The Art Aquarium Production Committee will open the Art Aquarium Museum in August 2020. This year marks the 14th anniversary of Art Aquarium, an aquatic art exhibition created by artist and general producer Hidetomo Kimura, and it has attracted a cumulative total of over 10 million visitors. This summer, a permanent exhibition will open in a two-story dedicated facility constructed by Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. With a total floor area of approximately 2,321 square meters, it will be approximately three times larger than the previous Nihonbashi venue and will be the largest exhibition to date.
Facility Overview: A Museum of Life
The Art Aquarium, a beloved summer tradition, has become a large-scale permanent exhibition that will change with the seasons throughout the year. It will be a new type of museum that will change with each visit and offer new discoveries. This will be the first time that the exhibition will be held in Tokyo outside of the summer. What's more, we have produced an original space that stimulates the senses of "life," "light," "sound," "scent," and "taste." Now is a turning point when people's values towards entertainment are changing, so we have focused on "sensing with all five senses" and thoroughly pursued art that "can only be experienced by visiting" and "can only be experienced in the real world." This is the kind of "living" museum we are aiming for.
Art Aquarium Certified by Japan Expo
At the Japan Expo, hosted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it was recognized and supported as a contemporary art piece representing Japan. By communicating the unique aesthetic sense of Art Aquarium both domestically and internationally, it will contribute to respect for diversity, sharing universality, and prayers for peace.
Highlights of the Art Aquarium Museum
The largest ever! Over 30,000 "living art" creatures
Over 30,000 goldfish will be on display, the largest ever in Art Aquarium history. A wide variety of goldfish will be gathered together, from rare goldfish that you don't usually get a chance to see to familiar goldfish seen at festivals. A multitude of goldfish will welcome the opening of the Art Aquarium Museum. This year's exhibition will be held in a dedicated venue, approximately three times larger than the previous Nihonbashi exhibition. It will be a large exhibition space with a total floor area of approximately 2,321 square meters. Not only will there be goldfish, but the number of artworks that can be exhibited will also increase, allowing visitors to enjoy the completely reborn Art Aquarium.
A different experience every time you visit! Dynamic presentations that change with the seasons
Until now, Art Aquarium has been a limited-time special exhibition, held only in the summer in Tokyo. Now that it has finally opened as a permanent exhibition that will run year-round, Art Aquarium will allow visitors to enjoy seasonal experiences within the venue, and they will be able to take home new discoveries no matter how many times they visit. From the artwork and spatial presentation to the food and drink served in the cafe area, we incorporate a variety of Japanese touches to offer unique, authentic experiences and memories each season.
Enjoy a performance that stimulates all five senses! A commitment to authenticity
The world of ART AQUARIUM expresses life, light, sound, scent, and taste, creating a new art form that allows visitors to fully experience all five senses. "Experience with all five senses" has been a core principle of ART AQUARIUM since its inception, but we've upgraded every aspect. By combining traditional Japanese culture with cutting-edge technology, we offer a three-dimensional experience unlike anything you've ever experienced before.
2020 will be a year of major changes in people's values regarding entertainment. However, we understand the true essence of entertainment and, with an eye to the future, have thoroughly pursued "experiences that can only be experienced through a visit" and "the pursuit of reality." We aim to create a mystical world of art where visitors can experience the beauty of life, providing our guests with memories that will last a lifetime.
The Vision of Art Aquarium Artist Hidetomo Kimura
"ART AQUARIUM," which began exhibiting around the world in 2007, is now in its 14th year, having been visited by over 10 million people. Since then, we have striven to convey the beautiful Japanese "spirit of harmony," and as a result of our continued focus on "Japonism," we have come to feel a mission to preserve Japanese beauty. Now, in Nihonbashi, the city where Edo culture flourished, we are opening the "ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM," a unique museum themed on the beauty of life. We hope you will come and visit this mysterious world woven with the beauty of life that can only be experienced in a real setting.
New Area (Partially Open)
Recreating the glittering world of Edo's geisha districts! “Oiran Dochu”
The geisha districts were the most glamorous and innovative places during the Edo period. The most dazzling and iconic moment in the entertainment district is the "Oiran Dochu," a spectacular installation that depicts the Oiran Dochu through the many representative "Oiran" figures from Art Aquariums. A new work has also been created, recreating the Daimon Gate, which is said to have stood at the entrance to the entertainment district. Passing through the Daimon Gate, an even more magnificent and dreamlike world unfolds before your eyes.
