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MUNI

A Leading Dining Destination In Adelaide's Rural Township of Willunga

THE ROTHKO CHAPEL

Artist Mark Rothko's Sanctuary For Contemplation, Congregation & Humanity

ART BIOTOP WATER GARDEN

Engineering Nature: Junya Ishigami's Architectural Wonder

KHAITE MERCER ST

Steel & Glass Dominate This Minimalist Flagship Retail Interior

SHIROIYA HOTEL

24 Hours In One of Japan’s Best Art & Design Hotel Destinations

Messner Mountain Museum

The ZHA-Designed Museum Dedicated to the Mountains and its Climbers

KOICHI IO

A Tokyo Studio Visit to the Third-Generation Metalsmith & Contemporary Artist

ISSEY MIYAKE SPRING SUMMER 2023

Kondo's Tribute Through The Power of Sculpture: “Enveloping The Body, Liberating The Mind.”

NoMad London

A Former Magistrates Court Is Transformed Into One Of London's Best New Hotels

Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel

Where the Creative Jetset Stay and Locals Hangout in Downtown Los Angeles

PARKHOTEL MONDSCHEIN

A Rich Cultural History Combined with a Refined Design Aesthetic at this Modern Luxe Hotel

FUFU KYOTO

An Intimate Luxury Hotel that Entwines Traditional Japanese Dining, Architecture and Hospitality with Modern Elegance

JACQUEMUS PARIS

A Pure Interior Led By Playfulness and Surprise

A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE / KYOTO

Designer Tokujin Yoshioka Renovates A 200-Year-Old Machiya, Balancing Heritage With Innovation

The Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre

The Charred-Brick 'Black Box' Presenting The Beauty Of Theatre & Performance

GAIA

British Artist Luke Jerram’s Explores The Vastness of Our Earth

KAN YASUDA SCULPTURE MUSEUM ARTE PIAZZA BIBAI

How To Experience the Renowned Japanese Artist's Sculptures

January, 2020
Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai | Photo Luca Mazzucchelli

There’s something curious and unusual about the way one should approach a sculpture of Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum – Arte Piazza BibaiInstead of look at the sculpture from a distance, the artist implicitly asks you to walk closer, touch the surface of this smoothly undulating creature and, literally, turn your back to it. At the sculpture museum, Yasuda invites you to lie down on the sturdiest element – whether marble or bronze – to observe the presence of the space above and around you, the surreal scenery of Hokkaido’s nature. As soon as you feel the density and regularity of the marble under your body, you gain a renewed appreciation for the sunlight, the air, the sky. You suddenly realise how heavy stones can somehow make you feel lighter.

Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai | Photo Luca Mazzucchelli

Kan Yasuda was born in Bibai, Hokkaido, a town  that was well known throughout Japan for mining coal. When Japan decided to change its energy policy, coal yielded to oil and coal mines suddenly closed. Yama, the coalmine district of the city, has reverted to a wilderness asset and the coalmine housing, railway buildings, the hospital, the school decayed. In this corner of bush, forest and memories, the city of Bibai asked Kan to create a monument what would memorialise the coalmine community.

In 1992 he initiated a sculpture park project called “Arte Piazza”. He turned the old elementary school site into a place where people could gather, find themselves, recuperate their energy and “enjoy the freedom of being”, surrounded by sculptures and nature. The park is spread over 70,000 sqm with no fences nor entrance fees. At its opening there were five sculptures, now the park counts more than 40 art pieces. The site includes a collection of art housed in the former school building and a cozy cafe with a view to the park. Arte Piazza explores a way of being through nature: sculptures stays permanent and almost unchanged while seasons take turns.

Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai | Photo Benedetta Anghileri
Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai | Photo Luca Mazzucchelli
Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai | Photo Luca Mazzucchelli
Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai | Photo Luca Mazzucchelli
Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai | Photo Luca Mazzucchelli
Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai | Photo Benedetta Anghileri
Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai | Photo Benedetta Anghileri

Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza
Ochiaicho Sakaemachi, Bibai, Hokkaido, Japan

The open air museum can be reached via car or train 50 minutes from Sapporo.

Find more Japan destinations on @champ_travel and @delvewithus
#champ_japan #champ_sapporo

Photography: Luca Mazzucchelli & Benedetta Anghileri
Words: Benedetta Anghileri

This article is part of a cross-publishing initiative with DELVE WITH US

January, 2020