New Road Movie Mundo Frágil Premieres in New York
Architect Smiljan Radić Clarke, winner of the 2026 Pritzker Architecture Prize, is the subject of a new 102-minute road movie titled Mundo Frágil, which premiered at the Museum of Modern Art through the Architecture & Design Film Festival in New York, d.repubblica.it reported on November 3, 2026.
From the Atacama Desert to the Cordillera
The film captures Radić traveling across his native Chile from the Atacama Desert to the mountains of the Cordillera. Filmmakers Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine accompanied the architect with a camera to explore his creative roots and personal history. The documentary is structured in three distinct acts, examining spaces that reflect his architectural philosophy of human fragility and ephemeral permanence.
The journey stops first at the Santiago home and studio of entomologist Luis Peña Guzmán. Designed and built between 1979 and 1981 by architect Miguel Eyquem, the residence is known locally as the Bug House. Radić describes the building as a masterclass in structural economy. He notes that the architect thinned the structures to capture more air, achieving an austere and powerful form that has withstood two major earthquakes.
The second act shifts to Vilches, a forested area near the Andes where Radić built experimental housing for his family. Starting with the 24-square-meter Casa Chica built by hand alongside his wife, sculptor Marcela Correa Maturana, the site later expanded to include the House for the Poem of the Right Angle in 2012. This retreat features black concrete walls twelve centimeters thick, a glass-enclosed central courtyard, and a suspended fireplace, bordered by a basalt stone garden installation named the Leaf Garden.
The final act leads to the Atacama Desert and the abandoned Oficina Salitrera Alemania. Radić’s grandfather arrived from Croatia to work at this potassium nitrate extraction site for more than twenty years. Radić notes that these abandoned mining ruins represent his true connection to Chile. He points out that things are essentially stories rather than mere matter, noting that his grandfather’s two decades there give the desolate hills personal meaning.
Building Through Sloth and Necessity
Radić’s portfolio spans temporary pavilions and permanent structures alike. Notable works include the 2014 Serpentine Pavilion in London, the 2023 Secret Garden at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, and the Teatro Regional del Biobío in Concepción completed in 2018. His current projects include a multifunctional palace and the renovation of the Telecommunications Palace as part of the Fira de Barcelona transformation plan scheduled for completion in 2029.
Fragile structures originate from urgency rather than historical architectural tradition, according to Radić. They possess no independent history of their own and rely entirely on their creators, much like fruit stands or vernacular structures that do not survive their makers. He maintains that structural solutions in such buildings often stand on the verge of collapse, requiring repair methods that always involve adding material rather than removing it.