オススメ度
外国語対応
About 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is a modern art museum that opened in 2004 in the center of Kanazawa City.
It is now a very popular spot visited by more than 2.5 million people a year (the largest number in Japan!).
The museum is bright and open, and its concept is “a park-like museum open to the city.
It consists of a free “Interaction Zone” and a fee-based “Exhibition Zone,” and is characterized by its many interactive exhibits that allow visitors to feel as if they were part of the works themselves.
Incidentally, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa’s collection policy is as follows
- works that propose a new sense of values created after the 1980s
- “Works produced after 1900 that serve as historical reference points.
- Works rich in new creativity by artists associated with Kanazawa.
Despite the name “21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art,” the ticket booth is mainly man-powered and “19th century” in style.
The museum is run in a low-tech manner that one would not expect from the high-tech nation of Japan, where visitors are given a piece of paper to read and a small explanation to be given verbally.
If you don’t have time or money, it might be a good idea to go only to the Interaction Zone, which has many objects and is quite enjoyable, because it is free and you don’t have to wait.
And inside the museum, which you enter after a long line, you will find works by contemporary artists that probably more than 99% of the visitors have never heard of.
I guess they are famous in that world…. The works are so avant-garde that you have to have an “artistic mind” to appreciate them.
Many visitors are unable to appreciate these works of art, and are left standing around with a wry smile on their face or a dumbfounded look on their face.
In fact, they are saying, “What is the art in this! I once saw an old man who was indignant, saying, “What is the art in this?
It might be more interesting to see the reactions and expressions of visitors rather than the artworks.
I have written many critical things about the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, but the museum’s concept is “art that can be seen, touched, and experienced,” so it can be enjoyed by adults and children alike, and the wide range of free admission makes it an excellent place to become familiar with art in an easygoing manner.
Nearby Excursions
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is a 3-minute walk from Kanazawa Castle Park, a 5-minute walk from Kenrokuen Garden, and a 10-minute walk from the Naga-machi Bukeyashiki Ruins, so it would be more efficient to visit the museum together with these facilities.
Recommendation
Basically, there is nothing to do but appreciate art.
Touch the art, nod your head as if you understand it, or cross your arms in appreciation.
Photography
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, with its many unique exhibits, is so photogenic that it is often chosen as a location for wedding photos.
It is a good idea to take lots of pictures and upload them to your social.
You can show your friends and acquaintances that you are an intelligent person who is also interested in art.
The Exchange Zone
The “Exchange Zone” is free and open until 10:00 p.m., so it is highly recommended for those who hate paying for art or who have some interest in art but are too busy sightseeing in other places during the daytime.
Avoiding the crowds
For popular exhibits such as the “Swimming Pool” and some special exhibitions, there is often a one to two hour wait to enter the museum.
First, it is best to avoid weekends and holidays.
Also, the busiest time of day for visitors is between 10:00 and 13:00.
After 16:00 (*Friday and Saturday, when the museum is open at night, from 18:00 to 20:00) is recommended, as the number of visitors is much smaller.
Discount benefit
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa has a tie-up with the surrounding shopping district, and many stores offer discounts on food, drink, and shopping when you show your ticket stub.
Access to 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
By Bus
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is generally accessible by bus.
From the Kanazawa Station (East Exit) bus terminal, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes by most Hokuriku Railways buses, all Kanazawa Castle Town Shuttle Buses, Kenrokuen Garden Shuttle Buses, or Machi Buses.
Machi Bus” operates only on weekends and holidays.
The bus stops where you should get off are as follows
- Hirosaka/21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art: All buses leaving from bus stops (3) and (7) pass by this bus stop (*Except for the rapid buses). Get off immediately.
- Korinbo: All buses departing from platform (3), (8) to (10) pass by.
- 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa / Kenrokuen Garden: Board the Machi Bus (available only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) at platform No. 5 and disembark immediately.
By Taxi
Kanazawa Castle Park is about 2.5 km from Kanazawa Station.
It takes 10 minutes by cab and costs about 1,200 yen, so if you are visiting with several people, you can save time by taking a cab.
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
[ See details ]
| Address | 1-2-1, Hirosaka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa |
|---|---|
| Access | - Hirosaka:21st Century Museu[…] |
| Tel | 076-220-2800 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Museum Experience
Below are some of the major works of art.
The Building
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa was designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, an architectural unit that has won The Pritzker Architecture Prize, the Nobel Prize of Architecture.
