Chichu Art Museum: Invisible Architecture

Naoshima is a beautiful green island dotted by museums and artwork. Though once blighted by pollution from a copper refinery, the island has been revitalized by the power of contemporary art and now attracts many visitors.

Ando designed the Chichu Art Museum after completing his first museum on the island in 1992. He took the concept of blending architecture with nature even further and embedded the entire building in the ground.

Despite being built atop a hill once used for salt harvesting, the building is barely visible from the outside. Only by looking down from the sky can one perceive the ruin-like assemblage of geometric forms embedded in the ground.

A line of light shining into the dimly lit underground passage. Ando chose “light” as the theme for the project despite the fact that the building is buried almost entirely in the ground.

The triangular and square openings punched into the earth frame the blue Setouchi sky. The limited elements in the space help heighten the senses of visitors.

The beautiful contrast of light and shadows in the court. The impression of the space changes with the time of day and year.

The crevice-like open-air walkway along the tilted wall further adds a labyrinthine feel to the building.

The limited light brings out the weightiness and materiality of the concrete. The well-thought-out light imbues the stripped-down space with a rich expression.

The cafeteria opens up towards the Seto Inland Sea. The beautiful seascape spreads out panoramically like a painting.

The galleries for each of the three artists are unique spaces that were created through uncompromising collaborations between the architect, artists, and director.

The gallery for Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies”. The use of rounded corners and soft indirect lighting gave rise to an ethereal, shadowless space.

Light is diffused through the space by the floor covered with two-centimeter-square marble tiles and the walls finished with coarse plaster.

The gallery dedicated to Walter de Maria’s “Time/Timeless/No Time”. The light shining in from the skylights traverses the room over the course of the day.

“Open Field” by James Turrell. The three artists’ light-themed works are on permanent display.