The Tottori
Prefectural Museum of Art
Tottori Prefecture
My
recent late spring visit to Tottori Prefecture, nestled by the Japan Sea in the
Kansai region of Japan, unfolded like a visual symphony. The landscape itself
was a romantic tapestry of high mountains with intermittent valleys filled with
flooded rice paddies that sparkled against an abundance of lush vegetation.
Hues of emerald, vivid lime, viridian, and other chromatic bright greens
painted a scene so visually seductive it felt like a paradise not lost, but
exquisitely found. Tottori truly is a stunning visual treat, a rare beauty so
wonderfully hidden from the well-worn tourist trails of the world. And it is
within this magnificent terrain that I discovered a very new and remarkably
well-designed prefectural gallery.
Tottori Prefectural
Museum of Art
Upon
entering the Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art, I was immediately struck by the
sincere welcome of the staff. Their warmth infused the entire space with a
comforting ambiance, setting a wonderfully positive tone for the visit – a
crucial first impression for any museum. I found the museum's design
particularly appealing. Unlike the stark white aesthetic of some art spaces, this museum's public access
galleries on the ground floor fostered a palpable sense of engagement with both
the art and its visitors. It felt refreshing, a space designed for connection
rather than mere display.
"The Tip of
Salt, 1985" by MURAOKA Saburo (1928 – 2013).
The
major exhibition on show during my visit, "Art of the Real: Art that
Transcends Time - from Jakuchu to Warhol and Richter," was truly
excellent. Among the diverse and often idiosyncratic artworks, one piece in
particular profoundly resonated with me: "The Tip of Salt, 1985" by
MURAOKA Saburo (1928 – 2013).[1]
Crafted from steel, soft water, and heat, and measuring over two meters in
height, this rustic steel needle point initially left me pondering its
creator's intent. Why would someone create such an object? Research, however,
unveiled the poignant truth behind its creation. Muraoka was haunted by the war
and the devastating loss of his brother in Manchuria. The colossal needle,
then, becomes a powerful, if heartbreaking, metaphor: no matter how immense the
effort, nothing can stitch back together the pieces of a life shattered by
loss, or restore the happiness that war, that omnipresent tyrant in humanity's
life, so cruelly steals.
"Art
of the Real: Art that Transcends Time - from Jakuchu to Warhol and
Richter" is a very good exhibition well worth a visit. There is so
much to learn from this exhibition about past histories and what the
future might hold, for in the present time we cannot experience it until it
passes into our histories. As a bonus there is a very nice restaurant close to the exhibition; it's well worth taking a rest there to contemplate the exhibition experience and enjoy
this wonderful museum.
Link to museum
https://tottori-moa.jp/
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saburo_Muraoka
