一不小心住进美术馆 | 濑户内海日记

一不小心住进美术馆 | 濑户内海日记

Long-haul flight Taxi ride Three hours on the Shinkansen One hour by bus 20-minute ferry ride Plus a short ride on a mini local bus Finally, we arrived at Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea Because of the triennial art festival Several small islands in the Setouchi region Have become popular travel destinations But is this truly a sacred place for art lovers Or just another hotspot for instagram? For the next three days Let’s dive in and experience it for real Climbed a small hill Checked in at the museum hotel We took the monorail And arrived at the Oval of Benesse House It’s both a museum and a hotel Hard to believe it opened back in 1995 The architecture and design still feel modern And the philosophy feels ahead of its time even now No surprise it’s the work of master architect Tadao Ando Naoshima is a truly special place With only around 3,000 residents Coming here, I realized Before it became a sacred destination for art lovers Naoshima, like many Setouchi islands Was once facing Industrial pollution and aging population Benesse Holdings, originally an education publisher Is headquartered nearby in Okayama Both generations of its owners believed in the idea That the economy should serve culture In the mid-80s, they began working with the Naoshima government To build a campsite for children Later followed by museums, hotels And the founding of the art festival Over 40 years, they transformed Naoshima into a modern Yet culturally-rooted, utopian-style community In today’s world obsessed with overnight success The story of Benesse and Naoshima Moved me deeply If only there were more companies like this How wonderful the world would be Naoshima is also a paradise for architect Tadao Ando The Chichu Art Museum Is probably the most famous one Built underground, all artwork is lit by natural light So the experience changes completely Depending on weather and lighting Tadao Ando once said I don’t want to create flashy architecture but rather invisible spaces that make people aware of the passage of time the presence of light and inner peace This kind of style is naturally well-suited to the Seto Inland Sea So what he built here is not just architecture but a redefinition of Naoshima’s identity blending contemporary art and architecture into daily life A delightful surprise Cai Guo-Qiang, the Chinese artist known for fireworks also has an installation on Naoshima Turns out it’s an interactive installation shown as early as 1998 called “Cultural Melting Bath” The centerpiece is a bathtub which was meant to be filled with medicinal herbs and surrounded by large rocks arranged by feng shui creating a miniature landscape garden Bathers from different backgrounds could soak together in art and nature and achieve cultural fusion Sadly, it’s currently closed Today we had Japanese food with photography by Hiroshi Sugimoto in the background The meal felt like a work of art Back in London I saw his large-scale retrospective It felt like running into an old friend here The best part of staying in a museum is that after it closes guests can still roam freely and experience the works in a quieter setting Most of the art in Naoshima is contemporary Unlike modern art, which is about self-expression contemporary art is more like a social experiment requiring participation and interaction from passive observer to active thinker It makes me wonder what I’m seeing Why does it make me feel certain way What are you seeing Why do you feel that way I found that once I gave up on trying to evaluate contemporary art it became much more lovable Walking through Hiroshi Sugimoto’s empty Time Corridor was still a little errie Waiting at night as the little tram glides down the hill felt like something out of a Miyazaki film like the magical cat bus Good night The Oval at Benesse House perfectly showcases Tadao Ando’s architectural elements Concrete, light Geometry, stillness This is a place for meditation and contemplation To feel everything beyond yourself There are only six rooms here but it has its own dedicated cable car What a ceremony! In the morning we went downhill Art is everywhere along the way Today we planned to go to nearby Teshima While waiting for the ferry Bento-san even ran into two fellow Brazilians What a magical place Monday is Naoshima’s museum closure day So all the tourists headed to Teshima The ferry was packed When we got to Teshima we tried multiple rental shops but couldn’t find bikes Someone canceled in the end and we were lucky enough to rent the last two bicycles Teshima has fewer than 900 residents Public transport is very infrequent Electric bikes are the best way to explore the island Highly recommend booking ahead Otherwise you’ll end up scrambling like we did We rode all the way to the southern tip of Teshima to see Chiharu Shiota’s large installation “Memory of the Lines” Only to discover it was closed since the spring season ended We had no choice but to peek through the window slits A room filled with red threads What a pity This is what the actual work looks like There’s “Place for Sea Dreamers” on regular display It’s also my favorite piece on Teshima You can sit in isolation or with an intimate partner or be distant It looks like a fishing net or a solitary boat a chair, or a picture frame It’s artistic yet blends beautifully with the surroundings It’s surprisingly comfortable to sit on Nearby, there was a small shop run by a local We stopped in to refuel with some simple carbs It’s a small way to contribute to the island’s economy Then we carried on exploring by bike Riding through lush green fields There was gentle sea breeze The scent of fresh grass Ethereal birdsong Teshima has natural spring water and a warm climate Its natural resources are abundant It’s rich in rice As well as crops like olives and lemons Hard to imagine That back in the 1970s It was heavily polluted due to illegal industrial waste dumping Turning it into a toxic island of trash It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the government began remediation They later replaced the soil and restored vegetation The islanders spent over 20 years To rebuild this place into a home Where even scars can shine Starting in 2010, they partnered with Benesse Group To introduce contemporary art Like this small museum By a French artist that collects human heartbeats from around the world Here you can experience the heartbeats of strangers I found a recording by an elementary school student Captured in 2010 She wrote this message: My dream is to live abroad in the future I want to study German Or Spanish at university And communicate with many people If I live in Europe, I want to watch soccer matches too I will work hard to make my dream come true Listening to her real heartbeat Felt like a conversation across time and space I wonder 15 years later Did her dream come true A basketball backboard shaped like Teshima And it has multiple hoops This artwork from the 2013 Triennale Feels like an invitation for all to shoot hoops together Winning or losing doesn’t matter Participation brings joy There’s even a washbasin nearby Truly thoughtful design Also opened during the 2013 Triennale Artist Tadanori Yokoo and architect Yuko Nagayama collaborated To turn an old house Into a space for dialogue about life Following the koi fish in the courtyard into the building It’s both an old home And a space for displaying artwork More than that, it’s a stage for exploring the meaning of life The most famous artwork on Teshima Has to be the Teshima Art Museum Calling it a museum But its only exhibit is the building itself Would you call this a form of performance art Since the essence of contemporary art isn’t in appreciation But in wholehearted participation Teshima Art Museum really hits the nail on the head You step into A shell-shaped space hidden in the hills There are two completely open round skylights above No columns No air conditioning, no lighting On the floor Drops of natural spring water quietly flow and seep You need to wear slippers and remain silent inside No electronic devices are allowed You can only fully immerse in the space At first I thought it was trying too hard to be profound But sitting down and quieting my mind Watching the play of light and shadow in the sky And the droplets on the ground merging and separating Closing my eyes and feeling the wind and birdsong After a while I was inexplicably moved by a powerful feeling Eyes brimming with tears Later I learned this space is called Matrix It’s a place that slowly Makes you aware of being alive That’s probably what I felt in that moment The last ferry from Teshima to Naoshima leaves just after 5 So there wasn’t enough time to see all the works and spaces The weather wasn’t great I was deeply moved by this tiny island of 900 people Beyond contemporary art The island also has a simple, charming side Like the super cute buses Locally kelp and lemon souvenirs And the colorful knit cushions in the port waiting area I’ll definitely come back someday To see every piece of art Next episode, we jump back to Naoshima to continue exploring

长途飞机，出租车，三小时新干线，一小时公车，二十分钟摆渡船，十几分钟的迷你公车，终于到了濑户内海的直岛。

因为艺术节，濑户内海的几座小岛莫名成了热门旅行地。但它到底是艺术爱好者的圣地，还是网红打卡天堂？一起来沉浸式体验一下~

After a long-haul flight, a taxi ride, three hours on the Shinkansen, an hour on a bus, a 20-minute ferry, and a short ride on a mini shuttle, we finally arrived at Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea

Thanks to the art festival, a few small islands in the Seto Inland Sea have unexpectedly become popular travel destinations
But is this truly a paradise for art lovers, or just another trendy hotspot for social media
Let’s dive in and experience it for ourselves~