Visited 15.05.2016 (Sun)
Art journey. Looked forward to embark on an art expedition at Aomori Prefecture, the birthplace of renowned artists such as Yoshitomo Nara 奈良美智, Toru Narita 成田亨(the late designer and sculptor for the heroes and demons appearing in Ultraman series) and Shiko Munakata 棟方志功 (the late printmaker who became the first Japanese to receive an award for his artwork at Venice Biennale in 1956). Covered two art museums, Aomori Museum of Art in Aomori city and Towada Art Center in Towada city (about 1.5 hour drive away from Aomori city), during my second trip to Tohoku region and the artworks, presented in various forms of media, left a deep impression in me. One common feature which I like most about both art museums was its layout, as the intriguing exhibits were carefully and cleverly arranged to induce anticipation and spark curiosity in visitors.
Design. Missed out on Aomori Museum of Art on my first trip to Tohoku region (in Oct 2015) because the museum was closed for refurbishment/change of exhibits between Sep 2015 to Mar 2016. Aomori Museum of Art is situated just beside Sannai Maruyama Archaeological Site, and is easily accessible by public transport from the city center. The geometric building comprised of two underground floors, where the exhibition halls are located in, and the two storeys above ground are occupied by a theatre, community gallery, cafe and souvenir shop. The footprint of the museum looks like trenches created during archaeological excavation (said to be inspired by Sannai Maruyama Archaeological Site), while the contemporary style building took on a neutral colour scheme, with two contrasting colours, white and gray, being the main colours applied inside out.
Visual identity. Art appreciation at the museum began right upon arrival. The first thing which caught my attention was the tree like motifs, which were formed from blue neon tubes, occupying the several walls of the museum. The motif, which represents both a tree and the letter "A" (A for Aomori), was a visual identity specially created to represent Aomori Museum of Art. Upon stepping into the museum, I felt that I have entered into a completely different space from the outside world. The interior has a strong minimalist and homogeneous concept, extended to almost every corner one can venture into - the lockers room, elevators and even the toilets! Though I have not been to many art museums in my life and definitely far from being an expert in this field, numerous art works were able to provoke my interest and made me delve deeper in thoughts after I gained understanding of the intent/meaning behind the creations.
Endearing. Photo-taking is generally not allowed in the exhibition halls except for one particular piece of art work, which I wanted very much to see in person. Named Aomori-ken (あおもり犬), this gigantic symbolic installation of Aomori Museum of Art is a masterpiece of Yoshitomo Nara 奈良美智. Standing 8.5 m in height and 6.7 m in width, Aomori-ken is actually a sculpture of a dog (realised that the kanji "犬" for dog can be pronounced as "inu" or "ken"), with half of its body submerged into the ground and a dog bowl placed in front of it. There are two ways to admire this outdoor installation from completely different perspectives. Either through the glass panels from the exhibition hall (admission fee required) which creates the impression that the dog is tapped behind the gates or go as close as possible to the dog by accessing the outdoor area through a separate walkway which does not require an admission fee. In the outdoor premises, I could capture a clearer expression of the endearing looking dog. Not sure why but while looking at Aomori-ken, it gave me an unknown sense of security and assurance. How about you?
Shop and eat. After fulfilling my wish of visiting Aomori-ken, I made my way to the museum shop located on the first floor. Bought a postcard featuring Aomori-ken to send back home and a pin badge depicting the girls created by Yoshimoto Nara. Took a break at yon hiki no neko 四匹の猫 (which means four cats), a cafe located on the second floor of the museum and savoured a delicious slice of apple pie before I concluded this memorable art journey.
Cafe yon hiki no neko 四匹の猫: http://www.jogakurakanko.jp/yonhikinoneko/index.html
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Aomori Museum of Art 青森県立美術館
〒038-0021 青森市安田字近野185
Operating hours:
Oct - May: 0930 - 1700 hrs (last entry at 1630 hrs)
Jun - Sep: 0900 - 1800 hrs (last entry at 1730 hrs)
Admission fee for exhibition halls = 510 yen
http://www.aomori-museum.jp/ja/
How to get there?
(1) By bus from Aomori Ekimae Bus Terminal.
There are two bus services that depart from the bus terminal in front of Aomori JR Station/Aoimori Railway Station for Aomori Museum of Art.
Platform #6: For Aomori City Bus 青森市営バス Sannai Maruyama Historical Site line 三内丸山遺跡線, heading for Aomori Museum of Art 青森県立美術館 and Sannai Maruyama Historical Site 三内丸山遺跡.
- Fare from Aomori Ekimae to Aomori Museum of Art = 280 yen
- Fare from Aomori Ekimae to Sannai Maruyama Historical Site = 310 yen
https://www.city.aomori.aomori.jp/koutsu/documents/20151001sannnaimaruyamasenn.pdf
Platform #7: For Nebutan-go Bus ねぶたん号バス, which covers attractions located in Aomori city such as Sannai Maruyama Historical Site 三内丸山遺跡, Aomori Museum of Art 青森県立美術館, ASPAM, Aomori Prefectural Museum 県立郷土館 and Shiko Munakata Memorial Museum 棟方志功記念館.
