Teshima Art Museum
Uniting the creative visions of artist Rei Naito and architect Ryue Nishizawa, Teshima Art Museum stands on a hill on the island of Teshima overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. The museum, which resembles a water droplet at the moment of landing, is located in the corner of a rice terrace that was restored in collaboration with local residents.
Structurally, the building consists of a concrete shell, devoid of pillars, coving a space about 40 by 60 meters and with a maximum height of 4.3 meters. Two oval openings in the shell allow wind, sounds, and light of the world outside into this organic space where nature and architecture intimately interconnect. In the interior space, water continuously springs from the ground in a day long motion. This setting, in which nature, art and architecture come together with such limitless harmony, conjures an infinite array of impressions with the passage of seasons and the flow of time.
Hours ＆ Admission
- Hours：
- March 1 - September 30
10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
(Last admittance: 4:30 p.m.)
October 1 - last day of February
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
(Last admittance: 3:30 p.m.)
- Closed：
- Tuesdays (March 1 - November 30)
Tuesdays to Thursdays (December 1 - last day of February)
*Open on national holidays but closed the next day.
*Open on Tuesdays when Monday falls on a national holiday but closed on the next day.
Open Days Calendar
- Admission：
- Online Purchase JPY1,800, On-site Purchase JPY 2,000
* Free for children 15 and under.
- Tickets：
- Please purchase online tickets here.
Artist
Artist Rei Naito
In "Matrix" at Teshima Art Museum, water trickles out from the ground, here and there, throughout the day. As light, wind and the voices of birds ー on occasions also rain, snow, and bugs ー enter through the two openings and come in resonance with each other, an infinity of expressions are revealed as time passes. Immersing calmly in this space, feeling united with nature, we may sense the joy of life on earth.
Rei Naito
Rei Naito was born in 1961 in Hiroshima. Currently lives and works in Tokyo. In 1985, she graduated from the Musashino Art University, College of Art and Design, Visual Communication Design.
She first came to public recognition with “One Place on The Earth”, at Sagacho Exhibit Space, Tokyo in 1991. This led to her being invited to install the same piece within the Japanese Pavilion at the 47h Venice Biennale in 1997. Her work asks us “Is our existence on the Earth a blessing in itself?”
Notable solo exhibitions include “Migoto ni harete otozureru wo mate”, The National Museum of Art, Osaka (1995); “Being Called”, Karmeliterkloster, Frankfurt am Main (1997); “Tout animal est dans le monde comme de l’eau à l’intérieur de l’eau”, The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura, Kanagawa (2009); “the emotion of belief”, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo (2014); “the emotion of belief”, The Japan Cultural Institute in Paris (2017); “Two Lives”, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv (2017); “on the bright Earth I see you”, Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki (2018) and “Mirror Creation”, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa（2020）.
Permanent installations include “Being given” (Kinza, Art House Project, Naoshima, Kagawa, 2001), “Matrix” (Teshima Art Muesum, Teshima, Kagawa, 2010). Awards received include Promising Artists and Scholars of Contemporary Japanese Arts by Japan Arts Foundation, (Installation field, 1994), 1st Asahi Beer Arts Awards by Asahi Beer Arts Foundation (2003), 60th Mainichi Art Prize (2018) and 69th Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts (2019).
- Matrix,
- 2010
Architect
Architect Ryue Nishizawa
The droplet-shaped architecture of Teshima Art Museum was designed by architect Ryue Nishizawa.
The structure measures about 40 meters by 60 meters, with a maximum height of 4.5 meters. It is a low concrete-shell structure without pillars or columns to support it. The surrounding nature directly blows through the two openings into its organic and horizontal interior space. All the plants used here are indigenous weeds growing on Teshima, so that the museum becomes part of the environment of the Karato area. Walking along the promenade leading to the museum, one can enjoy the beautiful view and learn about the history of the area.
