STORY
About A&A
The Ishikawa Foundation is pleased to introduce “A&A,” a project with aims of promoting the art and culture of Okayama while also serving to revitalize the local community.
Over the next 20 years, new art and architecture lodgings designed by select pairs of internationally acclaimed contemporary artists and Japanese architects will be created in and around the historical/cultural zones of Okayama City. Encouraging visitors to experience art through staying in these extraordinary new houses, the project seeks to promote the city as an attractive place to stay and enjoy engaging with various forms of art. The A&A welcomes Taro Nasu (Owner of TARO NASU) as Project Director, architect Jun Aoki (Jun Aoki & Assoiciates) as Advisor, and Yasuharu Ishikawa (President of Ishikawa Foundation) as its Producer.
Project Overview
Okayama serves as a gateway to Setouchi, and is also the setting for the “Okayama Art Summit” that aims to take place once every three years. It is a rare area in Japan rich in cultural resources, situated near the various islands of Setouchi including Naoshima that is internationally recognized as an art site, and also close to the Ohara Museum of Art in Kurashiki. It is also a place that is home to many examples of famous architecture such as the Okayama Prefectural Government Building and Hayashibara Museum of Art designed by Kunio Maekawa, who remains an important figure in the context of modern Japanese architecture.
In order for these lodgings to be experienced as “artworks,” they are each designed as an individual lodging for one group of guests per night. The project hopes to increase the number of repeated visitors to Okayama, encouraging people to learn more about the city’s appeal by staying there rather than simply passing though it on their travels.