Renowned for his groundbreaking architectural design methodology, Kulapat Yantrasast stands as the founder and creative force behind wHY, an interdisciplinary design practice with a global footprint. Born in Bangkok, and now based in LA, he seeks to identify a deep synergy between art and life through his practice – with the understanding that strong spaces should be adaptable or liveable in their essence, yet enter into meaningful conversations with art.

In this episode of Inner Worlds, director Pablo Tapia-Plá meets with Yantrasast in his New York studio, adorned with a myriad of architectural models and a 1981 boxing ring by Masanori Umeda for Memphis. Enlisted with the renovation, redesign, and reconfiguration of The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met, the renovation of the Northwest Coast Hall at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and a renovation and addition to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, Yantrasast’s practice has maintained a distinct focus on art spaces – and the potential for enrichment contained within their walls.

Sparking curiosity in those who engage with it, and empowering through the pathways it opens, Yantrasast finds meaningful ways to initiate cultural exchange via architecture. Exploring built environments and the potential they hold to communicate messages, delving deeper, his philosophy underscores the capacity of art, design, and architecture to prompt contemplation on the very meaning of life, asking “Why do we live, and how do we take advantage of our time on Earth and contribute to culture or the ongoing history of mankind?”