[Exhibition Report] Nanjo City Art Museum "Mika Ninagawa Exhibition with EiM: Dancing with Shadows in the Light"

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I visited the Nanjo City Art Museum (Okinawa Prefecture) for the first time to see the "Mika Ninagawa Exhibition with EiM: Dancing with Shadows in the Light." Here are my thoughts.

▶︎ Conclusion

The Nanjo City Art Museum is a museum located at the southernmost tip of Japan that opened about four years ago. Although it is not easily accessible, I felt it was a museum worth visiting. This is mainly due to: 1) its location with a superb view of the ocean, 2) its unique style of exhibiting works inside a house, and 3) the fact that Mika Ninagawa's works matched the Nanjo City Art Museum perfectly. If you come to Okinawa, this is a museum I highly recommend you stop by!

▶︎ Reason for visiting

I had an opportunity to go to Okinawa and wanted to visit at least one museum while there. Upon researching, I found the following four main museums in Okinawa.

• Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum (Okimyu)

• Nanjo City Art Museum

• Sakima Art Museum

• Urasoe Art Museum

The largest museum in Okinawa Prefecture is Okimyu. The "Hello Kitty Exhibition" is currently being held there. However, since I had already been to the "Hello Kitty Exhibition" in Tokyo, I decided to visit Okimyu another time.

▼ Thoughts on the "Hello Kitty Exhibition" @ Tokyo National Museum

So, I decided to go to the Nanjo City Art Museum, which I had seen on "X" and "Art Scene." Recently, I have been encountering Mika Ninagawa's exhibitions quite often, unintentionally.

▼ Mika Ninagawa exhibitions and art events I visited in 2024

Additionally, a museum called "PAN Okinawa" is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2027. Ota Fine Arts is leading the project. The total floor area is approximately 3,800 square meters. It looks like I will have more reasons to visit Okinawa in the future 😀

▶︎ Access

To get to Nanjo Art Museum, it takes about an hour by car from Naha city center. I went to Nanjo Art Museum by rental car. It had been about five years (!) since I last drove a car. I was nervous and had to stay focused, but I managed to drive for the day.

You can also get to Nanjo Art Museum by bus. However, in addition to requiring transfers, the number of buses is extremely limited, so it is quite difficult.

▶︎ What is Nanjo Art Museum?

Nanjo Art Museum is the southernmost private art museum in Japan. It is operated by the art-related company Hanzan. It opened in 2021, which is relatively new. Perhaps that is why an acquaintance of mine who lives in Nanjo did not know about Nanjo Art Museum 😅

The museum is about 380 square meters in size (the site area is about 5,000 square meters). Because it includes an atelier and accommodation spaces in addition to exhibition areas, it is a rare museum where artists can stay and focus on creating their work.

Until 2018, this place was operated as a finishing school called "Nishida Gakuin." A finishing school is said to be a school for young unmarried women that teaches general cultural refinement, manners, beauty, cooking, housework, and more.

Because it was renovated from "Nishida Gakuin," the entrance, living room, dining room, Japanese-style room, and bedrooms were kept almost as they were, and the artworks are displayed within those spaces.

The concept is "Beauty exists in life and in daily living" and "at home Art home." The site is mainly composed of six areas (Permanent Exhibition Room <Bijutsukan>, Special Exhibition Room, Atelier, Terrace with an Ocean View, Art Plaza, and Hanzan Cafe).

▶︎ Impressions of "Mika Ninagawa with EiM: Dancing with Shadows in the Light"

✔️ Exhibition Building 1 "A Garden of Blooms Within"

First, I entered the house, which was originally a finishing school. Inside the building, it was a "normal, tidy house".

Amidst this, Mika Ninagawa's works are installed with a sense of rhythm. After taking off my shoes at the entrance, I started with the kitchen on the left.

It was my first time seeing a kitchen and refrigerator placed so casually inside an art museum. Apparently, they used to teach cooking here when it was a finishing school.

There are no captions for individual works in the venue. Mika Ninagawa's works are simply displayed with great taste throughout the house.

Next, I went to the living room on the right side of the entrance.

The living room has both tatami mat and hardwood flooring areas. I particularly liked the small, round cushions on the tatami mats.

Sitting on a small cushion made of a rattan-like material on the tatami mats, I felt like I was "visiting someone's home". On the other hand, looking out at "Mika Ninagawa's tropical-style vivid colors," I felt a strange sensation, wondering if I was feeling relaxed or if my heart was being brightened.

The hardwood floor space features a grand piano and some nice sofas and tables. The Mika Ninagawa world is expressed across one entire wall.

Mika Ninagawa's photographs matched perfectly with the location of the Nanjo Art Museum. I felt there was an affinity in viewing works that capture nature in a place so close to nature itself.

Overall, the works and curation made me think, "If I were to decorate my home with art, this is how I would want it to look." At the time of my visit, I didn't know the Nanjo Art Museum's concepts, "Beauty exists in life and in daily living" and "at home Art home", but now that I think about it, that is exactly the impression I received.

I also have a few flower paintings displayed in my room.

Having some art in your daily life makes your heart richer. Living surrounded by high-quality art in a nature-rich environment like the Nanjo Art Museum seems like it would be very restful (though daily life might be a bit inconvenient).

✔️ Garden "Garden of Lights"

In the outdoor space, Mika Ninagawa's works printed on fabric are displayed. On this day, the works were tied down due to strong winds. If you come on a day with nice weather and little wind, the beauty of the works would likely stand out even more.

✔️ Exhibition Building 2 "Dancing with Shadows in the Light"

Exhibition Building 2 was a small white cube space. In addition to the only video work in this exhibition, there is a display of combined photographs.

The Mika Ninagawa works I have seen in the past had a superficial impression of being "colorful and photogenic", but essentially "poisonous and ephemeral".

In the Nanjo Art Museum exhibition, there were no negative impressions, and many of the works highlighted the natural beauty of Okinawa. I felt that the selection of works matched the location of Nanjo, and at the same time, I was able to realize the versatility of Mika Ninagawa's work.

✔️ Ocean View Terrace

There are no works on the Ocean View Terrace. However, you can sit on the sofas and benches and relax while looking out at the Okinawan sea.

It was a chilly and windy day, so I couldn't relax on the terrace. However, on a nice day, I feel like I could spend hours there.

✔️ Shop / Cafe

The end leads to the museum shop and cafe. When using the cafe, the second floor with a great view is recommended.

▶︎ Summary

How was it? I thought it was a museum worth the effort of renting a car to visit. In addition to the location surrounded by nature being great, the exhibition rooms, which were renovated from a finishing school, offered new discoveries not found in other museums. Also, Mika Ninagawa's exhibition is perfect for the Nanjo Art Museum! I thought it was a spot you should definitely stop by on your trip to Okinawa.

▶︎ Today's Museum Food