Culture

Nature Meets Art in Naoshima

By Daviel Lazure Vieira

In the middle of the Seto Inland Sea, just a few hours from Osaka, Naoshima Island has become a refuge for contemporary art lovers by embracing its natural landscapes.

There are a few things about Japanese culture that the rest of the world has never really managed to imitate. One of these is the art of organically blending culture and nature without compromising either. The most beautiful example of this perfect balance is located just a few hours from Osaka. A train to Uno followed by a short ferry crossing takes you to Naoshima, a small island in the Seto Inland Sea dedicated to contemporary art.

Managed by Benesse Corp. and the Naoshima Fukutake Art Museum Foundation, the Benesse Art Site includes outdoor installations embedded in the natural landscapes on display all over the island, as well as two museums of contemporary art designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando. The Benesse House’s permanent collection includes works by Bruce Nauman, Jackson Pollock and Jasper Johns. But the site’s Zen-inducing calm and harmony with nature come at a price: Day trips can be onerous. Which is why the museum is also the hotel. Each of the 16 rooms is filled with art, from Josef Albers’ White Line Square to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Surrounded Islands. Hotel guests also have access to Oval, which stands higher up on the hill, several metres above the museum. Connected to the museum by a monorail, Oval is a six-room building with water fountains that offers breathtaking views of the island and the sea.

The second venue, the Chichu Art Museum, is perhaps one of Tadao Ando’s most beautiful creations to date. (A third museum, currently under construction, should open its doors later this year.) The concrete structure, whose name literally means “in the earth,” was built almost entirely under the ground. Barely visible from outside, the space below is betrayed only by the skylights pouring natural light onto the works within. There are only three artists, but each has his own room. You’ll have to remove your shoes to see Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, exhibited in a gigantic white room with mosaic flooring. James Turrell invites visitors to experience his monochrome art in two spaces, each with a single light, while Walter De Maria presents a complex installation featuring a black sphere of granite and gold-leaf poles. Once you emerge, just a few kilometres away you’ll find houses in a historic village recently converted into small art spaces showcasing pieces from other internationally acclaimed artists.

Seeing all the best stuff on the island often means a lot of time on your feet; luckily, you’re never far from a fantastic meal. Food is a big part of Naoshima’s traditional culture, and fishing is among the most important local industries. The port is the place to go to enjoy sushi and sashimi made from yellowtail and seafood found in the inland sea, along with a pint of Kirin beer. If you want to try something a little different, book a table at Issen, Benesse’s Japanese restaurant. The menu features traditional dishes often made with the day’s catch. You can enjoy incomparable grilled eel while admiring the massive Jean-Michel Basquiat painting in the dining room.

Even the Japanese-style public bath here has been infused with art. Located right next to the port of Miyanoura is I♥Yu (“yu” is how you pronounce “hot water” in Japanese), an eccentric take on traditional Shinto baths designed by Shinro Ohtake. Aesthetically, I♥Yu is worlds away from Tadao Ando’s nearby creations; mixing ceramics with kitsch iconography, it includes various objects from all parts of Japan collected by the artist – everything from an aircraft cockpit to a statue of a small elephant taken from an erotic museum. You might not relax as much as you would in other Shinto baths, but you’ll definitely find it more amusing and distinctive.

Despite Naoshima’s small size, its cultural influence continues to grow, recently extending to other islands of the Seto Inland Sea. Inujima Island, for example, has been completely reshaped into an art project on recycling Japanese heavy industry. And next summer, seven of these islands will host the Setouchi International Art Festival, with commissioned artworks by renowned artists such as Christian Boltanski, Leandro Erlich and Olafur Eliasson. Here’s hoping Naoshima’s unique way of blending art and nature spreads with it.

(Daviel Lazure Vieira is an online assistant editor for enRoute, and also works as an independent creative journalist and editor.)

CHICHU ART MUSEUM: FUJITSUKA MITSUMASA
CLAUDE MONET SPACE: NAOYA HATAKEYAMA
CHICHU ART MUSEUM: MITSUO MATSUOKA
I♥YU: SHINRO OHTAKE, NAOSHIMA BATH. PHOTO: OSAMU WATANABE