We spent our second day on Naoshima visting the Benesse art site and Chichu museum. The art site has several outdoor sculptures, including some giant spotted pumpkins by Yayoi Kusama. The Benesse museum has a pretty extensive collection of contemporary work. The Chichu Museum, meanwhile, features three artists- Monet, James Turrell, and Walter DeMaria. A strange three to pick in a way, but I assume it must have been the collection of someone. The real feature is the building, designed by Tadao Ando, which is sculptural in itself and designed around the exact artworks. The space is entirely submerged, with chasms and openings to the sky, perfect for James Turrell’s sky space. The space created for three of Monet’s waterlilies is really exceptional- the floor is made of tiny white marble mosaic with a color randomly added, and the ceiling is designed to let in the natural light without any direct sun. It feels like entering a cathedral created for the paintings.
Photographs were adamantly forbidden at this place, including the outside of the building. Of course, feeling my usual lawbreaking urge, I took these photos secretly. The last one is my main success at secretly capturing the building with my camera- the Tadao Ando designed bathroom.
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