Oita Prefectural Art Museum 10th Anniversary | New Permanent Artwork 'passage of time' Exhibited in Atrium
To commemorate its 10th anniversary, the Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM) has installed a new permanent light installation, 'passage of time', by media artist Yuki Anai in its atrium.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 19:02
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Image of the exhibition
Overview of the Artwork
'passage of time' is an installation artwork themed around the nature and memories of Oita, expressing the transience of time.
As the circular structure rotates internally, light and shadow constantly change, layering the flow of water, the cycle of trees, and memories etched in the earth, creating a sense of time where the exact same moment is never reproduced twice.
By standing before it, viewers are guided into a quiet experience of facing their own memories and emotions.
Concept
In our daily lives, there are moments when we suddenly stop walking. At that time, the past and present quietly overlap, and forgotten scenes softly rise to the surface.
Then, diving deep inside oneself, boundaries of time and place melt away, and one converses with various existences.
This artwork aims to open up such 'porch-like time' in space, creating new relationships between people and places, and between people and memories.
Background of Creation
The root of this artwork lies in the 'sensation of time and existence melting together' that the artist felt on the porch of his grandparents' house during his childhood.
The changing seasons, the shifting light, the intertwined breath of life... Nature always seems to be there unchanged, yet it is constantly changing, and the physical sensation of various things overlapping and continuing continuously was accompanied by a comfortable 'sensation of time and existence melting together'.
The artist, who has loved observing nature since childhood, creates works that express the temporality and memory of nature using light and space, based on the philosophy that 'nature is media'.
This artwork aims to function as an existence that creates a 'sensation of time and existence melting together' in the public space of the museum in the city, nestling close to people's daily lives.
We hope it will serve as an opportunity for visitors to the museum to suddenly stop and remember precious moments in their respective lives, and an experience that opens up the sensibilities of children.
Artwork Information
Title: passage of time
Artist: Yuki Anai
Location: Atrium, Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM)
Exhibition format: Permanent exhibition
Artwork format: Light installation with a rotating structure
*Hita cedar is used as a material symbolizing the nature of Oita
Facility Information
Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM)
2-1 Kotobuki-machi, Oita City 870-0036
Opening hours: 10:00–19:00 (Open until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
Closed: None (Except for temporary closures)
URL: https://www.opam.jp/
Artist Profile
Yuki Anai
Media artist. Born in Oita City. Completed Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University. Based on the concept 'nature is media', he expresses various aspects and messages of nature using light and sound technology. He has held numerous exhibitions in Japan and abroad, including Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria), Athens Digital Arts Festival (Athens, Greece), and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (Taichung, Taiwan).
https://yukianai.art/
Overview of the Artwork
'passage of time' is an installation artwork themed around the nature and memories of Oita, expressing the transience of time.
As the circular structure rotates internally, light and shadow constantly change, layering the flow of water, the cycle of trees, and memories etched in the earth, creating a sense of time where the exact same moment is never reproduced twice.
By standing before it, viewers are guided into a quiet experience of facing their own memories and emotions.
Concept
In our daily lives, there are moments when we suddenly stop walking. At that time, the past and present quietly overlap, and forgotten scenes softly rise to the surface.
Then, diving deep inside oneself, boundaries of time and place melt away, and one converses with various existences.
This artwork aims to open up such 'porch-like time' in space, creating new relationships between people and places, and between people and memories.
Background of Creation
The root of this artwork lies in the 'sensation of time and existence melting together' that the artist felt on the porch of his grandparents' house during his childhood.
The changing seasons, the shifting light, the intertwined breath of life... Nature always seems to be there unchanged, yet it is constantly changing, and the physical sensation of various things overlapping and continuing continuously was accompanied by a comfortable 'sensation of time and existence melting together'.
The artist, who has loved observing nature since childhood, creates works that express the temporality and memory of nature using light and space, based on the philosophy that 'nature is media'.
This artwork aims to function as an existence that creates a 'sensation of time and existence melting together' in the public space of the museum in the city, nestling close to people's daily lives.
We hope it will serve as an opportunity for visitors to the museum to suddenly stop and remember precious moments in their respective lives, and an experience that opens up the sensibilities of children.
Artwork Information
Title: passage of time
Artist: Yuki Anai
Location: Atrium, Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM)
Exhibition format: Permanent exhibition
Artwork format: Light installation with a rotating structure
*Hita cedar is used as a material symbolizing the nature of Oita
Facility Information
Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM)
2-1 Kotobuki-machi, Oita City 870-0036
Opening hours: 10:00–19:00 (Open until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
Closed: None (Except for temporary closures)
URL: https://www.opam.jp/
Artist Profile
Yuki Anai
Media artist. Born in Oita City. Completed Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University. Based on the concept 'nature is media', he expresses various aspects and messages of nature using light and sound technology. He has held numerous exhibitions in Japan and abroad, including Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria), Athens Digital Arts Festival (Athens, Greece), and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (Taichung, Taiwan).
https://yukianai.art/