kazuyo sejima designs museum in tokyo to celebrate the work of artist katsushika hokusai

kazuyo sejima, the pritzker prize-winning architect who forms one half of SANAA, has completed a new institution in japan dedicated to the work of katsushika hokusai. located in tokyo, the sumida hokusai museum intends to celebrate the work of the acclaimed artist, while providing the local community with an important cultural landmark. the building is clad with a subtly reflective façade that allows the building to adapt to its immediate context.

images courtesy of the sumida hokusai museum

katsushika hokusai, a world-renowned ukiyo-e painter, was born in 1760 and spent almost the entire 90 years of his life in tokyo’s sumida ward. the museum’s collection includes an exhibit of his life that examines the relationship between the artist and the region. special exhibitions relating to studies on hokusai and sumida are held in the gallery, while the museum also conducts seminars, lectures, and workshops that intend to communicate the artist’s work to a broader audience.

the building’s angular geometric forms are continued internally

fundamentally a monolithic block, kazuyo sejima’s five-storey scheme features angular cut-outs that bring light into the heart of the museum. these geometric forms are continued internally, where walkways and apertures take on a triangular appearance. the museum contains hokusai’s most famous work, ‘the great wave off kanagawa’, while the japan times reports that there is even a life-sized model of the artist’s studio, complete with robots depicting hokusai and his daughter at work.

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