The UFO-like circular building, with one story above ground and one below, has a diameter of 113 meters, and is curiously structured so that everything can be seen from the front.
The entire building is made of glass, allowing light to stream in, making the interior bright and open.
The building itself is also a work of art.
The Swimming Pool
Artis : Leandro ERLICH/2004
Location : Exhibition Zone (admission charged)
This pool-shaped work installed under the floor of the “Light Garden” is the most famous and popular work in the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
Looking from above, it appears to be an ordinary swimming pool, but in fact there is a light blue space underneath that can accommodate people, making it look as if people are walking around in the water.
Conversely, if you look up from below, the shimmering surface of the water reflecting the light is beautiful and fantastic, and you can enjoy the strange sensation as if you are in the water.
* Previously, visitors could enter the aboveground area free of charge, but now tickets to one of the sponsored exhibitions (for a fee) are required.
Klangfeld Nr.3 für Alina
Artist : Florian CLAAR / 2004
Location : Exchange zone (free of charge)
Twelve tuba tubes (six pairs) are scattered on an outdoor lawn.
Each pipe is connected to another pipe through the ground.
The sound or voice emitted from one tube is transmitted through the other tube and heard from the other, reminding one of a string telephone.
It is recommended that two or more people enjoy this work together.
Wrapping
Artist : LAR / Fernando ROMERO / 2005
Location : Exchange Zone (free of charge)
A jungle gym-like structure constructed of stainless steel pipes, wrapped in wire mesh, and placed outdoors on the lawn.
Visitors can enter the structure from stairs in three directions.
Blue Planet Sky
Artist : James TURRELL / 2004
Location : Exchange Zone (free of charge)
This work is a reflection of the artist’s question, “How do you feel the light?”
The walls and floor of the room are devoid of any unnecessary decoration, and the sky cut into squares on the ceiling and in the center of the room looks as if it were a painting.
The sky shows various expressions depending on the season and time of day.
At dusk, the sky is illuminated to make it appear bluer.
The Man Who Measures the Clouds
Artist : Jan FABRE / 1998
Location : Exchange Zone (free of charge)
This golden statue of a man holding up a pincushion with both hands and seemingly measuring the clouds in the sky is placed on the roof of the museum.
The work was inspired by a line from the main character in the American movie “Birdman of Alcatraz,” about a man who became an ornithologist in solitary confinement: “I’ll spend my days measuring clouds.
Colour activity house
Artist : Olafur ELIASSON/2010年
Location : Exchange zone (free of charge)
This is an outdoor exhibition of semi-circular glass panels of cyan, magenta, and yellow, the three primary colors of color, standing on top of each other as if they were swirling around.
It is interesting to see how the scenery and people outside are tinted and changed in various colors according to the overlapping colors of the glass and the direction of sunlight as one enters.
Green Bridge
Artist : Patrick BLANC / 2004
Location : Exchange Zone (free of charge)
About 100 kinds of plants collected from the mountains and forests of Ishikawa Prefecture are planted on both sides of a huge 5m long x 13m wide wall, covering a glass corridor.
This work allows visitors to feel the richness and beauty of nature up close.
It is amazing that the plants are arranged with exquisite calculation and balance so that they are surrounded by greenery throughout the four seasons.
You Renew You
Artist : Pipilotti RIST / 2004
Location : Exhibition zone (admission charged)
This work is located in one men’s restroom and one women’s restroom in the museum.
A 30-cm square altar with a crystal and an object modeled after the museum inside is placed at the side of the sink.
On the objects are projected images of food and drink being transformed into blood, tears, and tissue in the body, as well as words of gratitude for the excrement.
L’Origine du monde
Artist : Anish KAPOOR / 2004
Location: Exhibition zone (admission charged)
Entering the dimly lit exhibition room, one sees a huge black oval on the sloping concrete wall.
The black surface appears to be flat, raised, or even sunken, and from any angle you cannot tell what it really is.
Both the visual and perceptual senses are shaken by this mysterious sensation.
The work is simple, but profound and philosophical.
Eat
Fusion21
Located near the east entrance, this stylish café-restaurant with white as its base color. In the open, glass-enclosed space, you can enjoy a menu that incorporates Kaga vegetables and other local ingredients, as well as sweets. The “Fusion Lunch,” which includes a main dish and an appetizer buffet for 1,500 yen, is especially recommended.
[ See details ]
| Address | 1-2-1, Hirosaka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa |
|---|---|
| Access | In 21st Century Museum of Con[…] |
| Tel | 076-231-0201 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
