Mori Art Museum & Sou Fujimoto’s “Primitive Future” Architecture

Section 5: Open Circle, Installation View: Sou Fujimoto’s Architecture: Primal Future Forest, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2025
(Photo: Yashiro Tetsuya, courtesy of Mori Art Museum, Tokyo)

Its stunning architecture I’m Fujimoto It is celebrated with an exhibition in Tokyo Mori Art Museum. Su Fujimoto: Primal Forest of the Future It is the first major exhibition by the Japanese architect. Divided into eight sections, the survey is an innovative architectural exhibition that includes not only the usual models, plans and photographs, but also large-scale replicas to transport visitors inside Fujimoto’s creative concepts.

Most famous recently for The big ringthe master planner of the 2025 Osaka World Expo, the Hokkaido-born architect was relatively unknown when he burst onto the scene in 2000. His second-place finish in the Aomori Art Museum’s international design competition served as a stepping stone on and off from Japan. Now, with studios in Tokyo, Paris and Shenzhen, Fujimoto is an international force known for his “primitive future” design philosophy.

The exhibition’s title is a reference to the densely wooded landscape of Hokkaido, which characterized Fujimoto’s youth. The concept of the forest and its primitive nature is key to Fujimoto’s designs. “One of the architect’s roles is to create places that weave relationships between people and between people and nature,” says the architect. “For me, such a place is like a ‘future forest’ where nature and man-made blend together.”

Eugene Kim, co-founder and editor-in-chief of My Modern Met, had the opportunity to visit the exhibition while in Tokyo. “I felt lucky with the personal experience Su Fujimoto: Primal Future Forest,“He shares. “What makes Fujimoto’s architecture exceptional are the layers of thought and imagination behind each creation. When you look closely at his structures, you can feel the consideration in every line and shape, the balance of light and shadow, the rhythm of flow and movement. Ultimately, it is a seamless dialogue between form and function – transforming ideas that seem possible only in dreams into reality, and reminding us how exciting the world can be through curiosity and wonder.”

On display until November 9, 2025 Su Fujimoto: Primal Forest of the Future is a fascinating look at how one architect is shaping our future through design.

The stunning architecture of Sou Fujimoto is celebrated with an exhibition at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.

House of Music Hungary (exterior), 2021, Budapest (Photo: Ioan Bahn)

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, 2013, London (Photo: Iwan Baan)

Larpe Blanc (The White Tree), 2019, Montpellier, France (Photography: Iwan Bahn)

Expo 2025 Grand Arena Osaka, Kansai, Japan, 2025 (Photo courtesy: Japan World Expo 2025 Association)

Spanning three decades, the work is divided into eight sections, guided by his design philosophy of “primitive futurism.”

Installation view: Sou Fujimoto Architecture: Primitive Forest of the Future, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2025 (Photo: Yashiro Tetsuya, Courtesy: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo)

The Grand Ring of Expo 2025 Osaka, 1:5 scale model of Kansai, 2025, installation view: Sou Fujimoto’s Architecture: Primal Forest of the Future, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2025 (Photo: Yashiro Tetsuya, Courtesy: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo)

Section 7: Forest / Many Forests, installation view: Sou Fujimoto’s Architecture: Primal Future Forest, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2025 (Photo: Yashiro, Courtesy: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo)

Section 8: Future Forest, Primal Forest – Resonant City 2025, installation view: Sou Fujimoto Architecture: Primal Forest of the Future, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2025 (Photo: Yashiro Tetsuya, Courtesy: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo)

Installation view: Sou Fujimoto Architecture: Primitive Forest of the Future, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2025 (Photo: Yashiro Tetsuya, Courtesy: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo)

Exhibition information:
Su Fujimoto: Primal Forest of the Future
July 2, 2025 – November 5, 2025
Mori Art Museum
53F, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, Tokyo, Japan

I am Fujimoto: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met has granted permission to display images from the Mori Art Museum.

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