Chichu Art Museum

Chichu means “under the earth” in Japanese; a particularly apt name for this unusual gallery which sits almost entirely underground.

  • Words: Philip Jodidio
  • Photography: Kaori Ichikawa

Tadao Ando began working on the small island of Naoshima in Japan’s Inland Sea in 1990 when he completed the Benesse House Museum and Hotel. Since then, he has built repeatedly on the island for the same client. Located on a hillside just opposite Benesse House, the Chichu Museum, which opened to the public in July 2004, was created for a small group of art works by James Turrell, Walter De Maria and Claude Monet.

Chichu means “under the earth” in Japanese, and this unusual structure is almost entirely underground because of local environmental protection laws. The exhibition Tadao Ando – The Challenge, which features works from Naoshima as well as other buildings by the Japanese master, is being held at the Armani Silos in Milan until 28 July 2019.

Philip Jodidio is the author of Tadao Ando, Complete Works, 1975-Today (Taschen, 2018).

Article taken from
Articles

Further Reading

Werner Bischof’s Diary

An extract from the Swiss photographer’s diary describes a dawn ascent of the Alps and highlight his lyrical relationship with the landscape, and his existential and humanist interests.

Graf Zeppelin

Remembering the last blast of the Jazz Age: an epic round-the-world journey for the German airship, Graf Zeppelin, packed with adventurers, an actress, caviar, booze, jazz and even a cat.

Michael Christopher Brown

Michael Christopher Brown cut his teeth as a war photographer in Libya. Here he tells how he uses the camera to make sense of a confusing and complex world.

Reading List: Armchair Adventuring

From groundbreaking scientific discovery, swashbuckling on the high seas to the man who inspired James Bond, we handpick six books for armchair adventuring.

Archive Letter: ‘Three Sporty Girls’

In early 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton’s office posted an advertisement worded: Men wanted for hazardous journey. The overwhelming response was not limited to men, but the reply to Shackleton’s office to these ‘three sporty girls’ was one of regret.

Pyrogeography

The opening of a major new centre for the study of wildfire in London this year is the latest admission of the impact it is having on society and the environment.
Browse by Category