Hans Ulrich Obrist Archives: ZAHA HADID AT LUMA ARLES
“I don’t use the computer. I make sketches, very quickly, often more than 100 in the same formal investigation. Dame Zaha Hadid once upon a time designboom saidhighlighting the natural drafting process behind her complex architectural designs. Today, a big show at LUMA Arles sheds light on visionary Iraqi-British architecther creative process, looking beyond the digital tools of her later career to focus on her early calligraphic designs, the quick sketches and paintings she used to test new spatial ideas long before a computer created them.
I think there should be no end to experimentation marks the sixth chapter of the Hans Ulrich Obrist Archives, a series of annual archive-based exhibitions at LUMA dedicated to influential cultural figures. This landmark show, curated by Obrist and Arthur Fouray, honors the late Pritzker Prize-winning architect and experimental thinker on his tenth anniversary her passing. Presented to the Towera building designed by her close friend, the late Frank Gehrythe report unfolds in two distinct parts. In the Cherry Tree Gallery, he invites visitors to explore an extensive collection of archival material, previously unseen video interviews from 2001 to 2013, and tribute posters created by peers and fans such as Sir Peter Cook, Stefano Boeri, Sumaya Valley, Ivan Baanand Lina Ghotmeh. The narrative continues in the Archive Gallery, which offers a physical encounter with her own hand through rarely exhibited paintings, early calligraphic drawings and personal notebooks.
Conceptually, the show explores three interrelated chapters of Hadid’s career: her Constructivist origins, her early unrealized works and their reception in France, and her long-term relationship with Obrist, with whom she collaborated extensively at the Serpentine Galleries.“My collaboration with Zaha began in the late 1990s with the exhibition Cities on the Move, co-curated with Rem Koolhaas. Our first major collaboration took place at the Villa Medici in 2000, and our conversations have continued over the years, covering topics from utopia to technology. Obrist recalls.“Our last meeting was shortly before her unexpected death in Miami at the age of 65. In her apartment, surrounded by her drawings, she revealed the extensive collection of personal notebooks and paintings, which she considered her most important work.
all images: Hans Ulrich Obrist Archives, Chapter 6: Zaha Hadid, “I Think There Should Be No End to Experimentation”, 2026 – 2027, The Tower, Archives Gallery and Cherry Tree Gallery, LUMA Arles, France © Victor&Simon – Grégonire; unless otherwise stated
LUMA’S CHERRY TREE GALLERY TRIBUTE VIDEO AND POSTER ARCHIVE
The lasting appeal of Zaha Hadid is reflected in its first part I think there should be no end to experimentation at LUMA Arles’ Cherry Tree gallery. The exhibition furniture and room layout, designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima, depended on a singular, poetic request: the inclusion of a window framed by a living tree. This request was fulfilled by LUMA founder Maja Hoffmann and Frank Gehry, who designed a custom diaphragm specifically for the space, creating a contemplative environment meant for lingering and listening. Here, Hadid’s legacy is brought to life through a deeply personal convergence of sound, animation, archival footage and graphic tributes.
At the heart of this installation is an extensive digital repository drawn from the archives of Hans Ulrich Obrist, who recorded a vast amount of interviews and conversations with the architect from 2001 to 2013. Presented on multiple screens and sound stations, these recordings turn the gallery into a living record of Hadiect’s evolution. The footage captures her thoughts on everything from utopian urbanism to the burgeoning intersection of design and technology. Viewers encounter rare exchanges, including early dialogues from 2001 focusing on typology and exhibition, a 2007 conversation in her London studio exploring her fluid designs for cultural institutions in Arab states, and a 2013 conversation between Obrist, Hadid and Patrik Schumacher tracing her trajectory from Russian Constructivism to parametric urbanism. By prioritizing her own voice, the exhibition overturns the traditional, passive retrospective, allowing Hadid to remain an active narrator of her own radical trajectory.
tribute posters by Madelon Vriesendorp and Shumon Basar, Susan Hefuna and Hashim Sarkis
Surrounding these glowing screens are a series of tribute posters that wrap the room in a collective memory. “For each archive exhibition, posters are commissioned, asking artists and cultural professionals who were friends or influenced by the subject to create a work in honour.” Vassilis Oikonomopoulos, Artistic Director at LUMA Arles, explains.“The beautiful posters on display for Zaha present another perspective on her story and influence.” The resulting artworks forge a communal narrative, translating its spatial language into deeply varied two-dimensional forms. Among them are three posters by Sumayya Vally with Arabic words that translate to “horizon, trace, together”, a photograph of MAXXI by Iwan Baan and an original painting by Suzanne Treister. Contributors also include Madelon Vriesendorp and Shumon Basar, Simone Fattal, Francesco Vezzoli, Mehdi Moutahar, Rirkrit Tiravanija and more. Together, the video archive and this graphic assemblage show how Hadid’s gravitational pull continues to shape the contemporary architectural imagination.
