Siza and CICA

CICA was founded in 1978, during the 13th World Congress of the International Union of Architects (UIA) in Mexico City, by critics Bruno Zevi, Max Blumenthal, Louise Noelle, Mildred Schmertz, Blake Huges, and Jorge Glusberg. Their aim was, among other things, to elevate the role of criticism in the architectural process, especially toward encouraging architectural creativity. Although CICA has held meetings coinciding with the UIA World Congresses and given out book prizes in the ensuing decades, it is only in recent years that CICA's presence has been felt with a broader public, thanks to its annual conference taking place online (during and since the pandemic) and the publication of papers from its 2021 conference, On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism, by Park Books in 2022.

Subtly shining a spotlight on CICA now is the naming of Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza as a CICA Honorary Member and his presence in the forthcoming CICA 2024 International Conference. The first took place at the Serralves Foundation in Porto a few months ago, following the opening of the Álvaro Siza Wing that he designed and coinciding with the C.A.S.A. Collection exhibition there curated by architect António Choupina. Although Siza sketches much more than he writes, and is therefore far from being a traditional architecture critic, a statement from CICA indicates that the organization “recognizes his unique ability to synthesize personal autonomy with a perceptive engagement with valued precedents, his critical reflections composed into poetic essays worthy of the great Portuguese authors, and his delicate sketches that empathetically capture fleeting moments of human reality.”

Below are photos from the tribute to Álvaro Siza that took place at the Serralves Foundation on May 6, 2024, when Siza was conferred the status of CICA Honorary Member. The event was introduced by ⁠CICA President Wilfried Wang and consisted of a conversation with Ana Tostões (AICA_PT – International Association of Art Critics, Portugal), in which Siza talked about some of his favorite projects in regard to their contexts: Are they autonomous, or do they interact with and shape their surroundings? 

This last point presages the theme of the CICA 2024 International Conference, Between Autonomy and Engagement, that will take place online over two weekends next month: October 12–13 and October 19–20. Siza's keynote will happen on the 19th, a session devoted to “Autonomy, Engagement & Housing.” Other keynotes/sessions include Denise Scott Brown on “Autonomy, Engagement & Heritage,” Nzinga Mboup on “Autonomy, Engagement & Place/Time,” and Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu on “Autonomy, Engagement & Creating Sites.” Full program details are available on the CICA website.