture sector for the Venice Biennale, which she curated for the 12th Annual International Architecture Exhibition. She was the first woman ever selected for this position.[4] In 2010, she was awarded the Pritzker Prize, together with Ryue Nishizawa.[5]

Major works

Further reading

Bibliography

  • GA (2005). Sejima Kazuyo + Nishizawa Ryue Dokuhon. A.D.A. Edita. ISBN 4-87140-662-8
  • GA (2005). GA ARCHITECT 18 Sejima Kazuyo + Nishizawa Ryue. A.D.A. Edita. ISBN 4-87140-426-9
  • Yuko Hasegawa (2005). Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA, Electa. ISBN 978-88-370-3919-6
  • Yuko Hasegawa (2006). Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa: SANAA. Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-1-904313-40-3
  • Agustin Perez Rubio (2007). SANAA Houses: Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa. Actar. ISBN 978-84-96540-70-5
  • Joseph Grima and Karen Wong (Eds) (2008) Shift: SANAA and the New Museum. Lars Müller Publishers. ISBN 978-3-03778-140-1
  • Thomas Daniell (2008). After the Crash: Architecture in Post-Bubble Japan. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 978-1-56898-776-7

Awards and honours

  • 1989 – Special Prize for Residential Architecture, Tokyo Architecture Association[2]
  • 1990 – SD Prize, SD Review[2]
  • 1992 – Second Prize, Commercial Space Design Award[2]
  • 1995 – Kenneth F. Brown Asia Pacific Culture and Architecture Design Award, the University of Hawaii (for Saishunkan Seiyaku Women’s Dormitory) 98oi[2]
  • 2005 – Rolf Schock Prize in Visual Arts[15]
  • 2010 – Pritzker Prize[16]
  • 2019 – Prix Versailles World Judge[17]
  • 2022 – Praemium Imperiale award for architecture[16]

See also

References