

The comparison to the azure waters of the Mediterranean doesn’t quite stand up, but Naoshima truly has become a vibrant centre of the arts and a success story for Japan’s countryside, particularly the smaller islands. What began as a cultural and educational collaboration between the Naoshima government and the Benesse Corporation, the island now boasts three excellent museums as well as areas for lesser-known artists to exhibit their work. I had a day and I intended to see it all.
Upon arrival in Miyanoura village, I found that everyone who had disembarked with me was waiting in a long line for the shuttle buses that went around the museums. Scoffing at their laziness, I rented a shopping bicycle and proceeded to regret it as soon as I got out of town. Naoshima is quite hilly and no place for bikes without gears, so I arrived at the first museum quite sweaty. (To my chagrin, I later learned that another shop rents battery-assisted bicycles that make the hills a breeze.)

Unlike other museums I had visited, there were only three exhibits: five water lily painting by Claude Monet and installations by James Turrell and Walter De Maria. Each used the natural lighting as a part of the installation, so much so that there were special reservations for night viewing. I was used to seeing art under electric light and was surprised at how much depth the soft light added to Monet’s paintings.

The Lee Ufan Museum was smaller than the first two, but was the best combination of styles. Lee, a notable Korean artist, is known for his stark, minimalist works and simplicity of elements. The narrow concrete hallways feel gloomy, but they you come across a solitary boulder or a single streak of paint in a white canvas. The contrast is startlingly effective, like finding a quartz crystal in a bed of grey gravel.
The village of Honmura on the east side of the island is where many upcoming artists come to display their work, feeding off the enthusiasm of the boat-loads of visits each summer. Aside from several installation pieces, the village has a handful of old homes turned into art galleries and you can never be quite sure of what will be on display. During my visit there were half a dozen young photographers from the Osaka area showing off their work. Chatting with these ambitious young men and women inspired by the works around them was the perfect finish for a day on Japan’s island of art.

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