Iwan Baan Brasilia – Chandigarh Living with Modernity

In 1960, Brasília was celebrated as the realization of an urban planning vision based on designs by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer. At the same time, the sectoral city of Chandigarh was materializing according to plans by Le Corbusier. The “test tube city” emerged out of modern Western planning euphoria, marked by utopian ambition, and was exported across the globe. In both cities, foreign architecture comingled with indigenous culture, forming new and independent identities.

This publication explores how modernism has been appropriated in both cities, and how their inhabitants deal with its legacy in their everyday lives. Commonalities and differences are identified through images by the photographer Iwan Baan, taking stock of contemporary life in both cities.