Ando Museum was our first stop on this day trip to the island of Naoshima 直島. See the first post in this series for more about this wonderful Japanese island. The museum is located in Honmura, a charmingly tiny town where food options were very limited. We were lucky to find Ishii Shouten 石井商店 that was serving Sanuki udon, a godsend on a cold rainy spring day.
May we propose Yuja Wang play China Gates by John Adams for you while browsing ?
Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando 安藤 忠雄 born in Osaka (1941- __), is a self-taught architect who has been building facilities in the natural surroundings on Naoshima for the last 30 years. He is internationally renowned for his minimalist, modern designs, and a recipient of many Japanese and international awards, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995.
The museum, designed by Ando himself, opened in March 2013 in time for the second Setouchi Triennale (a contemporary art festival held once every 3 years on the island). Commissioned by the Naoshima Fukutake Art Museum Foundation, it is Ando’s ninth project on Naoshima.
How many architect in the world gets to build a museum dedicated to showcasing his own architectural practice ? His fans must love this museum.
The museum is a modified wooden house with a small gravel-covered front yard, located across the street from a temple. The exterior of the house is preserved and looks like one of a group of traditional houses that was built nearly 100 years ago. The original house is one of many purchased by the Foundation for mounting art installations.
Stepping into the museum, we were greeted by a reception area where admission fees and postcards are sorted. Then, there is a striking shift in the architecture, from traditional to modern, from aged wood to smooth concrete.
Stairs ascend into a space which is divided into separate exhibition galleries by freestanding but inclined, concrete walls.
The building itself showcases his signature style, while the exhibits – photos, sketches, and models – tell the story of his works and how his musuems here intertwined with Naoshima’s unique history.
<< A model of Ando’s most famous building is here – the Church of the Light (1999) at Ibaraki, near Osaka.
Above the exhibition galleries are the exposed wooden structure of the building. The original house was disassembled first to allow construction of the concrete interiors, and Ando used salvaged beams, columns, and roof tiles, and reassembled them using traditional techniques.
The exhibition spaces are illuminated exclusively by sunlight let in by a long skylight running parallel to the roof’s beam. Apparently, the museum has no electrical fixtures except in the reception area.
A set of descending stairs leads to an underground circular chamber, 9 feet in diameter, which is illuminated indirectly by a floating ceiling and a conical skylight. The space is meant to be used for meditation. We found it cozy and eerie at the same time.
We could see the quality of concrete used in Ando’s buildings which are so perfect that it appears glossy. The surfaces are inviting to touch, so much so that some of the concrete walls show a patina.
The museum retains the memory of the old house while providing it with a new identity, which is a metaphor for the island of Naoshima. It was a nice introduction to the architecture that we were going to see later that day as we explore the museums in the Benesse Art Site.
Ando’s Naoshima museums
Three museums on Naoshima designed by Ando are introduced in the gallery – Benesse House Museum, Chichu Art Museum and Lee Ufan Art Museum. Click on an image to see a larger version of the exhibits.
Our photos of the Benesse House Museum and Chichu Art Museum will be shared on later blog posts.
Stay tuned.