Inujima "Art House Project"
Inujima "Art House Project" was launched with the objective of inspiring the local community of Inujima,
allowing them to experience the beautiful landscapes of everyday life and the familiar natural environments
that extend beyond the artworks.
Three galleries, F-Art House, S-Art House, and I-Art House, designed for special displays, and Nakanotani
Gazebo (a rest area) were first opened on the island in 2010. In 2013, with the opening of two new
galleries, A-Art House and C-Art House, works are shown at each venue and elsewhere around the village. The
galleries, scattered around the area, are constructed out of a diverse range of materials including roofing
tiles and other components of old houses, transparent acrylic glass and aluminum that reflects the
landscape.
Concept Note by Artistic Director
Hours ＆ Admission
- Hours：
- 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
(Last admittance: 4:00 p.m.)
Ticket center: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
- Closed：
- Tuesdays to Thursdays (March 1 - November 30)
*Open on national holidays
All days closed (December 1 - last day of February)
Open Days Calendar
- Admission：
- Online Purchase JPY 2,100, On-site Purchase JPY 2,300
*Admission to Inujima Seirensho Art Museum included.
*Free for children 15 and under
- Tickets：
- Please purchase online tickets here.
- Access:
- How to get to Inujima
F-Art House
Using variously shaped small art objects that remind of plants and animals, as well as sculptures made from the surface of diverse materials, Nawa created a dynamic space encompassing countless works as well as the building itself and its courtyards.
- Kohei Nawa Biota (Fauna/Flora)
- 2013
Architect : Kazuyo Sejima
Kohei Nawa
Born in Osaka in 1975. Associate professor at Kyoto City University of Arts and Design,
and director of SANDWICH. Principal exhibitions and projects: GUSH (solo exhibition, SCAI THE
BATHHOUSE, 2006); Transcode (solo exhibition, Gallery Nomart, 2009); Synthesis (solo
exhibition, SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, 2010); 14th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 2010 (grand prize, Dhaka); and
Kohei Nawa - SYNTHESIS (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2011); Kohei Nawa - Trans
(solo exhibition, ARARIO GALLERY, Seoul Cheongdam, 2012).
S-Art House
This work distorts the shape and size of the surrounding scenery through the use of numerous lenses of varying sizes and focuses.
- Haruka Kojin contact lens
- 2013
Architect : Kazuyo Sejima
Haruka Kojin
Born in Hiroshima in 1983. Principal exhibitions include Architectural Environments
for Tomorrow - New Spatial Practices in Architecture and Art (Museum Of Contemporary Art Tokyo,
2011); Bye Bye Kitty!!! (Japan Society, New York, 2011); and Breathing Atolls:
Japan-Maldives Contemporary Art Exhibition (National Art Gallery of the Maldives, 2012).
A-Art House
Based on the artist's perception of the architecture of A-Art House as a "sculpture uniting the surrounding community and nature", this work represents, through the use of colors overflowing with energy, a virtual landscape depicting the vitality of the geometry and daily life unfolding in Inujima's nature. While conjuring up a new rhythm, the work also stirs the imagination of the viewer.
- Beatriz Milhazes Yellow Flower Dream
- 2018
Architect : Kazuyo Sejima
Beatriz Milhazes
Born in 1960 in Rio de Janeiro where she lives and works. Beatriz Milhazes
graduated in Social Communication. She studied Arts at the Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage (EAV - School of Visual Arts) from 1980 to 1983, where she also taught Painting until 1996. Milhazes is
considered one of the leading Brazilian artists. She consolidated her career in the national and
international arts circuit, representing Brazil in the Venice Biennale (2003), participating in the
São Paulo Biennial (1998 and 2004), Shanghai Biennial (2006), and Venice Biennale (2024) when Beatriz
has developed a Special Project for the Applied Arts Pavilion, sale d'Armi, Arsenale, a collaboration between
the Victoria & Albert Museum and La Biennale, and with solo shows in museums and prestigious institutions
such as the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, SP (2008); the Fondation Cartier, Paris (2009); the Fondation
Beyeler, Basel (2011); Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon; MALBA, Buenos Aires (2012); Paço Imperial,
Rio de Janeiro and Museu Oscar Niemeyer (MON), Curitiba (2013); Pérez Art Museum, Miami (2014/2015);
MASP - Museu de Arte de São Paulo (2021). Her work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art
(MoMA); the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the 21st Century
Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa; Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid and Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
C-Art House
This large wooden sculpture which has been inconspicuously installed in C-Art House, formerly an assembly hall, is imbued with a quiet energy akin to that of cut flowers which have been placed at a sacred site. This work was created by drawing inspiration from the energy of the residents of Inujima. It draws its breath from the "life" of the island and will continue to evolve.
- Masanori Handa Untitled (Flowers at C-Art House)
- 2019
Architect : Kazuyo Sejima
Masanori Handa
Born in 1979 in Kanagawa Prefecture. "Nakakiyo no Entakukei" (Ota Fine Arts, 2015);
"The Door into Summer: The Age of Micropop" (Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki, 2007); "The Echigo-Tsumari Art
Trienniale" (Niigata, 2006). Joined the "Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative" in 2008.
I-Art House
In this work, three mirrors were installed at I-Art House, connecting the landscapes that are visible
through the windows on two sides of the house. One precise point, positioned in the center of the
work, allows viewers to stand in the exact center of an infinite tunnel. By embarking on a journey to
this endless space, new sensations can be experienced.