Get lost in the mysterious and beautiful world of "Goldfish Forest"
In Goldfish Forest, columns of water larger than life-size line the ground like a forest, and countless goldfish dance about. Step inside and you'll find yourself lost in the mysterious world of goldfish. The boundary between the underwater world and the outside world becomes blurred, and you'll be enveloped in a floating space.
*Many other new works will also be on display
Works to be exhibited (partially open to the public)
Infinitorium
This large-scale artwork, measuring 2.4m in height and 4m in width, combines 40 triangular aquariums. When you look into the aquarium, the goldfish appear to overlap in layers, seemingly continuing in an eternal chain, creating a mysterious piece. Illuminations resembling raindrops hanging from the ceiling create the illusion of water cascading like a waterfall, and paired with a giant, three-dimensional aquarium, they represent an infinite world.
Earth Aquarium Japonism／EarthAquariumJaponesm
This work features Nishikigoi carp dancing wildly in a gigantic, 1.5m diameter spherical aquarium, modeled after the Earth. This work exudes an overwhelming presence, showcasing the Earth as seen from space and adorned with Nishikigoi carp, a symbol of beauty. Water flows across the surface, representing the Earth as a watery planet, and the work itself rotates, just as if the Earth were rotating on its axis.
Floor-hanging Goldfish DecorationTokogakeKingyoKazari
This piece depicts a modern Japanese alcove, with live goldfish moving around within a hanging scroll of ink painting. The piece is themed around the fusion of real and virtual, and is only completed when the projection mapping images intersect with the shadows cast by the real goldfish. The silver art in the foreground is a collaborative work with Cusi, Italy's oldest jewellery brand.
LotusriumLotusrium
This approximately 4m square aquarium has a majestic atmosphere and is based on the lotus, a flower that is also a seasonal word for summer. The lotus requires thick, muddy water to bloom into its large, beautiful flowers, and even after overcoming hardships and difficulties to bloom, it is a fleeting flower that withers on the fourth day. The story of this flower overlaps with the beautiful yet fleeting way of life of goldfish. This work evokes a gorgeous and graceful worldview woven together by the lotus, a symbol of beautiful yet poignant life, and goldfish.
*Exhibited works are subject to change
Facility Overview
Facility Name: ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM
Opening Date: Scheduled for August 2020
Address: 1-3 Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access: 2-minute walk from Exit A1 of Mitsukoshimae Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line or Hanzomon Line
7-minute walk from Exit D4 of Nihonbashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Tozai Line, or Toei Asakusa Line
5-minute walk from Exit 5 of Shin-Nihonbashi Station on the JR Sobu Line Rapid or Yokosuka Line
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 22:00 (subject to change)
Closed: Open all year round (irregular closures for maintenance)
Site Area: Approximately 2,132 square meters
Total Floor Area: Approximately 2,321 square meters /> Floor: 2nd Floor
Official Website: http://artaquarium.jp
*Details about ticket types and reservation methods will be announced in July.
Safety Measures: We will thoroughly implement infection control measures for visiting guests and staff, and will open only after taking appropriate COVID-19 countermeasures.
We will review government policy and social conditions as they arise and make announcements as they occur.
Organizer: Art Aquarium Production Committee
Representative Executive Member: AmusementParks Co., Ltd.
Representative Directors: Kamei Takaaki and Yoshitake Masaru
Artist and General Producer: Kimura Hidetomo (Art Aquarium Artist)
Planning and Production: Aquarium Creators Office
Special Cooperation: Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
What is Art Aquarium?
Art aquarium artist Kimura Hidetomo has established the unique art genre of "Art Aquarium" by fusing art, design, and entertainment with aquariums, and is sending a new art exhibition from Japan to the world. What began as the "Sky Aquarium" in 2007 has evolved into the "Art Aquarium," a goldfish-focused exhibition with a fantastical Japanese aesthetic reminiscent of the Edo period's entertainment districts. Since 2011, "Art Aquarium" has been held every summer in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, and has grown into a summer tradition in Nihonbashi. To date, 37 exhibitions have been held in Japan, including Hokkaido, Nagano, Ishikawa, Aichi, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, and Okinawa, as well as overseas, including Milan, Italy in 2015 and Shanghai, China in 2018. Its unique worldview has earned it high praise both at home and abroad, attracting a cumulative total of 10 million visitors to date.
