Tokyo Exhibition Showcases Expo Grand Ring Architect Fujimoto, Hometown Inspires Artist to Bring People Together

By Tatsuya Imaoka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

18:31 JST, November 2, 2025

Architect Sou Fujimoto has been drawing attention as the designer of the Grand Ring, the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo’s symbolic structure. His solo exhibition is currently on display at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi, Tokyo. The exhibition, titled “The Architecture of Sou Fujimoto: Primordial Future Forest,” runs through Nov. 9 and provides an overview of his work across a span of more than 30 years.

“I’ve been aiming to show my respect for different individuals and create places where they can coexist and occasionally be connected,” Fujimoto, 54, said.

The exhibition vividly places the artist completely in the spotlight.

Creativity blooms in ‘Forest of Thoughts’

The vast exhibition space in the venue is filled with about 1,200 items including eye-catching architectural models and sculptures. The first section, the “Forest of Thoughts,” stands as a symbol of the exhibition, in which distinct buildings harmonize with each other.

The architectural models in this section include those for a Children’s Mental Health Center (2006), featuring box-shaped spaces that look like they could be used as hiding places; the Musashino Art University Museum and Library (2010) with spiral bookshelves; and L’Arbre Blanc (The White Tree) from 2019, a residential tower in France with balconies spreading out like branches. The models are arranged more or less chronologically and attract visitors’ gaze to the exhibits’ common features, such as multipurpose spaces.

The source of Fujimoto’s imagination is the rich nature of his hometown of Higashi-Kagura, Hokkaido, which nurtured his architectural senses.

“[There’s] a feeling of security when surrounded by forest. But it’s not closed off, and there’s a sense of spaciousness and always being open,” he said, describing the nature of his hometown.

Unusual path to success

As a young man, Fujimoto left Higashi-Kagura and studied architecture at the University of Tokyo. He was fascinated by the complicated urban structure in Tokyo, which contrasted with his hometown. After graduating from the university, he opted not to take the more common path of undergoing additional training at an architect’s office but instead pursued his own thoughts.

Fujimoto hit a turning point in 2000, when he participated in a design competition for the Aomori Museum of Art. Although he placed second, it certainly proved a good opportunity for the then unknown architect to be recognized in the architecture scene. His budding views on architecture, which started from questioning the fundamental base of people’s lives, subsequently led to diverse forms at home and abroad.

Tracing his struggles

While the exhibition introduces his remarkable success in various building projects, from medical facilities to residential houses and public facilities, the one-fifth scale model of a section of the Grand Ring exhibit truly stands out in the venue. The model is approximately 4.1 meters tall, whereas the real ring is about 20 meters tall and about 2 kilometers in circumference. The structure, with its assembled lattice beams, has a distinct force of presence. The sketches from the planning stage, which are displayed on the walls, bear many lines penciled in from his changes.

“It may look like a simple shape, but there was never a moment when I spontaneously drew lines,” Fujimoto said, hinting at his struggles.

Architecture for a better society

Fujimoto describes the founding principle of his architecture as “diverse and unified.” He said he saw it in a new light in a project dear to his heart — a working project for a complex in Sendai, which houses a concert hall and serves as a memorial for victims of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Layers of plates form the roof and floors for the facility, which generate an openness and intimacy, offering space for various kinds of activities.

“My previous way of thinking has been growing gradually,” he said of the project.

Fujimoto’s architectural philosophy is comprehensively highlighted in other sections of the exhibition as well, including a library section with related books selected by Yoshitaka Haba; a section showing the timeline of Fujimoto’s career compiled by architectural historian Shunsuke Kurakata; and a section showcasing a depiction of a futuristic city jointly conceived by Fujimoto and data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.

The Grand Ring at the Expo venue, which protected visitors from the rain and harsh sunshine, produces a sense of openness and unity. With social division standing out as an issue, he said, “If we create spaces where different individuals can resonate with each other, society will become even better.”

Fujimoto has talked about this hope, and his thoughts fill the exhibition venue.