You can access the full text of
interview with the artist here.
- Olafur Eliasson Self-loop
- 2015
Architect : Kazuyo Sejima
Olafur Eliasson
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1967, he Studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine
Arts in Copenhagen from 1989 to 1995. He lives in Copenhagen and Berlin. Since the mid-1990s, Eliasson
has realized numerous major exhibitions and projects around the world. Recent projects in 2016 include
Olafur Eliasson: Nothingness is not nothing at all, Long Museum, Shanghai, China; Olafur
Eliasson Versailles, Palace of Versailles, France.
Former site of a stonecutter's house
As if responding to the memories accumulated in the materials and place, vibrant motifs of plants and animals arise from the land on Inujima, and extend into the alleys of the village, leaping out into the site.
- Yusuke Asai
Listen to the Voices of Yesterday Like the Voices of Ancient Times - 2013-2016
- Yusuke Asai
sprouting 01 - 2016
- *sprouting 01 is located on the alley in the Nakanotani Cove, facing I-Art House.
Architect : Kazuyo Sejima
Yusuke Asai Born in Tokyo in 1981. Painter. Principal artworks and exhibitions and Projects：Seeds of Imagiration, Journeys of Soil (The Hakone Open-Air Museum, 2015); yamatane (Rice University Art Gallery, America, 2014); MOT Collection-Special Exhibition | Yusuke Asai (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2011).
Artistic Director & Architect
Artistic Director
Yuko Hasegawa
ArchitectKazuyo Sejima
This project was developed by artistic director Yuko Hasegawa and architect Kazuyo Sejima for the village on Inujima.
Yuko Hasegawa
Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (2021-present) and Professor in Curatorial Studies at the Graduate School of Global Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts (2016-2023). She was Artistic Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2016-2021). She has curated numerous exhibitions, including the 2nd Thailand Biennale, Korat (2021) and the 7th International Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (2017).
Concept Note by Artistic Director
Kazuyo
Sejima
Born in 1956 in Ibaraki Prefecture. Sejima established Kazuyo Sejima & Associates in 1987, and in 1995, SANAA with Ryue Nishizawa. Awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2010. Among her most notable works are the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa* in Ishikawa, Japan (2004), the Rolex Learning Center* in Switzerland (2009), Inujima "Art House Project" in Okayama (2010), Louvre-Lens* in France (2012), Junko Fukutake Hall in Okayama (2013), and Grace Farms* in USA (2015).
*as SANAA
Information
Facilities and Services
The Inujima "Art House Project" is viewed by walking between galleries in various locations. Visitors should first purchase an entrance ticket from the Inujima Ticket Center.
Payment Methods:
On-site payment methods:
・Cash
・Credit card （VISA / MASTER CARD / JCB / AMERICAN EXPRESS / DINERS / DISCOVER）
・Electronic payment (Alipay / WeChat Pay / PayPay / au PAY / Merpay / d pay / LINE pay / Rakuten Pay )
・Electronic money（QUICPay / iD）
For visitors with babies or small children
- ・Visitors can walk around the island with a baby carriage, but baby carriages may not be taken into the galleries in which the artworks are displayed.
- ・Please note that there is no nursing room in the museum.
- ・There is one restroom with a changing table in the Inujima Ticket Center.
For handicapped visitors
(1)Accessibility
Due to characteristics of facility, some places are not accessible for visitors with
disabilities and special needs.
We ask for your understanding.
We will support you as much as possible when you visit us, so please
contact and discuss directly with our facilities.
(2)About lending wheelchairs, etc.
・Wheelchairs: We have 2 wheelchairs available at the Inujima Ticket Center.
・Writing tools: Available.
・Multi-purpose toilets: Not available.
・You may enter our facilities with a service dog, a seeing eye dog, and/or a hearing assistance dog.
About admission
- ・Admission to Inujima Seirensho Art Museum included.
- ・No discounts are offered for groups and holders of Disability Certificates (Physical Disability Certificates, Rehabilitation Certificates, or Mental Disability Certificates) are not granted free entry.
Requests to visitors
When visiting the museum
- ・Parking spaces are limited. Please use public transport if at all possible.
- ・The galleries are located in residential areas. Please observe good manners and consider the local residents when walking around the island.
- ・Please do not bring large objects (suitcases, umbrellas, tripods, etc.) into the museum. These should be placed in coin lockers or left at the Inujima Ticket Center.
- ・Pets may not be taken into the museum.
- ・Visitors may not enter the museum wearing bathing suits.
- ・Smoking is prohibited on the museum premises.
- ・The use of cell phones is prohibited on the museum premises.
- ・Other than in the cafe, visitors may not eat (including candy, gum, boxed lunches, etc.) or drink on the museum premises.
- ・Please take any garbage away with you.
- ・Please do not take any objects (or vegetation) away from the island with you.
When viewing the artworks
- ・Please do not touch the walls, the glass, or the artworks themselves.
- ・Please do not take photographs, videos, or make sketches in the museum. Visitors are also requested not to use fountain pens, ink, etc.
About using drone
- ・It's strictly prohibited to operate Unmanned Aircrafts (UAs) /Drone in Benesse Art Site Naoshima premises without our prior permission due to safety assurance reasons for the people, architecture and artworks.
Contact
327-4 Inujima, Higashi-ku, Okayama 7048153, Japan
Tel. +81-(0)86-947-1112
Fax. +81-(0)86-947-1115
inquiry form
