Master builders of the east

It is with great fondness and cherished memories that I recall spending time with Lu Xun in Nanjing, China. It was during the time of Art Stage, an art fair in Singapore in 2016, and I remember attending his talk as I was very interested in the extraordinary work that this young man was doing in his home country.

Xun was the mastermind behind Nanjing Sifang Art Park, a veritable architectural wonderland hidden in the Chinese countryside. In 2003, he and his father Lu Jun, a prominent local businessman, began by inviting 24 of the most prominent names in international architecture to create buildings in Nanjing. The stellar cast included the likes of New York based architect Steven Holl, artist Ai Weiwei, Chinese Pritzker winner Wang Shu, the UK-based David Adjaye and even the late Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsas. Each invitee was given the opportunity to design one of 24 buildings within a lush landscape.

On another visit, whilst I was in Nanjing for their art festival, I was fortunate enough to see the site and was impressed by the vision and commitment of this young man. Lu Xun took great care of me and spent a lot of time showing me his visionary project. It is incredible for such a young person to have not only dreamed up this project, and had the dedication to make it happen.

Xun had returned to China after his studies at Cambridge University and was becoming increasingly concerned at the manner in which developers were changing the face of Chinese cities by building cheap. He wanted to ‘break the mould’ of China’s dash towards rapid urbanisation, and to allow people to experience the best of contemporary architecture and art. Although Nanjing doesn’t possess the cultural gravitas of Shanghai or Beijing, the Sifang Art Park is an incredible place to experience stunning architecture in an unassuming corner of China.  

We also have visionaries in our country, but rarely do such things materialise. Vijaynath Shenoy was one such person, but unfortunately wasn’t given due credit during his lifetime. He was also a collector of architecture, in particular traditional Indian architecture from across the sub continent. I had visited ‘Hasta Shilpa’ in Manipal a few times with my family, and his warmth and generosity were endearing. I think of Shenoy a lot and miss his energy and enthusiasm for art and life. We need more people like him and Lu Xun, and I hope Shenoy’s vision will be protected and respected for many years to come.

(The author is a leading artist, co-founder of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale and curator of the inaugural Yinchuan Biennale)