The Timișoara Architecture Biennial team invites you to the opening of the first exhibition of the renowned architecture photographer Iwan Baan in Romania - 'From Las Vegas/To Rome'
The opening will take place after the 2024 Beta Awards ceremony. Iwan Baan was part of the jury for this edition of the Beta Awards.
- After the opening, we invite you to stay with us for an evening of music with euro regional DJs - starting at 21:30, Romansoff (RO), Ana Uzelac (SRB), Nevena Jeremic (SRB) and Adis is ok (HU) will play music on the terrace.
The exhibition's concept
In the history of architecture, the cities of Rome and Las Vegas are radically contrasting with one another: while Rome, the former capital of the Roman Empire, is considered old, elegant and complex, Las Vegas, Sin City, is perceived as striking, vulgar and artificial. Nonetheless, both cities are historically and contemporarily situated at the intersection of power and games.
Through the series of photographs showcased in the exhibition, Iwan Baan was set to show not just Las Vegas, but also Rome at different scales. The aerial photographs are important, because they reveal how thin Las Vegas' facades are, in fact. A situation not so different from the Trevi Fountain in Rome: when you see it from up high, you realise that this, too, is just a layer attached to a much bigger building.
Iwan Baan (*1975) is a Dutch photographer based between Amsterdam and the U.S., known primarily for images that narrate the life and interactions that occur within architecture. With no formal training in architecture, Baan's photographs reflect the questions and perspectives of the everyday individuals who give meaning and context to the architecture and spaces that surround us. His artistic approach has given matters of architecture an approachable and accessible voice. In 2012, he received the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale for his work on the Torre David din Caracas, Venezuela, gaining him further international acclaim. Architects turn to Baan to give their work a sense of place and narrative within their environments. Baan’s first major retrospective of his globally renowned oeuvre will open at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany on October 21st, 2023.
The exhibition is part of the series of events connected to Beta 2024 - The Timișoara Architecture Biennial. The 2024 edition is a primary project of the Romanian Order of Architects, financed through the architecture stamp and co-financed by the Timișoara Municipality through Centrul de Proiecte.
