Valley Gallery
| Valley Gallery | |
|---|---|
ヴァレーギャラリー | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Naoshima, Kagawa |
| Country | Japan |
| Coordinates | 34°26′53″N 133°59′25″E / 34.44793370633129°N 133.99027781392695°E |
| Opened | March 12, 2022 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Tadao Ando |
The Valley Gallery (ヴァレーギャラリー) is an art museum located in the mountains of Naoshima, an island of Japan.[1] Designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, marking his ninth building on Naoshima, it opened to the public in 2022 ahead of that year's Setouchi Triennale.[2][3][4]
Design
The Valley Gallery, designed by Ando in his characteristic style, is a semi-open, trapezoidal, shrine-like building made of concrete, with a steel roof.[5] Ando specifically designed it with exposure to light in mind vis-à-vis slits and other openings.[6][7] The Spaces wrote that it "looks like a crashed spaceship" due to its "Sharp angles and apertures," its steel roof "resembling a pair of folded wings."[8]
Both indoors and outdoors, the Valley Gallery has showcased works like Yayoi Kusama's Narcissus Garden and Tsuyoshi Ozawa's 88 Slag Buddhas.[9][10] It also connects several parts of the Benesse House, allowing its visitors to navigate many of its facilities altogether.[11] Its name refers to its placement in a valley formed by three mountains and covered in azaleas during spring.[12]
History
On October 9, 2021, a press conference was held by Akiko Miki, the International Artistic Director of the Benesse Art Site, as well as Ando and Hiroshi Sugimoto. There, plans were announced for two new facilities on Naoshima.[2] As for the construction itself, Ando and several others, including Soichiro Fukutake, selected a site in a valley near the Lee Ufan Museum, after which he began work on a building "that is as strong as a crystal, even if it is small."[13][14]
By the following year, on March 12, 2022, the Valley Gallery, as well as the Hiroshi Sugimoto Gallery, opened on Naoshima, coinciding with the thirtieth anniversary of the Benesse Art Site's activities on the island, as well as the Setouchi Triennale.[15][16]
References
- ^ "香川「ベネッセアートサイト直島」に新ギャラリー開館". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ a b "ベネッセアートサイト直島に安藤忠雄設計の〈ヴァレーギャラリー〉と、新素材研究所〈杉本博司ギャラリー 時の回廊〉がオープン - TECTURE MAG（テクチャーマガジン） | 空間デザイン・建築メディア". TECTURE MAG（テクチャーマガジン） | 空間デザイン・建築メディア - TECTURE MAG（テクチャーマガジン）は、建築・インテリアデザインに関わる設計者や建材・プロダクトメーカー各社のクリエイティブな活動を支えるウェブメディアです。 (in Japanese). 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "直島に誕生した安藤忠雄の〈ヴァレーギャラリー〉は、谷間に現れる聖地のような空間です。". Casa BRUTUS (in Japanese). 2022-04-02. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "祝・開館30周年！ ベネッセアートサイト直島に2つの新ギャラリーがオープン". 25ans (in Japanese). 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "SPEIRS MAJOR LIGHT ARCHITECTURE". www.smlightarchitecture.com. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "この春の直島は安藤忠雄建築と杉本博司ギャラリーに注目！". 「colocal コロカル」ローカルを学ぶ・暮らす・旅する (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ 日経クロステック（xTECH） (2022-05-12). "「原点」に立ち返る直接光". 日経クロステック（xTECH） (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "Valley Gallery by Tadao Ando is Naoshima's newest art pilgrimage site". Wallpaper*. 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "アートの島・直島に新たにふたつの施設が開館。安藤忠雄による「ヴァレーギャラリー」と「杉本博司ギャラリー 時の回廊」がオープンへ". 美術手帖 (in Japanese). 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "The Valley Garden Naoshima". sayhito-atlas.com. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "直島で味わう自然とアートの共生。「ヴァレーギャラリー」と「杉本博司ギャラリー 時の回廊」が新たにオープン". 美術手帖 (in Japanese). 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "Tadao Ando designed a gallery to celebrate the Japanese art islands". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "tadao ando designs a new gallery for japanese art island". designboom | architecture & design magazine. 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "Tadao Ando Designs New Gallery Within the Massive Japanese Art Island". Hypebeast. 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ "ベネッセアートサイト直島に、新たなアート施設「ヴァレーギャラリー」と「杉本博司ギャラリー 時の回廊」がオープン". デザイン情報サイト[JDN] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-08-17.
- ^ 日経クロステック（xTECH） (2022-03-09). "直島で2ギャラリーが22年3月12日開館、草間作品展示の安藤建築と杉本作品の回廊". 日経クロステック（xTECH） (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-08-17.