Hirosaki Brick Warehouse Museum

#hirosakiれんが warehouse art museum #hirosaki #Nara Yoshitomo #aomori

The Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art was built in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It was renovated from the Yoshino-cho brick warehouse, a modern industrial heritage that formed the landscape of Hirosaki, and opened in 2020.

The brick building has a history of 100 years, and the renovation was carried out with the concepts of "inheriting memory" and "regenerating scenery" in order to improve its earthquake resistance and preserve as much of the original items as possible. The space inside the building not only introduces advanced art from home and abroad that shows the greatest appeal of the works, but also exhibits and collects contemporary works that correspond to the history and culture of Hirosaki and the Tohoku region.

The goal is to become a creative center (cultural creation base) that can evoke new creativity and connect the past, present and future by connecting the region and the world through modern art, and by exposing diverse visuals and rich sensibilities.

In addition to art exhibition rooms, the building also houses studios, a civic gallery and a library.

Before becoming an art museum, Hirosaki City held three exhibitions of contemporary artist Yoshitomo Nara in 2002, 2005 and 2006.
At the current museum entrance, there is an "A to Z Memorial Dog" donated as a token of gratitude to the volunteers who participated in the exhibition at that time, and we welcome you to visit.
Emerging architect Tsuyoshi Tian Gen highlighted three key points in the museum renovation design.
1. The Inheritance of Memory
We retained and utilized existing bricks and other components as much as possible and carried out earthquake-resistant reinforcement.
2. Hirosaki Brick Stacking Method
The beautiful brick arch at the entrance gives a warm feeling. It is newly laid bricks, different from the existing British brick arches, and is named "Hirosaki Brick".
3. “Cider Gold Diamond Roof”

Each roof of the museum building is made of titanium, and its color changes depending on how the light hits it, giving it a variety of expressions.
The exhibition consists of three projects each year, and you can see works by contemporary artists from Japan and overseas, including Yoshitomo Nara and Jean-Michel Othoniel.

20 minutes on foot from JR Hirosaki Station
Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art
〒036-8188 2-1 Yoshinocho, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture
TEL: +81-172-32-8950
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
Closed: Tuesday (if it is a holiday, it will be closed on the next day), year-end and New Year holidays