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Theaster Gates and other 2023 Noguchi award winners reflect on his influence

2023-07-03T18:59:00-04:00

Theaster Gates and his fellow cohort of 2023 Isamu Noguchi Award winners recently gave an interview to Art Basel’s online publication in order to provide depth and detail as to the aspects of the storied artist's work that has propelled them creatively in their various endeavors.

The 49-year-old pioneer of social practice expanded on comments he made after the announcement, where he called the Award “one of the highest honors I could receive.” He pointed to a lecture given by Martin Puryear at the Art Institute of Chicago as sparking his interest in Noguchi, before quipping that Noguchi's designs, much like his own work, offered the world "excellent craftsmanship; values rooted in animistic philosophies that understand that the spiritual life within things should be respected and protected; and a conviction that the public deserves exceptionally made things.

“What moved me so deeply was that Noguchi was not afraid to scale ideas and the language of his work was rooted between natur...

The 2021 Isamu Noguchi Award goes to artist Shio Kusaka and architect Toshiko Mori

2021-08-24T15:14:00-04:00

Each year, the Isamu Noguchi Award honors and recognizes the work of individuals who "embody global consciousness, design innovation, and emphasis on cultural exchanges between Eastern and Western cultures." This year's 2021 award will be presented to artist Shio Kusaka and architect Toshiko Mori.

Both women, born in Japan and practicing in the United States, have had illustrious careers where their work and contribution to art, design, and architecture positions them as leaders in their respective fields.

Artist Shio Kusaka

Ceramic work by Shio Kusaka. Image courtesy of Shio Kusaka (via @kusakashio)

A row of Shio Kusaka's ceramic animals on top of the built-in bookcase at the Richard Neutra-designed VDL House in Los Angeles. Image courtesy of Shio Kusaka (@kusakashio)

Born in Morioka, Japan, Kusaka received her BFA from the University of Washington, Seattle, and lives and works in Los Angeles. Her work focuses on innovative and gracefully playful approaches to the ceramic medium. ...

The 2020 Isamu Noguchi Award goes to Sir David Adjaye and Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang

2020-02-21T15:31:00-05:00

Acclaimed Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye and noted Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang have been named as the 2020 Isamu Noguchi Award winners by the Isamu Noguchi Museum in New York City. Both have made several impacts in their respective industries as well as throughout the design world.

Each year, the award is presented to individuals who embody global consciousness, design innovation, and emphasis on cultural exchanges between Eastern and Western cultures. Similar to Noguchi and his dedication to innovation and cultural awareness, Adjaye and Cai have used their multi-disciplinary talents to create new ways for contemporary social issues to be presented within the built environment and design.

Explosion still from Ninth Wave Exhibition Event. Image courtesy of Cai Studio/Netflix/photographer Lin Yi.

Having both received many honors and accolades celebrating their work, Cai is most recognized for innovative exhibitions that incorporate gunpowder to explosive effects. His mes...

John Pawson and Hiroshi Senju named 2017 Isamu Noguchi Award recipients

2017-04-04T14:21:00-04:00

The Isamu Noguchi Museum announced London-based architect John Pawson and Japanese-born painter Hiroshi Senju as the 2017 recipients of the honorable Isamu Noguchi Award, which recognizes individuals whose work embodies the collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and cross-cultural qualities of influential landscape architect and artist Isamu Noguchi.

First awarded to Norman Foster and artist Hiroshi Sugimoto in 2014, previous recipients of the award also include architect Yoshio Taniguchi and industrial designer Jasper Morrison (2015) and Tadao Ando and Elyn Zimmerman (2016).

Learn more about the 2017 recipients on Bustler.

Tadao Ando and Elyn Zimmerman win the 2016 Isamu Noguchi Award

2015-12-02T14:49:00-05:00

The Noguchi Museum in New York announced the one and only Tadao Ando and artist Elyn Zimmerman as the 2016 recipients of the Isamu Noguchi Award. Established in 2014, the award recognizes individuals whose work conveys collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and innovative qualities like that of influential landscape architect and artist Isamu Noguchi. In the last two editions, Norman Foster and artist Hiroshi Sugimoto won the inaugural award, while architect Yoshio Taniguchi and industrial designer Jasper Morrison received the 2015 award earlier this year.

During a special ceremony at the Museum's Spring Benefit on May 10, 2016, Ando and Zimmerman will each be presented with the award — which resembles Noguchi's iconic "Red Cube" sculpture. The Museum selected Ando for his masterful "minimalist approach, sensitivity to light, and incorporation of natural elements" that he is widely known for. Zimmerman, who started out as a painter and photographer, was recognized for her signature use...

Yoshio Taniguchi + Jasper Morrison to receive 2nd Isamu Noguchi Award

2014-12-02T18:35:00-05:00

Architect Yoshio Taniguchi and industrial designer Jasper Morrison are the recipients of the second annual Isamu Noguchi Award. The Isamu Noguchi Award recognizes individuals whose work represents the collaborative and multi-disciplinary qualities of landscape architect and artist Isamu Noguchi. Morrison and Taniguchi will be presented with the award by Motohide Yoshikawa (Ambassador of Japan to the U.N.) during a ceremony at The Noguchi Museum's Spring Benefit on May 19, 2015.

Learn more about the recipients on Bustler.

Norman Foster as one of the first recipients to receive Isamu Noguchi Award

2014-04-29T15:44:00-04:00

Esteemed English architect Norman Foster and contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto will be honored with the inaugural Isamu Noguchi Award this May. The award acknowledges individuals whose work relates to renowned landscape architect and artist Isamu Noguchi. Noguchi's work exhibited a multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach to the arts as well as promoted the value of innovation, global consciousness, and Japanese/American exchange.

Norman Foster and Hiroshi Sugimoto will formally accept the award during the Noguchi Museum's Spring Benefit on May 13 in New York, NY.

"The evening will include a silent auction of a black and white photograph from Hiroshi Sugimoto’s series titled “Conceptual Forms.” He created this series as a response to "The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass)" by Marcel Duchamp.

'These machines and models were created without any artistic intention. This is what motivated me to produce this series of photographs and title them 'Conceptual Forms.' Art is possible without artistic intention and can be better without It.' - Hiroshi Sugimoto"

For further event info, click here.