About the Artist
Kimura Hidetomo
Art Aquarium Artist
Born in Tokyo in 1972. Kimura is an art aquarium artist who conceived and established the field of "art aquarium," a fusion of "art," "design," and "entertainment" with "aquariums," which he has pursued as his life's work. He has established the unique field of "art aquarium," which combines versatile aquarium design, high-level water quality adjustment, and thorough knowledge of biological management, and is the only artist to hold paid exhibitions using aquatic animals as art in museums. He personally designs and supervises the interior design, lighting, video, music, and spatial composition of the exhibitions. He is currently working on new endeavors such as "Edo Sakura Renaissance," which develop traditional Japanese culture as contemporary art, and is using the experience he has gained there to evolve the "Art Aquarium" exhibitions every day as a real Japan. In 2020, he celebrates his 14th year of activities in "Art Aquarium," a new field he created in Japan, incorporating various cultural elements, such as incorporating traditional performing arts into his unique world.
His "Sky Aquarium," held at the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, and his "Art Aquarium Goldfish Series," featuring Japanese-inspired goldfish works, are particularly well-known and popular, having attracted a total of 10 million visitors as of March 2020.
He is also actively involved in environmental conservation activities, such as bringing to Japan the aquarium materials brand "ORA" from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, a world-class oceanographic research institute in Florida, USA, to link aquariums with environmental conservation. He also works on the "One Ocean Project," an initiative that works with ocean athletes to consider the nature of the ocean, and serves as a board member for "Sailors for the Sea," founded by David Rockefeller Jr. In 2012, he was appointed at an exceptionally young age as a designer for VENINI, the world's leading glass art brand in Venice, Italy, marking his full-fledged debut as a world-class artist. In 2015, he held his first overseas exhibition, "THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD OF ART AQUARIUM," in Milan, Italy.
In addition to his work as an artist, he is also active as a car enthusiast, naturally cultivating strong connections to the automotive world. Starting with the Tokyo Concours d'Elegance in 2009, he has served as general producer of events such as the Japan Classic Automobile, and successfully hosted the Concorso d'Eleganza Kyoto at Nijo Castle, a former imperial villa and World Heritage Site, creating a world-class vintage car competition event. As a young enthusiast who manages the event, he is also expected to play a role in preserving automotive culture for future generations. Then in 2018, he opened "Suigian," a new type of theater-style restaurant and lounge that can be said to be the culmination of his life's work in recent years, which has been to preserve traditional culture and revive Real Japan. Finally, in August 2020, the "Art Aquarium Museum" is scheduled to open in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.
Click here for details on the company press release
Facility Overview: A Museum of Life
The Art Aquarium, a beloved summer tradition, has become a large-scale permanent exhibition that will change with the seasons throughout the year. It will be a new type of museum that will change with each visit and offer new discoveries. This will be the first time that the exhibition will be held in Tokyo outside of the summer. What's more, we have produced an original space that stimulates the senses of "life," "light," "sound," "scent," and "taste." Now is a turning point when people's values towards entertainment are changing, so we have focused on "sensing with all five senses" and thoroughly pursued art that "can only be experienced by visiting" and "can only be experienced in the real world." This is the kind of "living" museum we are aiming for.
Art Aquarium Certified by Japan Expo
At the Japan Expo, hosted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it was recognized and supported as a contemporary art piece representing Japan. By communicating the unique aesthetic sense of Art Aquarium both domestically and internationally, it will contribute to respect for diversity, sharing universality, and prayers for peace.
Highlights of the Art Aquarium Museum
The largest ever! Over 30,000 "living art" creatures
Over 30,000 goldfish will be on display, the largest ever in Art Aquarium history. A wide variety of goldfish will be gathered together, from rare goldfish that you don't usually get a chance to see to familiar goldfish seen at festivals. A multitude of goldfish will welcome the opening of the Art Aquarium Museum. This year's exhibition will be held in a dedicated venue, approximately three times larger than the previous Nihonbashi exhibition. It will be a large exhibition space with a total floor area of approximately 2,321 square meters. Not only will there be goldfish, but the number of artworks that can be exhibited will also increase, allowing visitors to enjoy the completely reborn Art Aquarium.
A different experience every time you visit! Dynamic presentations that change with the seasons
Until now, Art Aquarium has been a limited-time special exhibition, held only in the summer in Tokyo. Now that it has finally opened as a permanent exhibition that will run year-round, Art Aquarium will allow visitors to enjoy seasonal experiences within the venue, and they will be able to take home new discoveries no matter how many times they visit. From the artwork and spatial presentation to the food and drink served in the cafe area, we incorporate a variety of Japanese touches to offer unique, authentic experiences and memories each season.
