Starting June 7 (Sun)! Naoshima New Museum Summer 2026 New Exhibitions

The Naoshima New Museum (Director: Akiko Miki) will launch new exhibitions by Sanitas Pradittasnee and Kenjiro Okazaki starting June 7 (Sun), in conjunction with the change of exhibits for Summer 2026.

Accompanying this, a satellite exhibition of the Setouchi “Yoichi Midorikawa” Archive by Motoyuki Shitamichi and a library project will also be unveiled. The museum also plans public programs linked to these exhibitions, aiming to create experiences that serve as catalysts for new discoveries and interactions for visitors from both the island and beyond.

Furthermore, an exhibition by Kei Imazu & Bagus Pandega is scheduled for the winter 2026 exhibit change. We look forward to your continued interest in our future developments.

## About the New Exhibitions

### Sanitas Pradittasnee: “The Sound of Naoshima”

Inspired by the Zen koan “The Sound of One Hand” (the state understandable only through the experience of listening with the heart’s ear), the work pays homage to the “Naoshima Eighty-Eight Places” scattered across the island. The outdoor installation “The Sound of Naoshima,” centered on the pagoda-like “SILENCE” and incorporating traditional Thai techniques and materials from Naoshima, invites visitors to sharpen their senses, focus on the present moment, and experience the natural cycles and impermanence.

### Kenjiro Okazaki: “Endless, Leafy Matters” (Tentative Translation: 端しき、ことの葉)

Kenjiro Okazaki has been continuously developing and exhibiting works on Naoshima since the 1990s. This exhibition, held in a portion of Gallery 3, explores themes such as the timeline of “Kenjiro Okazaki and Naoshima,” the relationship between language and painting, and “Reserve, Remember, Renew.” Through works from different eras, including those created in connection with Naoshima, it contemplates how small fragments of daily life can connect, evoke memory, and open up new perceptions.

## About the Artists

### Sanitas Pradittasnee

Born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1980, she is based there. Beyond contemporary art, she works in landscape architecture and design. Known for her architectural and sculptural works that encourage interaction, she is interested in forms, textures, and empty spaces within architecture related to faith and religion. Believing that “art is a form of communication that stimulates people’s consciousness,” her works, which reflect the Buddhist principles of “impermanence and emptiness,” provide spaces for deep introspection and encourage visitors to reconnect with their inner selves. Participated in the Bangkok Art Biennale (2018) and the Thailand Biennale (2024), among others.

### Kenjiro Okazaki

Born in Tokyo in 1955, he is an artist and critic. His work spans painting, sculpture, landscape, and architecture. Since being invited to the Paris Biennale in 1982, he has exhibited in numerous international exhibitions. He has developed cutting-edge artistic activities, including the production of the comprehensive community development project “Haizuka Earthwork Project,” landscape designs like “Nakatsukuni Park” (Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture), serving as Director of the Japan Pavilion at the 8th Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition, and collaborative performances with contemporary dancer Trisha Brown, such as “I love my robots.” He has held numerous solo and curated exhibitions at institutions such as the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. In 2026, he received the 67th Mainichi Art Award (Fine Arts I category: painting, sculpture, crafts, graphic). He is also highly regarded for his criticism and has received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize and the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award.

## Other Simultaneous Satellite Exhibitions

### Motoyuki Shitamichi: Setouchi “Yoichi Midorikawa” Archive Satellite Exhibition

A satellite exhibition of the Setouchi Archive project (2019–present, Naoshima/Miyanoura) by Motoyuki Shitamichi, which creates archival spaces through research, collection, and exhibition of the landscapes, customs, and history of the Seto Inland Sea region. It reconfigures photography and materials from the archive of Okayama-based photographer Yoichi Midorikawa—who photographed the Setouchi region from the 1930s to the early 2000s—specifically focusing on photographs of workers at the Naoshima refinery in the 1950s.