Zaha Hadid Foundation Reopens Headquarters, Plans Global Retrospectives

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The Zaha Hadid Foundation reopened its headquarters at 10 Bowling Green Lane in Clerkenwell, London, last week. This coincides with what would have been the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid's 76th birthday on October 31 and the 10-year anniversary of her death.

Rana Hadid, Hadid's niece and the foundation's chair of trustees, stated that the time is appropriate to celebrate her aunt's legacy. Simultaneously, the foundation, in collaboration with the Architectural Association and the Serpentine, hosted a two-day symposium titled“89 Degrees of Zaha Hadid” at the Architectural Association's Bedford Square campus. The event explored Hadid's beginnings in Baghdad and Beirut, her student years, and the expansive nature of her projects and personality, including a talk questioning gendered perceptions titled“Would they call me a diva if I were a guy?: Being Zaha.”

Rana Hadid, who was present at the symposium, recounted to ARTnews that she corrected misconceptions during discussions.“I get really upset when I hear things that are not true. We all have our own perceptions of how things happen, and after someone dies, it becomes very easy to change it,” said Rana. She assumed the role of chairman and trustee of the Zaha Hadid Foundation in 2025, succeeding Brian Clarke, an artist and close collaborator of Hadid's, who died in July last year. In 2020, the foundation concluded a four-year legal dispute concerning the architect's $133 million estate. Rana discovered her executor and trustee roles only after Hadid's death, saying:“When Zaha passed away, I discovered that I was an executor and trustee of her estate. She had never told me that I was either of these, and straight after her passing, we just had to deal with all of the legal matters.”

The Zaha Hadid Foundation's extensive archive comprises 300,000 objects, including paintings, architectural models, sketchbooks, letters, and items from her wardrobe featuring designs by Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto.“Our greatest asset is the archive she left behind, and it goes beyond architecture. We can see the way that Zaha thought and how her methodology evolved, resulting in her designs and architecture,” Rana explained. While not committing to a 10-year plan, she anticipates being occupied for the next two years with planned international retrospectives at major institutions, noting“huge interest” in Hadid's paintings and wardrobe. An exhibition titled“Zaha Hadid: Visionary Museum Designs” is scheduled to open next year at the Sir John Soane's Museum in London, running from March 24 to June 20, 2027. Rana intends for Hadid's archive to travel globally, with exhibition offers received from Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries.“We will be going to Iraq,” stated Rana, who grew up in Beirut and identifies strongly with her Iraqi heritage, despite never having visited the country. She emphasized Hadid's deep pride in her Iraqi roots, recounting how Hadid prepared“the best leg of lamb, the Iraqi way, simmering over a fire for almost 20 hours” and incorporated Iraqi dialect, like“Shaku maku?” into her Arabic.

Hadid's former headquarters, originally a Victorian schoolhouse, has been refurbished to include galleries, a learning space, a lecture hall, and collection displays, designed to host exhibitions, talks, workshops, and creative residencies. The inaugural exhibition,“Zaha Hadid: Architecture of Performance,” curated by Catherine Howe and Libby Sellers, explores Hadid's stage and set designs for contemporary dance, classical opera, and pop music. Rana described the foundation as a platform for Hadid's network, stating:“We've inherited a lot of friends, supporters and clients who became friends and family. Zaha had this amazing way of connecting with people and people loved her, without all of their help, we wouldn't be here today.” She also recalled Hadid's penchant for grand birthday celebrations, which inspired the recent symposium.“Zaha was really big on birthdays and she'd always like to make a big thing about her birthday. She would always say to me, 'I hated surprises and I hate someone throwing me a surprise birthday party, so I may as well assume it, invite everyone and be in control,'” Rana said. Notable attendees at the symposium included Hans Ulrich Obrist, Deyan Sudjic, Aric Chen, and Francesco Vezzoli.

Source: ARTnews

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