Now showing at LUMA Arles: David Armstrong, Liu Chuang, Maria Lassnig, Philippe Parreno, and Tony Oursler

Now showing at LUMA Arles: David Armstrong, Liu Chuang, Maria Lassnig, Philippe Parreno, and Tony Oursler
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Hans Ulrich Obrist Archives Chapter 6: Zaha Hadid ‘I Think There Should Be No End to Experimentation’
Zaha Hadid

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The sixth chapter of Hans Ulrich Obrist Archives, honours the tenth anniversary of Dame Zaha Hadid’s passing (b. 31/10/1950, Baghdad, Iraq – d. 31/03/2016, Miami, Florida, USA). This exhibition revisits the long conversation between the curator and the legendary architect, which began in the late 1990s when Obrist invited Hadid to realise Meshworks at the Villa Medici in 2000. Hadid was a trustee of the Serpentine from 1996, and she designed its inaugural Pavilion in 2000 invited by Julia Peyton-Jones. Following Obrist’s appointment at the Serpentine in 2006, she participated in several of its Marathons and later designed the Serpentine North Gallery in 2013.

For the first time since 2016, the exhibition brings together her early calligraphic paintings and notebooks—exercises in Suprematist geometry that informed her built projects, from the Vitra Fire Station (1993) to the CMA CGM Tower (2011) in Marseille or Pierresvives (2012) in Montpellier—along with previously unseen video interviews from 2001 to 2013. Presented in The Tower designed by the late Frank Gehry, a close friend of Hadid’s, the show spans three chapters of her career as an architect: from Constructivism to her early projects and reception in the French context, and her longstanding relationship with Obrist.

In close collaboration with the Zaha Hadid Foundation.

Practical Information

From May 1 2026
The Tower, Living Archives, Level -2, The Tower, Cherry Tree Gallery, Level -2
1. Victoria City Aerial, Aerial perspective - 1500 x 582
Credits
© Zaha Hadid Foundation
© Zaha Hadid Foundation

Zaha Hadid Foundation

Established by Dame Zaha Hadid (1950-2016), the Zaha Hadid Foundation is an independent charitable organisation dedicated to the legacy of the boundary breaking architect and her commitment to perpetual experimentation across architecture and related disciplines.

In addition to maintaining, disseminating and activating Hadid’s archive, the Foundation 
mounts public programs, supports education and emerging voices, and partners with a range of organisations both from its base in London, at 10 Bowling Green Lane and Shad Thames, 
and around the world. 

Pictures

Hadid-I Think There Should Be No End to Experimentation - 1536 x 1920
Credits
© Zaha Hadid Foundation
3. Serpentine North Gallery, Perspective painting of the Serpentine extension - 1920 x 687
Credits
© Zaha Hadid Foundation
2. Victoria City Aerial, Blue beam - 1920 x 744
Credits
© Zaha Hadid Foundation
Portrait Zaha Hadid - 3379 x 2253

Zaha Hadid

Learn more

Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) was one of the most influential architects of her time, globally recognised for pushing the boundaries of architecture and related arts. Born in Baghdad, she studied Mathematics at the American University of Beirut before enrolling at the Architectural Association in London, where she was awarded the prestigious Diploma Prize in 1977. In 1979 Hadid established her architectural office, winning the coveted competition for The Peak leisure club in Hong Kong in 1983. Her first building, the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany, was completed in 1993.

Incorporated in 1999, Zaha Hadid Architects went on to complete major projects worldwide, such as Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (1997-2003), Phaeno Science Centre, Wolfsburg (1999-2005), MAXXI Museum, Rome (1998-2009), London Aquatics Centre (2005-2011/14), Heydar Aliyev Centre, Baku (2007-2012), and Galaxy Soho, Beijing(2008-2012).

Hadid taught throughout her career, including at the Architectural Association, Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize in 2004, and the first in her own right to receive the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Royal Gold Medal for her lifetime’s work in 2015. She received the Stirling Prize in both 2010 and 2011, was appointed CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2002 and made a Dame in 2012 for her services to architecture.