Benesse House Museum: Notice of Exhibition Changes from February 25th, 2017

On the origin of the Benesse Collection ― "Art is Something that Makes Us Think"

Benesse House Museum, a facility integrating a museum and a hotel, gives visitors the opportunity to consider the meaning of the coined word "Benesse" (well-being) and to re-envision their own lives for the better. Since 2015, the museum has held themed exhibitions exploring different perspectives. In 2015, the theme was "In Nature," and in 2016, it was "Social Commentary." In 2017, we will go back to the origin of the Benesse Collection - "Art is Something that Makes Us Think".

The guiding principle at Benesse Art Site Naoshima is that the art be "site-specific" ; each work of contemporary art or architecture here harmonizes with the scenery of the Seto Inland Sea and its unique culture. It will naturally contribute to a heightened perception of the intricate changes occurring in our natural and social environments.

Since beginning, we focused on exhibiting artworks with this unique natural setting in mind. One of the works that beautifully demonstrates this is "Yellow and Black Boats" by Jennifer Bartlett, which will be reintroduced into the exhibition this year. Through a large window, one can see a beach in the distance, and on the beach two boats, the view of which reflects back to a painting inside the museum with black and yellow boat and in front of which two more boats are installed. The boats outside on the beach were placed by the artist after the installation inside the museum had been completed.


We will also reintroduce for the first time in two years "The World Flag Ant Farm 1990" by Yukinori Yanagi. Originally, this work was comprised of colonies of live ants living in plexiglas frames. The frames are filled with colored sand forming the designs of world flags, and the ants were allowed to tunnel and make their nests throughout the frames, thereby altering the images of the flags. The very concept brings into question the meaning and value of borders between nations, and the effects of migration, themes of particular relevance in our tumultuous modern times.

Our wish is that many people will come to experience the latest exhibition at Benesse House Museum, and take this opportunity to "think through art."
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Picture "Yellow and Black Boats" / photo: Koji Murakami


Benesse House Museum
Opening Hour　8:00~21:00（last entry 20:00） Open everyday
Admission　1,030 yen（Free admission for children 15 years old and under, and overnight guests at Benesse House）
Location　Gotanji, Naoshima, Kagawa, 761-3110, JAPAN Phone +81-(0) 87-892-3223（9:00~20:00）