Enjoy a performance that stimulates all five senses! A commitment to authenticity
The world of ART AQUARIUM expresses life, light, sound, scent, and taste, creating a new art form that allows visitors to fully experience all five senses. "Experience with all five senses" has been a core principle of ART AQUARIUM since its inception, but we've upgraded every aspect. By combining traditional Japanese culture with cutting-edge technology, we offer a three-dimensional experience unlike anything you've ever experienced before.
2020 will be a year of major changes in people's values regarding entertainment. However, we understand the true essence of entertainment and, with an eye to the future, have thoroughly pursued "experiences that can only be experienced through a visit" and "the pursuit of reality." We aim to create a mystical world of art where visitors can experience the beauty of life, providing our guests with memories that will last a lifetime.
The Vision of Art Aquarium Artist Hidetomo Kimura
"ART AQUARIUM," which began exhibiting around the world in 2007, is now in its 14th year, having been visited by over 10 million people. Since then, we have striven to convey the beautiful Japanese "spirit of harmony," and as a result of our continued focus on "Japonism," we have come to feel a mission to preserve Japanese beauty. Now, in Nihonbashi, the city where Edo culture flourished, we are opening the "ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM," a unique museum themed on the beauty of life. We hope you will come and visit this mysterious world woven with the beauty of life that can only be experienced in a real setting.
New Area (Partially Open)
Recreating the glittering world of Edo's geisha districts! “Oiran Dochu”
The geisha districts were the most glamorous and innovative places during the Edo period. The most dazzling and iconic moment in the entertainment district is the "Oiran Dochu," a spectacular installation that depicts the Oiran Dochu through the many representative "Oiran" figures from Art Aquariums. A new work has also been created, recreating the Daimon Gate, which is said to have stood at the entrance to the entertainment district. Passing through the Daimon Gate, an even more magnificent and dreamlike world unfolds before your eyes.
Get lost in the mysterious and beautiful world of "Goldfish Forest"
In Goldfish Forest, columns of water larger than life-size line the ground like a forest, and countless goldfish dance about. Step inside and you'll find yourself lost in the mysterious world of goldfish. The boundary between the underwater world and the outside world becomes blurred, and you'll be enveloped in a floating space.
*Many other new works will also be on display
Works to be exhibited (partially open to the public)
Infinitorium
This large-scale artwork, measuring 2.4m in height and 4m in width, combines 40 triangular aquariums. When you look into the aquarium, the goldfish appear to overlap in layers, seemingly continuing in an eternal chain, creating a mysterious piece. Illuminations resembling raindrops hanging from the ceiling create the illusion of water cascading like a waterfall, and paired with a giant, three-dimensional aquarium, they represent an infinite world.
Earth Aquarium Japonism／EarthAquariumJaponesm
This work features Nishikigoi carp dancing wildly in a gigantic, 1.5m diameter spherical aquarium, modeled after the Earth. This work exudes an overwhelming presence, showcasing the Earth as seen from space and adorned with Nishikigoi carp, a symbol of beauty. Water flows across the surface, representing the Earth as a watery planet, and the work itself rotates, just as if the Earth were rotating on its axis.
Floor-hanging Goldfish DecorationTokogakeKingyoKazari
This piece depicts a modern Japanese alcove, with live goldfish moving around within a hanging scroll of ink painting. The piece is themed around the fusion of real and virtual, and is only completed when the projection mapping images intersect with the shadows cast by the real goldfish. The silver art in the foreground is a collaborative work with Cusi, Italy's oldest jewellery brand.
LotusriumLotusrium
This approximately 4m square aquarium has a majestic atmosphere and is based on the lotus, a flower that is also a seasonal word for summer. The lotus requires thick, muddy water to bloom into its large, beautiful flowers, and even after overcoming hardships and difficulties to bloom, it is a fleeting flower that withers on the fourth day. The story of this flower overlaps with the beautiful yet fleeting way of life of goldfish. This work evokes a gorgeous and graceful worldview woven together by the lotus, a symbol of beautiful yet poignant life, and goldfish.
