Architecture as Art – Museums of Japan and South Korea

Japan has many museums from high culture to folk to manga. In “Architecture as Art – Museums of Japan and South Korea,” Shirley Freriks' visual presentation features the architecture of contemporary museums, many of which are at the Benesse Art Site on Naoshima Island in the Seto Inland Sea. Here, the focus is on architecture as art with little or no content, much of it designed by Tadao Ando, a Japanese self-taught architect. It is about art in communication with nature. Naoshima Island is also the center for the Setouchi International Art Festival and many Art House Projects on several islands. “The projects are like nothing I have seen before,” Shirley says.

She will also show a variety of other museums from the sublime Miho Museum which contains antique treasures inside the spectacular design of I. M. Pei to craft museums like the Mino-shi Washi (Paper) Museum, paper lantern museum, ceramics – and even the Manga comics museum.

Korea has many museums, perhaps because education is a priority in the country. They range from national palace museums and fine art museums (like Leeum/Samsung) to museums celebrating paper, textiles, ceramics, chocolate, automobiles, folk crafts, masks, Teddy Bears, toilets, tea, traditional food, trick art, silk and love. Shirley focuses on art, especially paper, ceramics and textiles.

Discussion is encouraged at the conclusion of the visual presentation.