Marina Tabassum Architects: People Place Poiesis

Marina Tabassum, who heads MTA, has been creating architecture rooted in climate, culture, and tradition, while engaging in efforts to support people affected by natural disasters, poverty, and other hardships. For example, the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Dhaka (awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2020) created a serene, light-filled, and breezy space for prayer using sintered bricks made from local soil and ingenious geometry, realizing a tolerant architecture that brings together diverse people in an increasingly dense and rapidly expanding city. Approximately 7% of Bangladesh is covered by rivers, and about one-third of the land is often submerged by flooding. Khudi Bari (meaning "small house" in the local language), a movable house designed by MTA for those who lost their homes, can be assembled and disassembled in a short period of time by people in the community and also serves as a shelter during floods. The Foundation for Architecture and Community Equity (F.A.C.E.), established by MTA, not only provides Khudi Bari across the country, but also combines the modules to create buildings serving diverse purposes, including a community center in the Rohingya refugee camp. In recognition of these activities and works, Marina Tabassum was selected as one of TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2024 and as the designer of the 2025 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion*1, attracting global attention to MTA's activities.

This exhibition introduces MTA's works and activities through models, videos, installations, and other media, focusing on the themes of "People," "Land," and "Poiesis,” referring to creation and poetry. In the courtyard, MTA's original version of “Khudi Bari” will be transported from Bangladesh and installed. At the same time, a new "Japanese version" of Khudi Bari, using Japanese materials and techniques, will be constructed and exhibited in collaboration with architect Kazuyoshi Morita, who has been practicing in the Satoyama(Japanese mountain village) of Kyoto, and the Morita Laboratory at Kyoto Prefectural University.

We invite you to explore the fascinating narrative of architecture that Marina Tabassum Architects has woven together with the people of Bangladesh.

Venue: TOTO GALLERY·MA (TOTO Nogizaka Building 3F, 1-24-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)