- Fare per trip = 200 yen
- One day pass = 500 yen
http://www.aomori-kanko-bus.co.jp/topics.html
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Commemorative stamps:
Art journey. Looked forward to embark on an art expedition at Aomori Prefecture, the birthplace of renowned artists such as Yoshitomo Nara 奈良美智, Toru Narita 成田亨(the late designer and sculptor for the heroes and demons appearing in Ultraman series) and Shiko Munakata 棟方志功 (the late printmaker who became the first Japanese to receive an award for his artwork at Venice Biennale in 1956). Covered two art museums, Aomori Museum of Art in Aomori city and Towada Art Center in Towada city (about 1.5 hour drive away from Aomori city), during my second trip to Tohoku region and the artworks, presented in various forms of media, left a deep impression in me. One common feature which I like most about both art museums was its layout, as the intriguing exhibits were carefully and cleverly arranged to induce anticipation and spark curiosity in visitors.
Design. Missed out on Aomori Museum of Art on my first trip to Tohoku region (in Oct 2015) because the museum was closed for refurbishment/change of exhibits between Sep 2015 to Mar 2016. Aomori Museum of Art is situated just beside Sannai Maruyama Archaeological Site, and is easily accessible by public transport from the city center. The geometric building comprised of two underground floors, where the exhibition halls are located in, and the two storeys above ground are occupied by a theatre, community gallery, cafe and souvenir shop. The footprint of the museum looks like trenches created during archaeological excavation (said to be inspired by Sannai Maruyama Archaeological Site), while the contemporary style building took on a neutral colour scheme, with two contrasting colours, white and gray, being the main colours applied inside out.
Visual identity. Art appreciation at the museum began right upon arrival. The first thing which caught my attention was the tree like motifs, which were formed from blue neon tubes, occupying the several walls of the museum. The motif, which represents both a tree and the letter "A" (A for Aomori), was a visual identity specially created to represent Aomori Museum of Art. Upon stepping into the museum, I felt that I have entered into a completely different space from the outside world. The interior has a strong minimalist and homogeneous concept, extended to almost every corner one can venture into - the lockers room, elevators and even the toilets! Though I have not been to many art museums in my life and definitely far from being an expert in this field, numerous art works were able to provoke my interest and made me delve deeper in thoughts after I gained understanding of the intent/meaning behind the creations.
Endearing. Photo-taking is generally not allowed in the exhibition halls except for one particular piece of art work, which I wanted very much to see in person. Named Aomori-ken (あおもり犬), this gigantic symbolic installation of Aomori Museum of Art is a masterpiece of Yoshitomo Nara 奈良美智. Standing 8.5 m in height and 6.7 m in width, Aomori-ken is actually a sculpture of a dog (realised that the kanji "犬" for dog can be pronounced as "inu" or "ken"), with half of its body submerged into the ground and a dog bowl placed in front of it. There are two ways to admire this outdoor installation from completely different perspectives. Either through the glass panels from the exhibition hall (admission fee required) which creates the impression that the dog is tapped behind the gates or go as close as possible to the dog by accessing the outdoor area through a separate walkway which does not require an admission fee. In the outdoor premises, I could capture a clearer expression of the endearing looking dog. Not sure why but while looking at Aomori-ken, it gave me an unknown sense of security and assurance. How about you?
Shop and eat. After fulfilling my wish of visiting Aomori-ken, I made my way to the museum shop located on the first floor. Bought a postcard featuring Aomori-ken to send back home and a pin badge depicting the girls created by Yoshimoto Nara. Took a break at yon hiki no neko 四匹の猫 (which means four cats), a cafe located on the second floor of the museum and savoured a delicious slice of apple pie before I concluded this memorable art journey.
Cafe yon hiki no neko 四匹の猫: http://www.jogakurakanko.jp/yonhikinoneko/index.html
======
Aomori Museum of Art 青森県立美術館
〒038-0021 青森市安田字近野185
Operating hours:
Oct - May: 0930 - 1700 hrs (last entry at 1630 hrs)
Jun - Sep: 0900 - 1800 hrs (last entry at 1730 hrs)
Admission fee for exhibition halls = 510 yen
http://www.aomori-museum.jp/ja/
How to get there?
(1) By bus from Aomori Ekimae Bus Terminal.
There are two bus services that depart from the bus terminal in front of Aomori JR Station/Aoimori Railway Station for Aomori Museum of Art.
Platform #6: For Aomori City Bus 青森市営バス Sannai Maruyama Historical Site line 三内丸山遺跡線, heading for Aomori Museum of Art 青森県立美術館 and Sannai Maruyama Historical Site 三内丸山遺跡.
- Fare from Aomori Ekimae to Aomori Museum of Art = 280 yen
- Fare from Aomori Ekimae to Sannai Maruyama Historical Site = 310 yen
https://www.city.aomori.aomori.jp/koutsu/documents/20151001sannnaimaruyamasenn.pdf
Platform #7: For Nebutan-go Bus ねぶたん号バス, which covers attractions located in Aomori city such as Sannai Maruyama Historical Site 三内丸山遺跡, Aomori Museum of Art 青森県立美術館, ASPAM, Aomori Prefectural Museum 県立郷土館 and Shiko Munakata Memorial Museum 棟方志功記念館.
- Fare per trip = 200 yen
- One day pass = 500 yen
http://www.aomori-kanko-bus.co.jp/topics.html
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Commemorative stamps:
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