A museum which brings together nature and art
The Teshima Art Museum stands on top of the small Teshima Karato hill overlooking the Seto Inland Sea and it is a place where you can enjoy collaborative works between architect Ryue Nishizawa and artist Rei Naito. In the vicinity, beautiful revived rice paddies spread out with the local residents as the museum occupies one large corner of the area. Once you get away from the long walking trail while viewing the scenery of those wonderful rice fields, a huge pure white building with the shape of a drop of water appears which creates a lovely environment bringing together nature, architecture and art in harmony.
An unusual art space which you cannot experience anywhere else
In the upper part of the building, 2 large holes are opened up which bring in the outside air and sunlight. With an area of 40×60m and a height going as high as 4.5m, the space which doesn’t use any supporting pillars is a concrete shell for which the interior is a Rei Naito creation called “Matrix”. The “Matrix” is a “fountain” of sorts in which water trickles in from everywhere, including the floor, all throughout the day, with the drops of water changing shape bit by bit and collecting to create puddles of water. With the changing of the seasons and the passage of time, expressions of infinity are given to observers. Devoting yourself to this quiet space, this is a fascinating place where you can sense a harmony with nature through the light, wind and birdsong coming through the two open areas while also hearing the sound of rain, snow and insects at times.
Natural light pouring into the café space
There is also an adjacent café and shop space where you can enjoy a soda making use of pureed strawberries brought in from a farm in Teshima and olive rice which mixes in olives and rice harvested from the paddies in the area. Souvenirs can also be purchased including books regarding Rei Naito and Ryue Nishizawa, and food found in the local Teshima and Seto Inland Sea areas.