Teshima is a tiny island located in the Seto inland sea, between Naoshima and Shodoshima islands, and one of the locations of the Setouchi Triennale (a contemporary art festival held every three years on several islands in the Seto Inland Sea).
We visited Teshima Island in May, which was a great time to go, just shortly after the cherry blossom period (when it’s generally more crowded) and right before the beginning of the rainy season.
To reach the island we traveled to Okayama, took a JR train to Uno Port, and then got on a ferry - a little bit long-winded but not very complicated. There are several ferries a day but you can’t reserve your ticket in advance. So we just showed up and hoped for the best!
Teshima is well known for numerous art projects scattered all across the island, and the most well-known one (and our reason for going there) is the spectacular Teshima Art Museum.
Opened in 2010, the Teshima Art Museum was designed by architect Ryue Nishizawa and artist Rei Naito. „Museum“ might be a slightly misleading title since what you actually find is one single, immersive art installation called „Matrix“. After entering, a small path leads to a dome-shaped concrete building (a concrete „shell“) that mirrors the contours of the island and is open to the sky. Inside, at first glance you don’t see much (the first time I went I was almost a bit confused by my first impression) but little by little you realize that the whole room is filled with little drops of water emerging from the ground and small objects hung from the walls, moving in the air. There is a dialogue between the room and the surrounding landscape that is extremely touching and humbling. The visitors are asked not to speak or make sounds but you can sit or lie on the floor and contemplate the space for as long as you like, creating an almost sacral mood. The atmosphere is very moving and hard to put into words.
Aside from the Teshima Art Museum, the island is home to a number of other art projects, like the Teshima Yokoo House (a collaboration between artist Tadanori Yokoo and architect Yuko Nagayama who renovated an old private house to turn into a surreal space filled with artworks by Tadanori Yokoo) or „Les Archives du Cœur“ by French artist Christian Boltanski (where you can listen to records of heartbeats recorded since 2008).
To visit the sites, we rented e-bikes, by far the most fun way to get around Teshima. It is important to know however that there is not much more happening on the island. If you go, you go to see a handful of art projects and nature. If you stay overnight (like we did) you do best to bring groceries from the mainland because there are no supermarkets or convenience stores (a rare experience in Japan) - so please come prepared :)
The Teshima Art Museum: 607 Teshimakarato, Tonosho, Shozu District, Kagawa 761-4662, Japan
Teshima Yokoo House: 2359 Teshimaieura, Tonosho, Shozu District, Kagawa 761-4661, Japan
Les Archives du Cœur: 2801-1 Teshimakarato, Tonosho, Shozu District, Kagawa 761-4662, Japan
Ele-chan
Hi! I am an illustrator and language lover based in France, fascinated with Japanese culture, arts and food :)
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