AusLeisure

Described as a museum of the “five senses and encounters”, the Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM) features a collection of more than 5,000 works by Japanese painters and sculptors.

Combining double height spaces and large glass screens, the 80 metre long, three-floor cubic structure has been wrapped with a woven timber façade, referencing the area’s traditional bamboo crafts.

Acting as a cultural heart of the city, the newly opened gallery encourages social and public activity with the expansive foyer actings as a gallery in itself, as well as a café space.

Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient Shigeru Ban designed the museum to be freely used by all – connecting the interior galleries to the surrounding city area.

Commenting on the design, Ban stated “I made this art museum into a straightforward cubic shape, as architecture that is an extension of the office area street framework.

“Although by opening the front facing mobile glass folding doors, a space is created where interior is connected with exterior.”

Museum director Ryu Niimi’s ambition was to create a place “where the art of the world and the culture of Oita collide”, adding “if you are not determined to build something unique, and like nothing else, to exist only in Oita, then it is meaningless.”

Oita is a coastal prefecture on Japan’s Kyushu Island best known for its hot springs.

All images courtesy of Shigeru Ban Architects.

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