Art freely traverses boundaries and artistic expression, which is at once diverse, personal, socially engaged, and has given rise to numerous possibilities beyond people's imagination.

(Kankuro Ueshima)

As new construction developments spring up so rapidly in the bustling city of Tokyo, so do immersive spaces for art and design.

Shibuya, in the heart of the metropolitan, no longer vibrates as just a party jungle for the juvenile (as it had been familiarly known for). Recent commercial establishments, such as Miyashita Park, Dogenzaka Dori, Shibuya Scramble Square, Shibuya Stream, and more have replaced conventional department stores, which slowly fade into nostalgic landmarks. This novel generation of trendy American-styled malls ushers people from all directions to the high-strung town that never sleeps.

At the centre of Shibuya, alas, shopping malls set aside, an enterprising art museum has risen. The new Ueshima Museum opened in June 2024, boasting more than 650 works by highly acclaimed Japanese and international artists. The current showcase is scheduled for viewing until end of December this year, after which a new program will be launched.

Kankuro Ueshima, museum director and owner, is also a businessman and investor who embarked on his art collection in 2022. He remarked, “I want to share art with people around the world. I’ve been showing my collection on my website and social media, but from the beginning, I also wanted to create a place for people to see the art for real.” The museum focuses on modern artistic expressions that transcend social and cultural boundaries. Abiding by its mantra, “Seek and Think for Oneself,” the art space enhances freedom of imagination and innovative concepts that revitalise and inspire people from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, it stands on the belief that art and business are universal and grow synchronically to foster a proactive society.

The original location belonged to the former British School in Tokyo (1989-2023) within the Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen campus. In essence, the previous function of a learning institution has not been neglected. Visitors, like students, discover multifarious perspectives and personal experiences that engage in senses of sight and sound through paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, films, digital works, and installations.

The existing building was masterfully renovated to accommodate large-scale artworks, events, and lectures in the former gymnasium. Corridors have been transformed into gallery spaces, with mirrors for video and light works. Displays are spread from the basement to the fifth floor, including stairwells where photographs by the esteemed Hiroshi Sugimoto hang.

From the entrance, the visitor is greeted by two imposing artworks. Osaka artist Kohei Nawa’s PixCell-Deer 40 (2015) belongs to his popular deer series made from glass beads and aluminium. A similar sculpture PixCell-Sharpe's grysbok (2023) is found on the second floor. The deer represents a messenger of the gods, and the beads glitter like the circle of the sun.

At the library next to it is an amusing installation of an artificial cat resting on a white pedestal. Ryan Gander’s Sowing confusion amongst the titles, or The squatters (Tiger meet Hiller’s Lucidity & Intuition: Homage to Gertrude Stein (2011) (2020) applies animatronics technology to make the cat appear alive outside the dimension of human logic.

The gallery on the first floor presents, among others, works by Mika Tajima that include an installation in rose quartz, concrete, glass, and other media. You Be My Body For Me (Unit 3) (2020) allows visitors to sense a breathing effect from the glass shifting between transparent and opaque caused by a sensor that activates the social network analysis algorithm.

In the basement, the spacious hall is devoted to abstract paintings and sculptures. Captivating works by Zimbabwe artist Misheck Masamvu, The Power of Running Away (2022) and German artist Katharina Grosse, o.T. (2013) inject vibrancy with their multicoloured renditions. Grosse’s three-dimensional paintings webbed in the sculpture of aluminium and linen is particularly striking. Artworks by renowned Oscar Murillo and Gerhard Richter are unmissable.

Moving to the second floor are some of the museum’s best collections. Bernini DOB: Carmine Pink and Black (2018) and Our Spot 1 (2018) illustrate the dynamic collaboration between Takashi Murakami and Virgil Abloh. The canvases project a strong pink and black interpretation of Italian sculptor Bernini’s portrait and synthesis of Murakami’s iconic skull motif and Abloh’s crossed arrow logo. Internationally known Chiharu Shiota reveals a group of two- and three-dimensional works composed with her famous black and red woven threads, including two black chairs.

In a special room on the second floor, Olafur Eliasson’s ingenious Eye see you (2006) surprises the visitor with a colour-effect filter glass installation that reflects a monochrome tone using mono-frequency light. Likewise, a dark, enclosed narrow hall lights up with monitor displays, data.scan [n°1b-9b] (2011/2022), created by Ryoji Ikeda. We realise the invisible concept of vast data information that masks our daily relationship with digital technology. Other light effect works come from Dan Flavin, Theaster Gates, and teamlab.

A hall dedicated to female painters is found on the third floor. View, Flowing, Evening, 8 Feb 2019/2022 (2022) in a gush of blazing red, orange, yellow, and purple by landscape painter Miyuki Tsugami is especially enthralling. The abstract scene embraces mountain ranges, delicate ripples of a lake, and the fervent glow of the setting sun.

More metaphysical artworks that evoke disappearing objects are exhibited on the fourth floor. An almost ten-minute video by Hiraki Sawa releases a somewhat emotional aura as planes fly in and out of rooms, reminding us of our roots that we may have lost and yearn to return to. Finally, the fifth floor exclusively exhibits oil and charcoal landscapes by Yoko Matsumoto who is recognised as a leader in abstract expressionism and colour field.

As the exhibits circulate across different rooms with separate entrances, people can move freely from one floor to another, cradling with them unique encounters they meet in the spirit of “contemporaneity.”