Ryue Nishizawa
Born in Tokyo, 1966. Degree in M.A. (Architecture), Yokohama National University. Joined Kazuyo Sejima & Associates in 1990, established SANAA with her in 1995, established Office of Ryue Nishizawa in 1997. Professor at Yokohama Graduate School of Architecture.
Recipient of international awards, including the Gold Lion at the 9th Venice Architecture Biennale, in 2004, and the Pritzker Prize in 2010.
Significant Works: Weekend House (1998, Gunma), 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa* (2004, Ishikawa), Honmura Lounge & Archive (2004, Naoshima, Kagawa), Moriyama House (2002-05, Tokyo), Marine Station Naoshima* (2006, Naoshima), Towada Art Center (2008, Aomori). The Teshima Art Museum was awarded the 25th Murano Togo Prize in 2011.
*co-designed with Sejima Kazuyo.
Other Facilities
Café＆Shop Café
A cafe and shop adjacent to Teshima Art Museum, designed by architect Ryue Nishizawa.
Enjoy snacks made with locally grown rice and drinks blended with local fruit at the cafe.
- Hours：
- March 1 - September 30
10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.(Last order: 4:30 p.m.)
October 1 - last day of February
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.(Last order: 3:30 p.m.)
- Closed：
- The cafe is closed when the museum is closed.
- Tel：
- +81-(0)879-68-3555 (Teshima Art Museum)
Soda made with strawberry puree supplied from strawberry growers on Teshima. (only available in summer)
Swiss roll made with lemon grown in Teshima.
Café＆Shop Shop
The shop offers books on Teshima Art Museum and related exhibits, as well as original merchandise and products made with fresh Teshima produce in season.
- Hours：
- March 1 - September 30
10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
October 1 - last day of February
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
- Closed：
- The shop is closed when the museum is closed.
- Tel：
- +81-(0)879-68-3555 (Teshima Art Museum)
Postcard JPY165(tax included)
"Teshima Art Museum Handbook" contains photographs depicting the many variations of the art museum from the morning through the evening accompanied by text written by the artist Rei Naito and the architect Ryue Nishizawa.
Original design by Ryue Nishizawa. A special ink is used for the drawing of the art museum, lending a sense of depth. Available in A4 and A5 sizes.
Programs
Program Special morning program
In this special viewing program, visitors are invited to experience the very beginning of this cycle, as water starts trickling out, marking the beginning of a new day.
- Dates：
- 2024: April 14, May 12, June 9, July 21, August 18, September 8 (all Sundays)
- Time：
- 9:00-10:00 (approx. 1 hour) * Registration: 8:45
- Fee：
- JPY2,000 (including admission fee / re-entry only on the same day)
- Reservations：
- Contact us from here .
Information
Facilities and Services
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 )
・Electronic money（Transportation IC cards / QUICPay / nanaco / WAON / iD）
For visitors with babies or small children
- ・Baby carriages may be taken into the museum.
- ・Please note that there is no nursing room in the museum.
- ・There is one restroom with a changing table in the museum.
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 one wheelchair available on a first-come, first-served basis.
・Writing tools: Available.
・Multi-purpose toilets: There is one Multi-purpose toilet at the Ticket Center.
・You may enter our facilities with a service dog, a seeing eye dog, and/or a hearing assistance dog.
About admission
- ・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.
- ・Some of the spaces in the museum require you to remove your shoes. To make your visit more relaxing, we recommend for your visit that you wear shoes that are easy to take off and put on again.
- ・Please do not bring large objects (suitcases, umbrellas, tripods, etc.) into the museum. These should be placed in coin lockers or left at the Ticket Center.
- ・Pets may not be taken into the museum.
- ・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.
- ・Visitors may be refused entry if they appear intoxicated or otherwise pose a disturbance to other visitors.
- ・Please take any garbage away with you.
When viewing the artworks
- ・Please do not touch 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
607 karato, Teshima, Tonosho-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa 7614662 Japan
Tel. +81-(0)879-68-3555
Fax. +81-(0)879-68-2182
Inquiry form
