You might have heard about Naoshima: an island where you can experience arts and the great architecture by Tadao Ando, but there are some more in a wider area. I was recommended to go to Teshima (the island next to Naoshima) but couldn't spare a day to take ferries (only four journeys a day from Takamatsu). If you like to check what's going on in the area you better have enough time!
(above) This is the ground floor of Kagawa prefecture office (in Takamatsu): the architect Kenzo Tange's early work built in the '50s, greatly inspired by Le Corbusier and in Japanese style. The wall piece is done by Genichiro Inokuma who was a local and international artist.
The artist's museum is in Marugame (30 mins away from Takamatsu): Mimoca. He always strived for the new expression throughout his life. You can see his paintings as well as a part of his belongings in their permanent collection. The current temporary exhibition was showing what stayed unchanged in his varied paintings. It was fun and very interesting. Their next exhibition is about a London artist: Francis Upritchard. The architect of the museum is Yoshio Taniguchi who also designed the extension of Moma in NY.
Mr Taniguchi also designed this one: Higashiyama Kaii Setouchi museum (sorry only in Japanese). Kaii originally was from Yokohama but had a strong connection with this district. Kaii was great at painting landscape especially using blues.
And a sculptor-designer (and more) Isamu Noguchi. You can't really see anything but these two stones which are not his work. Over the stone wall there is his studios and house where he spent later of his life in a town where they produce quality stone. You can see his finished/unfinished work in the wall and the mountain disappearing on the background! He also designed a garden with stones next to his house with the seasonal trees: ume (plum tree?), sakura (cherry blossom), tsubaki (camellia) and momo (peach tree)... and it will be nice to visit in different seasons.
This art goes back a lot more. This was built in Kompira shrine complex (in Kotohira, Kagawa) in 17th century (the part at the back, on the left in the picture. the front was built more recent about 100 years ago?). It accommodates fine paintings by Okyo Maruyama from 18th century. They are drawn on the fusuma: sliding doors dividing the rooms. It might sound funny for you but our house used to be built very flexible with fusumas (because of the climate and the small land), and one room functioned as bedroom, dining room and guest room. If you like to make a bigger space for the guests you'd just get rid of these fusumas and join two rooms. Anyway that means the fusuma functioned as the wall which became a great canvas for the wealth to show their taste. So a lot of the old masterpieces were drawn on the fusuma and byobu (panels which also functioned as a room divider). Amazing!
When you can make it over to Setouchi Triennale this year, you should also check out those too!
香川のアートです。去年はTateに草間弥生の個展が回ってきた上に、某ブランドも彼女とコラボレートしたので、ロンドンでも彼女の認知度は一気に高まり、同時にかぼちゃのある直島のことも随分と知られるようになりました。直島や豊島の新しい美術館も気になるところではありましたが、限られた時間内にフェリーを使って動くのには問題があり、断念。今回は谷口吉生デザインの猪熊弦一郎(Mimoca)と東山魁夷の美術館、イサムノグチ庭園美術館と金毘羅宮に行ってきました。
Mimocaでは、猪熊弦一郎が変幻自在に表現を変えながらも、一貫して変化しなかった部分に焦点を当てた企画展があり、とても面白かったです。次の企画展はロンドンのアーティストFrancis Uprichardで、友人たちがデザインを担当しています。ロンドンの風を感じてみたい方は是非、お足を運んでみてください。
東山魁夷の美術館は年に4回、作品の入れ替えをしているようです。私が行った時は信州を描いたものと白い馬の現れる絵を集めたものが展示されていました。風景画と青色遣いを得意とした魁夷、美術館の目の前から本州に繋がる瀬戸大橋の色を決めたのも彼だそうです。タクシーの運転手さんは宇多津の塩業の話、埋め立て地（そして地震による液状化の心配）の話などをしてくれました。日本どこへいっても同じ問題がありますね。
イサムノグチの庭園美術館では、2つのスタジオと、完成、未完成の作品、晩年を過ごした家と庭園を見る事ができます。幾何学的な形を岩で作るという事に、意志を表現する魅力を感じたノグチの試行錯誤の様子を見ることができます。石の表情は変わりませんが、季節が変わったらまた違って見えると思います。見学には前もっての予約が必要。
そして、こんぴらさん。お参りはもちろん、表書院に寄っていきました。円山応挙らのふすま絵を見る事ができます。私が大学生の時、京都の国立博物館で盛大な応挙展がありました。あらゆる所からふすま絵、屏風絵、掛け軸、スケッチを集めた今でも忘れられない圧巻のもので、その時にこちらのふすま絵も見た覚えがあります。表書院では、ガラス障子越しにしか見ることができないので、あの時もっとしっかり見ておけば良かったと思いました。
また今年、瀬戸内芸術祭がありますね。島々のアートと共に、香川の美術に触れてみるのも良いと思いますよ。
一番上の写真は香川県庁。丹下健三作品のレセプションフロアに猪熊弦一郎の壁画があります。
No comments:
Post a Comment