Art's getting fishy in Fukuoka....

Hello, Compendium readers!

WR here, writing from warm and lovely Kyushu.  I hope all you northern-hemispherites are enjoying the spring as much as I am.  For anyone living in Japan, it's especially important for us to embrace the mild beauty of this season.  Because we know what's coming.  1.)  Rainy season; a soppy, wet, mold-spawning realm of hell.  And then, 2.)  Japanese summer; Hell.  Just plain hell.

But for now, the morning breezes still hold a chill and the sunshine is warm on my all-too-pale winterized skin.  It's a pleasant time to get out in the world and see some sights...

... like an art museum or two!

Recently, I've been trying to visit more of the local cultural attractions here in Fukuoka.  I started with the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, located in central Fukuoka City.  It's a lovely, if small, museum at the top of the swanky Riverain shopping complex in the Nakasu-Kawabata area.  It focuses mainly on modern art from artists in China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.

They generously allow visitors to take non-flash photography, so here are a few photos of some my favorite pieces from my leisurely stroll through the galleries.

This next one (below) needs a little explanation, I think.  There were two pieces in one corner of a gallery which were displayed as "found art."  They're retired molds for Buddhist sculptures, elevated on pikes so that visitors can duck inside and look up.  In the picture directly below, if you look closely, you can see the rough shape of a full-body, seated Buddha.  The other mold (not shown from the outside) is of a very large Buddha head.  That's the second picture below, taken from inside.

It was a strangely serene experience, standing inside the mold.  There was a faint herbal smell to it, and sounds from the outside took on an distant, echoey tone.

All in all, I highly recommend the Fukuoka Asian Art museum to local tourists.  And with a ticket price of only 200 yen (at the time of my visit, at least), it really can't be beat for a few hour's pleasant distraction.

In keeping with the art theme, let's flash-forward to today's visit: the Art Aquarium.  This installation, currently being shown at Hakata Station, is a combination of goldfish, aquarium design, and art.  While I think arguments could definitely be made that the fish are not being kept in the best of situations, what with the high stress environment (lights and music and a constant stream of people), I will say that the tanks were all meticulously clean and well-kept, and the fish seemed pretty healthy to me; a not-at-all-an-expert-in-fish outside observer.

So.  That aside, I thought the exhibition was gorgeous.  Stunningly so.  There was a shocking simplicity and organic beauty to it all, like watching a canvas paint itself before your eyes.  Here are a few of my favorite photos from my tour.

The triangle piece is a kaleidoscope, one of dozens installed into the tank.
Pretty darn magical, really.

A still from a short film, projected onto a screen
behind a long and flat tank.  Also magical.

That guy has my same camera!

Since pictures can't really capture the feeling of the place, I thought I'd upload a short video of the signature piece (the over-sized goldfish bowl from above). 

As you can tell, I'm really, reeeeeeally enjoying my new camera.  (Thanks, DW!  Hugs!  Kisses!)  I hope you enjoyed the the blog post this week and maybe it'll inspire you to go out and find some art in your own town, wherever that may be.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to feed the fish!
(The digital ones that live at the top of the blog page, not the ones in the photos.)

WR.