Akihito Okunaka’s Maximum 12-Meter Diameter Interactive Balloon Sculpture: New Exhibition at WHAT MUSEUM, Tennoz, Tokyo

(Tokyo, Japan) The Collectors’ Museum of Contemporary Art, WHAT MUSEUM, operated by Warehouse TERRADA, is currently holding an exhibition titled Akihito Okunaka “Synesthesia –Crossing the senses with art–” until March 16th (Sun), 2025. It features balloon-like soft sculptures by artist Akihito Okunaka.

Okunaka has created large-scale works themed around “air, water, and light,” generating experiences that stir the senses of viewers.

(Image above) WHAT MUSEUM Exhibition View, Akihito Okunaka “Synesthesia –Crossing the senses with art–”, ©Akihito Okunaka, Photo by Keizo KIOKU

The exhibition title Synesthesia refers to the rich sensory experience where one sense is simultaneously perceived by additional senses. Okunaka has uniquely interpreted this phenomenon and incorporated it into his works. Based on the idea that the act of sensing can bridge connections between nature, society, and people, his works transform from traditional forms to something more organic.

The highlight of this exhibition is a balloon-like installation piece with a maximum diameter of 12 meters. Created specifically for this exhibition, it expands to completely fill the exhibition space and change colors. Inside the piece is a large water pillow. By using the intangible elements of air, water, and light, it evokes and resonates with viewers’ senses. This sensorial experience allows the viewers to feel a “connection” with others that transcends physical sensations.

WHAT MUSEUM Exhibition View, Akihito Okunaka “Synesthesia –Crossing the senses with art–”, ©Akihito Okunaka, Photo by Keizo KIOKU

Okunaka has also been influenced by the philosopher Bruno Latour, a leading figure in the field of sociology of science and technology. Okunaka’s background in education and sociology is reinforced by Latour’s philosophy on reevaluating the modern framework of dualism between nature and society. This exhibition presents some insights into the philosophical thought behind Okunaka’s work and the process of integrating it into his creations through exhibit materials and an interview video.

We provide visitors with an opportunity to experience a “connection” with nature, society, and other people by touching, entering, and lying down inside the installation.

[Overview of the Exhibition]

Title: Akihito Okunaka “Synesthesia –Crossing the senses with art–”

Dates: October 4th (Fri), 2024 – March 16th (Sun), 2025

Venue: SPACE 2, 1st floor at WHAT MUSEUM (Warehouse TERRADA G Building 2-6-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0002)

Open Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Admission until 5:00 PM)

Closed on: Mondays (but open when Monday is a public holiday, then closed the following Tuesday), and New Year’s holidays

Admission: Adults 1,500 yen / University or vocational college students 800 yen / Students under high school age Free

* Including the admission for the concurrent exhibition

* Advance reservation by online ticketing is available

* Re-entry tickets valid during the exhibition are on sale

Exhibition Passport 2,500 yen (This exhibition and its concurrent exhibition are available)

Organizing: WHAT MUSEUM

Planning: WHAT MUSEUM

Cooperation: Yamashiro Culture Center, SUMIKASEKISUI FILM CO.,LTD., TERAOKA SEISAKUSHO CO., LTD. and HOLOGRAM SUPPLY CO., LTD.

URL: https://what.warehouseofart.org/en/exhibitions/synesthesia_en

[Exhibiting Artist: Akihito Okunaka]

Artist

Akihito Okunaka was born in 1981 in Kyoto Prefecture, where he is currently based. He is an artist, co-director of AOIoA, and head of the Experiential Art Course at the Yamashiro Cultural Center in Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture.

After graduating from the Shizuoka University Department of Education, Okunaka specialized in art education for children and worked as an instructor at the Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art and at facilities for disabled people, teaching art and play. Okunaka then studied modern and contemporary theory before becoming an artist. He has received grants from the Nomura Foundation and the Asahi Shimbun Foundation, among others, and has dedicated himself to study in France, Korea, and China as a research fellow. With the theme of pursuing the dynamics of people, things, and matters through the lens of water, air, and light, he has held many workshops at regional art spaces around Japan and exhibited large-scale experiential artworks both domestically and internationally.

[Highlights]

– Experiential artwork

Visitors can touch, enter, and lie down inside the artwork, experiencing it with all five senses.

– Recognizing air, water, light, and relationships with others through the artwork

Air, water, light, and relationships with others have no solid form. Visitors can find these shapeless entities by experiencing the artwork and seeing its wavering form and surfaces in response to the movements of other visitors.

– An exhibition that welcomes visitors to explore the artist’s mind

The exhibition features books that inspired Okunaka, along with materials such as his sketches and scribbles, and an interview video filmed exclusively for this exhibition. It offers the chance to learn in-depth about the intention and process behind the work.

WHAT MUSEUM Exhibition View, Akihito Okunaka “Synesthesia –Crossing the senses with art–”, ©Akihito Okunaka, Photo by Keizo KIOKU

[Concurrent Exhibition]

T2 Collection “Collecting? Connecting?”

URL: https://what.warehouseofart.org/en/exhibitions/t2-collection_en

[Video Interviews with Exhibiting Artists]

Interviews with artists whose works are/were featured in the exhibition will be available in our WHAT ARTIST INTERVIEW series via the official WHAT MUSEUM YouTube channel. Interviews related to this exhibition will be released sequentially.

WHAT MUSEUM Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/WHATMUSEUM

[About WHAT MUSEUM] https://what.warehouseofart.org

WHAT MUSEUM opened in Tennoz, Tokyo in December 2020. The Museum’s core work is to make the precious works of art properties that collectors and artists have entrusted to us accessible to the public. We have used our unique insight as a warehousing company to explore the concept of what an art facility should be. The result is to open up the warehouse to offer the public a look at art that they would not ordinarily have the opportunity to see. The museum exhibits works by artists active in the contemporary art scene side-by-side with the thoughts of the collectors as well as the artists, offering an innovative space for the appreciation of art. The name of WHAT (WAREHOUSE OF ART TERRADA) implies the cultural value which is gleaming quietly in the warehouse, and the museum exhibits two- and three-dimensional works as well as architectural models, photographs, movies, literature and installations. We plan and exhibit these diversified arts and cultures in our individual style of a museum as a warehouse company in new and unique approaches.

[About Warehouse TERRADA]

Established in 1950 and located in Tennoz, Tokyo, Warehouse TERRADA has developed dedicated storage services for highly specialized items such as artworks, wine, media, and confidential documents. In particular, the art storage service, first launched in 1975, has expanded into artwork restoration, transportation, exhibitions, and other related solutions, all available in one-stop. In 2014, we began operating a bonded warehouse for artworks. In 2022, we launched a new space that functions as a permanent gallery venue allowing for viewings, storage, and more under bonded conditions, aiming to further invigorate art distribution. We also operate art studios available for rent and host the TERRADA ART AWARD, supporting emerging artists. These initiatives earned us the Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award in 2018. In recent years, Warehouse TERRADA has opened several facilities that promote art and culture, including the collectors’ museum of contemporary art WHAT MUSEUM, art gallery cafe WHAT CAFE, art materials lab PIGMENT TOKYO and TERRADA ART COMPLEX, one of Japan’s largest gallery complexes. Through these broad-ranging art industry operations, and as a leading company in the Japanese art world, we provide services that contribute to revitalizing the art market and developing Tennoz into the world’s most exciting art capital.