Hiroshi Sugimoto
ABOUT THE ARITST/ARCHITECT
Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese artist/architect known for work that explores time, memory, and perception across photography, sculpture, and architecture. Born in Tokyo in 1948, he later studied in the United States, where his artistic practice began to take shape. He gained international recognition through photographic series that examine subjects such as seascapes, movie theaters, and natural history displays, often using long exposure times to compress vast stretches of time into a single image. Sugimoto’s work frequently blurs the boundary between reality and representation, encouraging slow and careful viewing. In addition to photography, he has completed architectural and spatial projects that reflect his interest in history and traditional Japanese aesthetics. His art is widely exhibited in major museums worldwide and is valued for its philosophical depth and technical precision.
PROJECTS:
ADDRESS:
Japan, 〒761-3110 Kagawa, Kagawa District, Naoshima, 宮ノ浦８２０.
DISCRIPTION:
Go’o Shrine Art House is a contemporary intervention within a historic Shinto shrine in the Honmura district of Naoshima, created by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto in 2002. The project reinterprets the traditional shrine through a dialogue between ancient belief and modern materials. Above ground, the shrine maintains a simple wooden structure that aligns with Shinto customs and village scale. Beneath it, Sugimoto introduced a striking underground space accessed by a transparent glass staircase that descends through stone and earth. This hidden chamber contrasts sharply with the modest exterior, emphasizing themes of time, ritual, and transition. Natural light travels down the glass steps, visually linking the sky to the subterranean space below. Rather than functioning solely as architecture or sculpture, the work blends spiritual practice with contemporary art, inviting reflection on continuity between past and present.
ACCESS:
You will need an art House ticket to visit, however children under 15 are FREE. A single ticket is ¥700 (¥600 online) and ¥1,400 for a multi art house pass (¥1,200 online)
NOTES:
A completely rebuilt shrine, quietly siting in a hill by the artist Sugimoto. Make sure you don't miss the subterranean portion of the work. The entrance is towards the water.
IMAGE CREDIT:
(1) WROT (2-4) KimonBerlin (edited)
COLLECTION | BENESSE HOUSE MUSEUM
Naoshima - Japan
Sugimoto has 3 works on display at and around the museum, including a photo series of the sea are on displace in an outdoor gallery at the museum, Time Exposed mounted on a cliff below the Sea Side Gallery, and the Time Corridors Gallery.
MATHMATICAL MODEL 012 SURFACE OF REVOLUTION WITH CONSTANT NEGATIVE CURVATURE | CHATEAU LA COSTE
Le Puy -Saint - Réparade, Provence - France
Sugimoto has a sculptural work centrally positioned at the Ando building on the grounds at Château La Coste.