Art in Japan

The Tenri Station Plaza CoFuFun – Nendo’s largest project

Architecture, Japanese architecture / 5 minutes of reading
CoFuFun Plaza is a work of wonders by the Japanese architecture company Nendo. It was constructed for the Tenri Station in the Nara region of Japan. The 6,000 m2 (64,583 sqft) plaza turned into a space that locals and visitors would be able to use for gatherings and events, as well as into a tourist …

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Junya Ishigami’s Water Garden – Is this architecture?

Architecture, Installations, Japanese architecture / 5 minutes of reading
Junya Ishigami is a Japanese architect. He was born in Kanagawa prefecture in 1974. In 2000, he obtained a master’s degree in architecture and planning at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He had a short stint working at Kazuyo Sejima between 2000 and 2004 at SANAA. Right after leaving SANAA, he started …

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These are some of Yasuaki Onishi’s most impressive works

Installations, Sculptures / 3 minutes of reading
Japanese artist Onishi Yasuaki is well-known for his ethereal art installations, paintings and sculptures that he creates using a mix of materials. Born in 1979 in Osaka, the artist has been at the forefront of creating new forms and inspiring a sense of awe, etherealism, and thoughtfulness with his work. He credits his inspiration to …

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What are Fujiko Nakaya’s fog sculptures all about?

Installations / 3 minutes of reading
Fujiko Nakaya’s work is simply transcendent. Primarily featuring fog, her ephemeral creations are always climate-responsive and influenced mainly by nature. Her works are moving and changing and designed to allow visitors to enter and interact with them. Because the fog installations are always centered on nature, the audience experiences are always varied due to the …

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Tokujin Yoshioka’s Rainbow Church – The liberation of light

Installations, Light / 3 minutes of reading
Rainbow church is aptly named and refers to an eight-meter-high installation that creates a rainbow as light is refracted within its space. The installation is a wall of crystal prism that throws off rainbows to anyone within the installation space. The 500 crystal prisms that make up the installation allow light passing through them to …

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Yayoi Kusama’s most outstanding sculptures – Pumpkins & Flowers

Sculptures / 7 minutes of reading
Celebrating her 90th birthday in 2019, Yayoi Kusama is a leading Japanese artist and legend as far as art is concerned. While she deliberately makes unique pieces that can withstand the wear and tear of the outdoors, she is renowned for reproducing her art on a monumental scale when need be. Her career spans over …

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Andy Warhol’s Silver Clouds & His plan to retire from painting

Installations / 3 minutes of reading
Andy Warhol is no stranger to critical acclaim; his various works introduced thousands of audiences to contemporary art, which helped to put American artists on the map, and it waged war against abstract expressionism. Warhol effectively managed, time and time again, to shatter distinctions in art and he helped to reshape the aesthetic criteria that …

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Joan Miró’s most impressive ceramics & murals

Ceramics, Installations, Mural / 20 minutes of reading
Throughout his career, Joan Miró created numerous notable artworks that earned him worldwide critical acclaim. He was never the one to play by the book and by rubbing shoulders with the most famous creatives of his generation; Miró was open to the influence of any works of art, movement, manifestos, and schools. Nevertheless, his work …

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Why are Isamu Noguchi’s sculptures & furniture pieces so influential?

Ceramics, Furniture, Sculptures / 3 minutes of reading
A walk through Japan reveals the close correlation between nature and aesthetics. Amid the natural setup are works of art that remind everyone about the history, beliefs and affiliations of the Japanese people. The modern art concept of creating spectacular pieces to create an art park is becoming rather common owing to the pioneering work …

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Fabrice Fouillet’s photos of world’s largest statues

Sculptures, Statues / 3 minutes of reading
Through several centuries, there have been different statues erected around the world. These statues vary in size and what they represent. Photographer Fabrice Fouillet embarked on a tour to study and take photographs of the biggest and most imposing statues in the world; A project he named Colosses. The project brings about a change in …

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Yoshitomo Nara’s paintings & drawings: Cute or dark and frightening?

Ceramics, Paintings / 5 minutes of reading
Yoshitomo Nara was born in Hirosaki, Japan, in 1959 and is a Japanese artist whose work has been exhibited around the world. He lives and works in Tokyo, and Japanese popular culture plays an influential role in his world. Nara studied at the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, receiving his B.F.A. (1985) …

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Takahiro Iwasaki’s intricate miniatures of ancient Japanese temples

Architecture, Japanese architecture, Sculptures / 2 minutes of reading
Japanese artist Takahiro Iwasaki’s sculpture the Reflection Model (Perfect Bliss) is a sophisticated miniature recreation of Phoenix Hall, which is part of Japan’s Byodo-in Temple complex. Embodying many elements of tradition and modernity, the piece imitates the reflection of the traditional mirror pond as a physical object, suspended from the ceiling, performing to the audience …

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