Buddhist architecture lands in the Basque Country within the framework of the Mugak/ Biennial

2019 November 20

• Making its premiere in the Basque Country, Journey Towards Tranquillity features 20 Buddhist temples.
• The exhibition is open to the public until 24 January 2020, from Monday to Friday, at the Basque Country´s Higher School of Architecture (UPV/EHU).

Journey Towards Tranquillity opens its doors Wednesday 20 November 2019 at the Basque Country’s Higher School of Architecture (UPV/EHU) within the framework of the second edition of the International Architecture Biennial (Mugak/). This unique exhibition invites visitors to explore the wooden architectural intricacies of Buddhist temples. It also showcases wooden architecture from other cultures.

Curated by the architect Weiqiao Wang, Journey Towards Tranquillity features plans, photography and mock-ups of twenty Buddhist monasteries located in the mountainous province of Zhejiang in China and of the Temple of the Seven Pagodas. 

The exhibition includes two large-scale mock-ups and is open to the public from Monday to Friday at the Basque Country’s Higher School of Architecture until 24 January 2020. To celebrate this exhibition, on December 13 (at 1PM) two professors, Ding Yao, from the University of Tianjin, and Liu Diyu, from the University of Tongji will arrive from Shanghai to be lecturers at the school around Buddhist temples. 

Weiqiao Wang studied in Shanghai and at the Higher School of Architecture of the Technical University of Madrid. She also attended Harvard University and other educational centres. Her research focuses on the differences between the architecture of Buddhist temples and that of Cistercian architecture. She visited over a hundred monasteries in China during this research project. She continues to conduct research nowadays with a focus on exploring space and monastic life. 

About Mugak/

The Basque Country International Architecture Biennial (Mugak/, the Basque word for boundaries) hosts its second edition with more than 100 activities with the aim of bringing architecture closer to the general public and those who already have a relationship with the discipline. This event is organised by the Department for the Environment, Land Planning and Housing of the Basque Country and seeks to act as a pluralistic, transversal and multicultural meeting point to promote and rekindle dialogue and discussion to redefine new boundaries and shape a more ethical, fair and balanced society.