Ark Journal #15

Ark Journal Volume XV explores the home and the studio as spaces of personal expression – places where architecture becomes a quiet reflection of identity, shaped by light, time and human presence. This issue turns toward the intimate dimensions of living, where interiors are not fixed compositions but evolving environments that gather meaning over time. There is a growing sensitivity toward spaces that embrace imperfection and depth, where patina, rhythm and atmosphere speak louder than perfection.

In New York, Gabriel Hendifar’s loft balances restraint and ornament, belonging and dislocation, offering a deeply personal reading of domestic space. In Naples, Lia Rumma’s apartment unfolds as a school of feelings – a place where art, conversation and the surrounding city merge into a continuous flow of light and thought. These homes do not isolate themselves from their context but absorb it, allowing the outside world to become part of their inner narrative. In Berlin, an apartment remake brings together modernist clarity and layers of crafted detail, while on Zealand, a careful revisiting of Haldor Gunnløgsson’s house reflects on legacy, memory and the endurance of architectural ideas.

Studios reveal another register of identity. In Ghent, Michaël Borremans shapes environments where mise en scène becomes essential to the making of his paintings. In upstate New York, a studio dedicated to both creation and contemplation draws inspiration from modern masters, balancing discipline with openness. These spaces are not only sites of production, but frameworks for thinking — places where gestures, materials and repetition form their own quiet language.

The issue also expands beyond domestic and studio spaces. In Marfa, Texas, the measured restraint of Donald Judd’s architectural vision preserves the clarity of his ideas, where space, object and landscape remain inseparable. Through our interview with Sarah-Linh Tran, co-artistic director of Lemaire, we enter a world where fashion and architecture intersect. Filipe Assis reflects on Brazilian culture and design through its architectural landmarks, revealing how place and identity are deeply intertwined.
Across this issue, architecture emerges not only as form, but as presence — revealing who we are gradually, attentively and over time.