First Exhibition of Zaha Hadid Foundation Depicts Futuristic Vision of London in 2066.

 

The exhibition’s centerpiece is London 2066, a large-scale painting from 1991 that depicts a future London “extended eastwards” with “arteries flowing in new directions.”

 

The late architect’s magnificent designs for London have been transformed into an enthralling, powerful performance.

 

A 14-story bridge, a waterfall-cooled underground skyscraper, and a building that crumbles as it crosses the river.

 

Zaha Hadid was the appealing force bending London’s outlook.

 

At the request of Vogue magazine, the late Iraqi-born architect painted this vision in 1991, projecting 75 years into the future, envisaging what London would look like in 2066.

 

Hadid had said through drawings, “One discovers certain things which would not otherwise have been possible.”

 

As part of the London Festival of Architecture, a group of MA students from the Courtauld Institute of Art organized an exhibition.

 

They have been gathered together in an exhibition six years after her death: the debut show at the Zaha Hadid Foundation, which includes several pieces that have never been seen before.

 

Paul Greenhalgh, Zara Hadid Foundation Director, said: “Our aim is to facilitate the work of architects, designers, artists, scholars, and the general public alike, in order to advance knowledge across the creative sector.”

 

“This exhibition by the Courtauld’s MA Curating students is the first in a series of creative collaborations with educational partners,” he added.

 

One of the students, Rachel McHale, describes the experience as “discovering a treasure trove.”

 

“We were given total access to her archive of 12,000 drawings, paintings, models, and sketchbooks, with free rein over what to make of it. It was exciting, but also totally overwhelming,” she added.

 

The Zaha Hadid: Reimagining London exhibition ends on July 2nd, 2022.