MOA Museum of Art

The MOA Museum of Art was jointly created by Japanese modern artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Toshiyuki Sakakida.

This art museum, which is located on the mountainside and overlooks the sea, offers a panoramic view of Izu Oshima and Sagami Bay through its huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

The museum has a rich collection of about 3,500 pieces of Oriental art. When I went there, the highlights were Mount Fuji and ocean art creations, the national treasure red and white plum blossom screen, and the colorful painted wisteria teapot, which are full of Oriental vision and look to the world.

The MOA Museum of Art's building is a work of art in itself. It faces the sea and is built on the mountain. After entering the museum and taking a long elevator, I saw the circular hall and looked up, and my eyes were attracted by the colorful dome.

This dome is known as the world's largest projection kaleidoscope, with gorgeous light and shadows constantly flowing and changing, surging in the darkness, like a mysterious and dreamy seabed.

Walk up the stairs, turn around a platform, and enter the hall. There is a large transparent floor-to-ceiling glass window in front of you. Sit on the bench designed by Hiroshi Sugimoto in front of the window, and the mountain view outside the window will unfold in front of you like a scroll.

The scenery of the entire art museum reminds me of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s masterpiece “Seascape” series.

The entire series adopts a minimalist approach to composition, with only horizontal sea and sky, usually without any trace of humans.

Just like the sea I overlooked while sitting in MOA’s coffee space. I imagine Hiroshi Sugimoto taking these works in different weather, light and geographical locations, facing the boundless sea and vast sky, and involuntarily reflecting on my own insignificance and transience.

This kind of thinking about human existence also made me understand a little bit about the core of Hiroshi Sugimoto's works during the short time I stayed in MOA.

The "silent" images guide us into a state of meditation, to contemplate the impermanence of ourselves, life, and the universe.

🌊MOA Museum of Art
26-2 Momoyama-cho, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture