Kyushu’s First Contemporary Art Museum: the place to discover 21st-century art.
Autumn in Japan is the season of art, a time when you’ll find plenty of art exhibitions and events being held throughout the country. One place you don’t want to miss is the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, which opened this October in the Bipuresu Kumanichi Kaikan in Kamitori-cho. The museum’s presentation has a new and distinctive flavor.
The first thing you’ll notice is that the exhibits are not confined to exhibition rooms, but also integrated into the architecture. The four works of art by internationally recognized artists include Tatsuo Miyajima’s pillar of LED lights luring visitors into the entrance lobby and the work of Yayoi Kusama who has created a whole new world in the mirror room located under the stairs. In the Home Gallery, which also serves as a library, you’ll find Yugoslavian-born Marina Abramovic’s enormous bookcase, with shelves big enough to recline in, and American James Turrell’s canopy of light. There are concerts here every day (19:00-19:30), followed by Turrell’s light show (19:30-19:45). Despite its size and grandeur, the gallery is meant to feel like home.
Exploring the nature of humanity through both Japanese and international pieces of contemporary art, the museum stimulates the visitor not only visually, but through all five senses. It presents artistic expression as a basic part of daily life and supports a wide variety of artists who have made Kyushu their home. Ongoing projects include a collection created from works made this century, so visitors can continue to experience the growth of contemporary art.