*Exhibited works are subject to change
Facility Overview
Facility Name: ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM
Opening Date: Scheduled for August 2020
Address: 1-3 Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access: 2-minute walk from Exit A1 of Mitsukoshimae Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line or Hanzomon Line
7-minute walk from Exit D4 of Nihonbashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Tozai Line, or Toei Asakusa Line
5-minute walk from Exit 5 of Shin-Nihonbashi Station on the JR Sobu Line Rapid or Yokosuka Line
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 22:00 (subject to change)
Closed: Open all year round (irregular closures for maintenance)
Site Area: Approximately 2,132 square meters
Total Floor Area: Approximately 2,321 square meters /> Floor: 2nd Floor
Official Website: http://artaquarium.jp
*Details about ticket types and reservation methods will be announced in July.
Safety Measures: We will thoroughly implement infection control measures for visiting guests and staff, and will open only after taking appropriate COVID-19 countermeasures.
We will review government policy and social conditions as they arise and make announcements as they occur.
Organizer: Art Aquarium Production Committee
Representative Executive Member: AmusementParks Co., Ltd.
Representative Directors: Kamei Takaaki and Yoshitake Masaru
Artist and General Producer: Kimura Hidetomo (Art Aquarium Artist)
Planning and Production: Aquarium Creators Office
Special Cooperation: Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
What is Art Aquarium?
Art aquarium artist Kimura Hidetomo has established the unique art genre of "Art Aquarium" by fusing art, design, and entertainment with aquariums, and is sending a new art exhibition from Japan to the world. What began as the "Sky Aquarium" in 2007 has evolved into the "Art Aquarium," a goldfish-focused exhibition with a fantastical Japanese aesthetic reminiscent of the Edo period's entertainment districts. Since 2011, "Art Aquarium" has been held every summer in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, and has grown into a summer tradition in Nihonbashi. To date, 37 exhibitions have been held in Japan, including Hokkaido, Nagano, Ishikawa, Aichi, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, and Okinawa, as well as overseas, including Milan, Italy in 2015 and Shanghai, China in 2018. Its unique worldview has earned it high praise both at home and abroad, attracting a cumulative total of 10 million visitors to date.
About the Artist
Kimura Hidetomo
Art Aquarium Artist
Born in Tokyo in 1972. Kimura is an art aquarium artist who conceived and established the field of "art aquarium," a fusion of "art," "design," and "entertainment" with "aquariums," which he has pursued as his life's work. He has established the unique field of "art aquarium," which combines versatile aquarium design, high-level water quality adjustment, and thorough knowledge of biological management, and is the only artist to hold paid exhibitions using aquatic animals as art in museums. He personally designs and supervises the interior design, lighting, video, music, and spatial composition of the exhibitions. He is currently working on new endeavors such as "Edo Sakura Renaissance," which develop traditional Japanese culture as contemporary art, and is using the experience he has gained there to evolve the "Art Aquarium" exhibitions every day as a real Japan. In 2020, he celebrates his 14th year of activities in "Art Aquarium," a new field he created in Japan, incorporating various cultural elements, such as incorporating traditional performing arts into his unique world.
His "Sky Aquarium," held at the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, and his "Art Aquarium Goldfish Series," featuring Japanese-inspired goldfish works, are particularly well-known and popular, having attracted a total of 10 million visitors as of March 2020.
He is also actively involved in environmental conservation activities, such as bringing to Japan the aquarium materials brand "ORA" from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, a world-class oceanographic research institute in Florida, USA, to link aquariums with environmental conservation. He also works on the "One Ocean Project," an initiative that works with ocean athletes to consider the nature of the ocean, and serves as a board member for "Sailors for the Sea," founded by David Rockefeller Jr. In 2012, he was appointed at an exceptionally young age as a designer for VENINI, the world's leading glass art brand in Venice, Italy, marking his full-fledged debut as a world-class artist. In 2015, he held his first overseas exhibition, "THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD OF ART AQUARIUM," in Milan, Italy.
In addition to his work as an artist, he is also active as a car enthusiast, naturally cultivating strong connections to the automotive world. Starting with the Tokyo Concours d'Elegance in 2009, he has served as general producer of events such as the Japan Classic Automobile, and successfully hosted the Concorso d'Eleganza Kyoto at Nijo Castle, a former imperial villa and World Heritage Site, creating a world-class vintage car competition event. As a young enthusiast who manages the event, he is also expected to play a role in preserving automotive culture for future generations. Then in 2018, he opened "Suigian," a new type of theater-style restaurant and lounge that can be said to be the culmination of his life's work in recent years, which has been to preserve traditional culture and revive Real Japan. Finally, in August 2020, the "Art Aquarium Museum" is scheduled to open in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.
Click here for details on the company press release
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