Ila Bêka

Ila Bêka is a contemporary Italian artist, filmmaker and producer living in Paris. Ila Bêka is part of the artist duo Bêka & Lemoine.

Ila Bêka, together with Louise Lemoine, are two of the most important architectural artists working today. Their films focus on the relationship of people and design. They emphasize the presence of everyday life within some of the most iconic architectural projects of recent decades. Bêka & Lemoine's complete work (16 films) was acquired in 2016 by MoMA, Museum of Modern Art in New York, and is now part of its permanent collection.

Life and career Ila Bêka trained as an architect with a degree from the Università Iuav di Venezia of Venice and the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Belleville, where he studied with Aldo Rossi, Manfredo Tafuri, Vittorio Gregotti, Massimo Cacciari, Bernardo Secchi, Gino Valle, Ugo La Pietra, Henri Ciriani and Jacques Lucan.

Since 2005 he has been working in collaboration with Louise Lemoine with whom he founded the research and creation platform Bêka & Lemoine. Described by The New York Times as "cult figures in the European architecture world", Bêka and Lemoine focus their work on experimental new narrative and cinematographic forms in relation to contemporary architecture.

Ila Bêka has been invited to lecture and present his films at many international cultural institutions and prestigious universities such as Venice Biennale (2008, 2010, 2014 ), MoMA (New-York), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New-York), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Barbican Art Gallery (London), Canadian Centre for Architecture (Montréal), NAi (Rotterdam, NL), MAXXI (Rome), SALT (Istanbul), Harvard GSD, Architectural Association School of Architecture (London), Mextropoli (Mexico).

According to ArchDaily, one of the most visited architecture websites worldwide, their films "alter the face of architectural criticism".

Ila Bêka is currently teaching Diploma 16 at AA School, Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

Filmography

2000: Millimetraggi (168 x 3min) - Short Film - Best Film at Festival du Film Très Court de Paris 2001: Colomba (2min) - Short Film - Best Film at Venice International Short Film Festival in Venice 2001: In Utero (11min) - Short Film - Official Selection at International Critic's Week at Cannes Film Festival 2002: L'uomo dei numeri (5,30min) - Documentary 2003: I have seen my mother dancing in the clouds (6min) - Short Film - Best International Short Film at 21 Torino Film Festival 2004: Salome & the seven heads (6min) - Video Installation 2004: Trilogy: Buongiorno (5min), Buonasera (5min), Buonanotte (5min) - 3 Short Films - Special Mention at Nastri d'Argento, Italy. 2005: Quodlibet (84min) - Feature Film - Official Selection at 58th Locarno International Film Festival 2005: "A Balare", a trilogy: "Frassinetti (62min), Pilastro (61min), Italicus (60min) - Documentaries 2006: Passero sublime (9min) - Video installation 2006: Mind scraping (5min) - Video installation, Contagion (5min) - Video installation, Reminiscenza onirica (5min) - Video installation 2006: Ventre (5min) - Video installation - Best Film at Festival Internazionale Cinema d'Arte di Milano 2007: Monsieur et Madame Pelletret (2 x 6min) - Video installation 2007: Testamento della Memoria (38min) - Documentary 2008: Koolhaas Houselife (58min) - Documentary - Official Selection at 8th Venice Biennale of Architecture 2010: Sound of Space (6min) - Video installation 2010: "Inside Piano": The Submarine (39min), "The little Beaubourg (26min), "The power of silence (34min) - 3 Documentaries 2012: Natural Histories (11min) - Video installation 2013: Pomerol, Herzog & de Meuron (51min) - Documentary 2013: Xmas Meier (51min) - Documentary 2013: Gehry's Vertigo, (48min) - Documentary - Official Selection at 10th Venice Biennale of Architecture (extract) 2013: Living Architectures Zip (60min) - Documentary - Best Film at ArchFilmLund Festival, Sweden 2013: 25bis (46min) - Documentary 2014: La Maddalena (12min) - Video installation - Official Selection at 14th Venice Biennale of Architecture 2014: La Maddalena Chair (25min) - Video installation - Official Selection at 14th Venice Biennale of Architecture 2014: Alfred, une nuit vénitienne (70min) - Documentary 2014: 24 heures sur place (90min) - Documentary - Special Jury Prize at 32nd Torino Film Festival 2014: L'expérience du vide (45min) - Documentary 2014: Barbicania (90min) - Documentary - Art project commissioned by Barbican Centre 2015: The Infinite Happiness (85min) - Documentary 2015: Spiriti (15x3min circa)- Video installation- Art project commissioned by Fondazione Prada, Milano 2016: Voyage autour de la Lune (75min) - Documentary 2016: Selling Dreams (25min + 12min) - Video installation - Official Selection Oslo Triennale 2017: Moriyama-San (63min) - Documentary - Best Prize at Architecture Film Festival London 2019: Butohouse (34min) - Documentary - International Premiere at DocAviv Film Festival 2017-2020: Homo Urbanus (10 x 55min) - Video installation - Official Selection Seoul Biennale and Agora Biennale in Bordeaux 2020: Tokyo Ride (90min) - Documentary - Artistic Vision Award, Depth of Field Competition - Best Prize - Docaviv Film Festival, 2020 2021: Oslavia, The Cave of the Past Future (17min) - Video installation - World premiere at MAXXI Museum in Rome 2022: Big Ears Listen with Feet (93min) - Special Mention, Milano Design Film Festival, MDFF 2022, Milan 2023: Rehab from Rehab (86min) - In competition at Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, Prague 2024: The Sense of Tuning (96min) - International Premiere at Fondation Cartier in Paris

Teaching In 2019-2022 he taught the Diploma Unit "Homo Urbanus, Laboratory for Sensitive Observers" at AA School, Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. In 2019-2021 he taught the course "Filming Architecture" at the AAM, the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, in Switzerland. In 2021 he taught The Berlage Theory Master Class "A Journey Round My Room" at The Berlage Center for Advanced Studies in Architecture and Urban Design, in Delft. In 2020 he taught the course "MAXXI Architecture Film Summer School" at MAXXI The National Museum of XXI Century Arts, Rome, IT. In 2019-2020 he taught the course "Voyage autour de ma chambre" at HEAD, Haute École d'art et de design de Genève. In 2017 he taught the course "The Emotion of Space" at Domaine de Boisbuchet in Lessac, France. In 2016 and 2015 he taught the course "Filming Architecture" with Marco Müller and Louise Lemoine at the AAM, the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, in Switzerland. In 2014 and 2013 he taught the course "Cinema & Architecture" at GSAPP Columbia University for the New York/Paris program.

Recognition MoMA, Museum of Modern Art in New York: The complete work (16 films) of Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine has been acquired for the permanent collection. CNAP, Centre National des Arts Plastiques: "Koolhaas Houselife" and "La Maddalena" have been acquired for the permanent collection. FRAC Centre, Orléans: "Butohouse", "Moriyama-San", "The Infinite Happiness", "Selling Dreams", "Gehry's Vertigo" have been acquired for the permanent collection. Awarded by Metropolis (architecture magazine) as Game Changer 2015. Artist in residence at Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto, Japan, 2018. Rome Prize Italian Fellow at American Academy in Rome, Italy, 2018. Selected by Icon Design as one of the 100 most talented personalities in the world in 2017. 2013. Pomerol, Herzog & de Meuron, 2013. Xmas Meier, 2013. Gehry's Vertigo, 2013. Inside Piano, 2013. Living Architectures, 2013.