21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa | A highly entertaining museum that anyone can enjoy (Ishikawa)　★★☆

What is 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa?

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is an art museum located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Although it is a museum of contemporary art, it is characterized by many works that anyone can enjoy.

The pool work is especially famous, but I will also introduce other highlights.

Highlights of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

Let's focus on the works on the permanent exhibition.

The permanent exhibition area is about half of the total area, and special exhibitions are held in the remaining space.

Swimming pool (author: Leandro Erlich)

It is a work of a pool that is so famous as "Speaking of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art!"

It looks like a pool, but in reality it is covered with transparent glass and the water depth is about 10 cm.

You can enter under the pool, but you will need to wait at least 30 minutes on holidays as you will be entering one group at a time.

If you really want to see it, aim for the first morning or weekdays.

By the way, it looks like this from the inside.

Even if you put it inside, the staying time is a moment, so you can not have enough time to enjoy the work.

Rather than wasting time side by side, I think it's better to just look at it from the outside. (However, when it rains, the outside will be closed)

Blue Planet Sky (Author: James Turrell)

Also known as "Tarrell's Room".

It's a work with only holes in the ceiling, but for some reason it was comfortable.

This room contains the author's question, "How do you feel the light?"

Let's sit down and enjoy the light.

I'm Here, but Nothing (Author: Yayoi Kusama)

This is not a permanent exhibition, but I would like to introduce it because it is my favorite work at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.

The author is Yayoi Kusama, who is famous for pumpkins with polka dots.

The room itself is wrapped in polka dots, and it is a work that illuminates it with a black light.

Your eyes will flicker a little, but you can experience as if you were lost in a mysterious world.

If you wear whitish clothes, it will react to black light, so you can enjoy your work even more.

Famous artists tend to have many works that are full of self-imitation and déjà vu, but I am surprised at the number of drawers by Yayoi Kusama.

Personally, this is a work I would like to see on permanent display.

Citizen's Gallery 2004.10.09-2005.03.21 (Author: Michael Lin)

Speaking of just colorful walls, it's up to that point, but it's a decent work.

It is colored with a flower pattern with the motif of Kaga Yuzen.

Color Activity House (Author: Olafur Eliasson)

It is exhibited outdoors, so you can watch it for free.

It is a work in which three pieces of colored glass are installed in a spiral shape.

Since it looks different depending on the place and the person who sees it, it seems to express the accidental encounter between the person and the landscape.

Sphere pavilion "Maru" (Author: Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA)

This is also an outdoor work, made to commemorate the 2014th anniversary of the opening of the museum in 10.

The scenery around you looks interesting as you get closer.

You can enjoy it from the inside of the work, so let's put it inside.

Reflection model <Ship of Theseus> (Author: Takahiro Iwasaki)

This is also not a permanent exhibition, but I will introduce it.

This is a model of Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, which reproduces the reflection on the sea.

The lower half is inverted to reproduce the appearance on the surface of the water.

If you look closely, even the lamps of the lights are reproduced, and you can feel a great obsession.

I would like this work to be exhibited permanently, but I think it will be difficult because it takes up a lot of exhibition space.

By the way, "The Ship of Theseus", which is also the title of the work, is a ship that appears in Greek mythology.

The ship was made of wood, so when I replaced the decayed parts, all the parts were replaced with new ones.

The question arises, "Can it be called the original Theseus ship?"

Exterior of the building (Architect: Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA)

The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa was built with the aim of becoming a "park-like museum open to the city."

Therefore, it seems that a circular design with no front or back was adopted so that it can be inserted from anywhere.

One of the architects, Ryue Nishizawa, is a very famous person, and the Towada Art Center, which also focuses on contemporary art, is also designed.

Cafe restaurant "Fusion 21"

With the concept of "the second impression at the museum", a menu incorporating local ingredients is prepared.

It gets crowded at noon, so it is recommended to use it early in the morning.

I ordered a tea and cake set, but the hourglass (water clock?) That measures the time was uselessly fashionable.

It's nice that it looks like a cafe in a museum like this.

"Mariage of Noto's blessings" using local ingredients, but honestly, I felt that it would be hard to get close to 1000 yen with this taste.

There was a product from a local cake shop called "MAPLE HOUSE" in the menu, so I should have done that.

Personally, I think Kanazawa is one of the best sweets battlegrounds in Japan.

Travel time is 60 to 120 minutes

Ignoring works that require waiting time, it takes about 60 minutes to go around.

If you line up in the basement of the pool and watch the work carefully, it will take about 120 minutes.

(Contemporary art has a wide range of time because it has two choices: to pass through without understanding it or to think over time.)

Reservation method and congestion

Reservations may be required for some exhibitions.

Please check on the official website before visiting.If you need to make a reservation, it should be displayed large on the top page.

Only the place where you enter the basement of the pool is crowded, so if you want to enter, visit it in the morning.

Reservation method: Official website

Business hours and admission fee

The building itself will be open at 9:00, but be aware that the exhibition room will start at 10:00.

There are many works that you can watch for free, but all the important points are paid, so let's pay the admission fee obediently.

For Kanazawa citizens, there are quite a few days when it will be free.

Access

It's about 3km from Kanazawa station, so if you're healthy, you may walk.

There is also Omicho Market and Kanazawa Castle Park on the way.

However, be sure to take the bus in the summer.It's usually hot when you think Kanazawa is a snowy country and you're not careful.

The building is circular, so you can enter it from anywhere.

However, after all, there is only one ticket office, so if you enter from the west exit, you will have to go around the building halfway.

Try to enter from the east exit as close to the ticket office as possible.

Map

Finally

When I think about it, about half of the works that I felt "this is interesting!" Were not permanent exhibitions.
(There are some permanent works that were interesting but cannot be introduced due to the prohibition of shooting. For example, "Origin of the World <L'Origine du monde>")

Whether or not you can enjoy it may depend on the quality of the exhibition at that time, but the permanent points alone are worth visiting once.

I think it's better to go to a collection exhibition (a special exhibition where the works in the museum are exhibited) as much as possible.