Studio Gang

The Art of Architectural Grafting

Location
Aedes Architecture Forum, Berlin, Germany

On View
July 12 – August 27, 2025

Curation and Exhibition Design
Studio Gang

Graphic Design
Elektrosmog

Sponsors
AW Architektur & Wohnen
AGC Interpane
Hofmann Naturstein
Mineral Expertise

Tags

Reuse Repair

Building on Jeanne Gang’s recent book of the same name, this exhibition at the renowned Aedes Architecture Forum explores her concept for bringing new life to existing buildings through “grafting” strategic additions that expand on structures’ original capacity and minimize carbon footprint.

Suspended model plinths and oversize graphics are grafted on to the gallery walls, lightly interfacing with the industrial brick and highlighting its layered history.

Custom display armatures made of steel and wood attach to the existing columns using adjustable clamps. Stools made from tree stumps provide flexible seating.

The ancient horticultural practice of grafting connects two separate plants, one old and one new, so they can grow and flourish as one. Architectural grafting applies the sensibility and principles of this approach to design at multiple scales. Featured in the exhibition are six recent Studio Gang projects informed by this concept, including the Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.

The exhibition itself is “grafted” into the formerly industrial Aedes space, with custom display elements designed by Studio Gang that attach to the gallery’s columns and walls. Architectural models, drawings, photos, videos, and artifacts illustrate the particular grafting approach of each project, while living plants and botanical imagery animate the concept’s intriguing horticultural roots.