DIARIO
VOL 1. ISSUE 19
Naoshima:
The Art Island
Destined to decline, a small Japanese island was saved by art, becoming now a vibrant location for exciting contemporary installations.
Yayoi Kusama's work Pumpkin perches at the end of an old concrete pier. Shigeo Anzai Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima
Tadao Ando
Art is a transformative experience. In the case of the small island of Naoshima (“gentle island” in Japanese), this is particularly true. Thanks to its strategic position in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, the island experienced centuries of flourishing economy, but in the 1950s its population started to decline, eroded by massive relocations to large cities. Naoshima could have been deserted by now, like many of the nearly 3,000 islands surrounding it, but art arrived and reversed the trend. In 1987, Soichiro Fukutake, chairman of Fukutake Publishing (now known as the Benesse Holdings, Inc.) purchased the south side of the island, enlisting renowned architect Tadao Ando to design hotels and museums that showcase major artworks acquired by the company over the previous decades. So began the creation of a vibrant center for contemporary art.
Benesse House the Oval, it's beautiful here.,(@_itsbeautifulhere)
Mother-of-Pearl
Polished Rock Candy
All Around Oval Stone Bangle in 18K Gold
Dream chairs by Tadao Ando. Photo courtesy of Gessato
The Chichu Art Museum is the highlight of the island. Designed by Tadao Ando, the building is mostly underground, but gets abundant natural light that alters the appearance of the artwork, depending on the time of day. The centerpiece of Naoshima is the Benesse House, a hotel that is also a museum, displaying works by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Gerhard Richter, Shinro Ohtake, Richard Long, and David Hockney, among others. Not to be missed is Yayoi Kusama’s famous Kabocha (pumpkin) sculpture, near the house.
The Chichu Art Museum, designed by celebrated Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Seiichi Ohsawa Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima
The tiny fishing village of Honmura, on the eastern edge of Naoshima, is home to the Art House Project, a collection of abandoned houses, workshops, a temple, and a shrine scattered throughout the village and converted into venues and art installations by artists from Japan and around the world. Finally, I♥YU (“yu” is water in Japanese) is a bathhouse, designed by Shinro Ohtake to enjoy the Japanese tradition while being surrounded by art.
Benesse-Art House Project Go'o Shrine-Jesse Duff McLaurin
Naoshima and the islands surrounding it in the stretch of sea extending between three of the main islands of Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu) are the setting for the 2019 Setouchi Triennale, a project that aims at revitalizing local communities and keeping their unique identities alive in spite of the homogenization of globalized trends. “The festival inspires people to notice the islands,” says Taiwanese artist Wang Wen-Chih, who has participated in each event, since its inception in 2010. This nine-month art fair runs every three years and has grown exponentially with each installation. This year, over one million people are expected to attend, to enjoy the best of contemporary art, surrounded by enchanting nature.
Setouchi Triennale 2019. Photo courtesy of Setouchi Triennale / Art Setouchi
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