Tadao Ando discusses the secret to longevity in exhibition 'Youth'

WONJU, Gangwon — Tadao Ando, 81, the celebrated Japanese architect, is determined to make that number reach three digits, and the way to achieve this, he says, is by touching his large green apple sculpture placed in front of Museum SAN in...

Tadao Ando stands in front of his green apple installation "Youth" (2023) at Museum SAN in Gangwon. [MUSEUM SAN]

WONJU, Gangwon — Tadao Ando, 81, the celebrated Japanese architect, is determined to make that number reach three digits, and the way to achieve this, he says, is by touching his large green apple sculpture placed in front of Museum SAN in Gangwon.

Although it’s a fun installation, it seems almost absurd for it to be at a venue like Museum SAN. The minimalist concrete art museum, hidden in the rural eastern province, blends in well with its nearby greenery and water as it is meant to act as a place of healing nestled within mother nature. Of all things, why would the museum’s designer, Ando, decide to place a juicy-looking, 3 meter (10 foot) fruit at its entrance?

Ando gave a rather simple answer: “Anyone who touches the green apple will live one year longer,” he said in a press event at the museum last Friday.

“Youth” is what Ando emphasizes, and that’s exactly what he is calling his large-scale solo exhibition, currently on view at Museum SAN. It is being held to celebrate the museum’s 10th anniversary since opening. Even the green apple itself is titled “Youth.”

There are just three editions of the sculpture in the entire world as of now, the other two being at the Hyogo Prefecture Museum of Art and the Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest, both in Japan.

Ando values the green apple so much that he congratulated President Yoon Suk Yeol’s inauguration last year by gifting a smaller, petite version to first lady Kim Keon-hee.

A view of "Youth," Tadao Ando's retrospective currently on view at Museum SAN in Gangwon [MUSEUM SAN]

Chichu Art Museum, Naoshima, 2004 [TADAO ANDO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES]

Korea is the seventh stop of the retrospective, following Japan, France, Italy, China and Taiwan. It is, however, the first time the “Youth” exhibition is being held at a venue designed by Ando himself.

The show takes a look back at over 250 sketches, blueprints and building models of his works that date back to 1969.

The exhibition is meaningful in that his approach to architecture is distinctively centered on minimalism, natural light and the use of exposed concrete, and visitors are able to understand how his famed structures came to life.

As the winner of the world-renowned 1995 Pritzker Architecture Prize, some of Ando’s notable works include the Church of the Light in Osaka, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas and the LG Arts Center in Seoul.

“When we think of ‘youth,’ we tend to think about the younger generation in their 20s,” he told press that day. “But I think youth transcends age: Everyone can live young. Everyone here is bound to live until they are 100 years old. But in order to do that, you need intelligence and stamina. It’s important to always search for novelty and find hope in everything. That’s why I wanted to create architecture that sends messages of hope, and it ended up being this green apple.”

Ando recalled when he was first commissioned to build Museum SAN over a decade ago by the Hansol Cultural Foundation, which was established by Samsung Group’s founder Lee Byung-chul’s eldest daughter, Lee In-hee, in 1995. He admitted that he was initially reluctant to take on the project.

Tadao Ando, the 81-year-old celebrated Japanese architect [MUSEUM SAN]

“She asked me to build something that the world had never seen before,” he continued. “I thought, ‘Who would want to visit a museum in an area this far in the countryside?’ But she reassured me that encouraging people to visit was their job, not mine. For example, if the museum holds masterpieces or has wonderful scenery and becomes unrivaled in Asia, people were sure to come. I still thought then that no one would visit.”

Museum SAN now sees over 200,000 visitors each year, and Ando acknowledges that the museum has an even brighter future ahead.

“She was an incredible person,” Ando said of Lee In-hee. She passed away in 2019.

He also gave two lectures on the sidelines, one at Seoul National University and the other at Museum SAN, in which he talked about the role of architecture and some behind-the-scenes stories of his previous projects.

“I’m someone who didn’t go to college and never really studied architecture,” Ando said. “Everyone around me was skeptical, asking how I was going to become an architect when I haven’t even received a proper education in that field. So that’s when I thought, when people tell me that I can’t do something, I’m going to prove to them that I can.”

Row House, Sumiyoshi - Azuma House, 1976 [TADAO ANDO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES]

Model of Row House, Sumiyoshi - Azuma House [TADAO ANDO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES]

Ando was 14 years old when he first became interested in architecture, saying he was mesmerized when a carpenter came to his house and worked happily day and night, without even taking a break in between.

“I realized that architecture was exciting. Do you enjoy your work? I sure do,” Ando said, and then, garnering laughter from the audience: “The client pays for everything! I get to try out whatever I want.”

Ando made it obvious that he takes not only pride, but also pleasure in his works. Ando’s Church of the Light in Osaka is one of his most remarkable designs that made headlines in 1989 for having a cross cut into a concrete wall to allow light to enter through it, creating a spiritual atmosphere.

“I didn’t want to put glass in the cross; I wanted to leave it as a hole,” Ando said. “But the church was against it because they said it would be too cold, with the wind blowing indoors. I tried to persuade them to try and endure the cold in order to truly appreciate its artistry. They said no. So now, the cross is filled in with glass. My goal is to someday, remove that glass once and for all.” The audience laughed again.

Church of the Light, 1989 [MITSUO MATSUOKA]

The tales of his greatest achievements were undeniably entertaining and witty, but they all circled back to the same conclusion: Never lose hope.

“To be honest, I’ve led a very miserable life. I never went to college; not even a community college, and I’ve done a lot of surgery to remove organs like my gallbladder and pancreas due to cancer,” Ando said. “On this earth, I think there is no other person who’s removed five organs like I have. But I’ve never lost the will to live on — I’ve tried very hard. I walk at least 10,000 steps a day, and I try to study something at least one or two hours per day.

“So even though I don’t have a college degree and I don’t have five of my organs, I always try to be the epitome of youth. Regardless of your background, everyone has equal opportunities to lead a hopeful life. To utilize that chance, please, touch that green apple outside.”

Ando’s “Youth” exhibition continues until July 30. Museum SAN is open every day except Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The basic entrance fee costs 22,000 won ($16).

Nakanoshima Project II - Urban Egg (proposal) [TADAO ANDO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES]

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]