OPAM, Oita, Japan – Roam – Experience

Whilst many people I know go to Japan for shopping and more shopping, one of the things that Ms Buddha and I both enjoy is to visit museums and art galleries. So it was impossible to pass the opportunity to visit the newly built OPAM.

The place itself was not on the GPS yet because of how new it was, but all you have to do is find somewhere closeby and it is very hard to miss the modern building as it is quite a bit of contrast with the surrounding. Plenty of parking available behind the building.

There’s a very stupid thing that I like and gravitate towards to, and that is round egg shaped things, so when there were about 5 large eggs in the entrance hall on display, my immediate thought was “I wanna touch it!” These eggs were made of this think stretchable canvas and it stays up when you push it, it was just fun to see it tilt back towards you. And so did the schoolgirls that were playing with one of the eggs as well.

The building itself was of a simplistic design, and it was just refreshing, the place also didn’t have many people so it was just a relaxing roam around the hall.

One of the installments that had a couple of Japanese ladies very excited was the dry pool, effectively it was a “pool” where you just take your shoes off and sit on the edge, it didn’t have water but the reflective service gave a slight impression that you were in a pool.

One of the display halls was showing works by University students studying art, and it is always great to see what creative ideas and skills students have; in particular, manga drawing is actually accepted as an occupation here, which means that manga creation can be a career instead of carrying the stigma of being childish.

Whilst looking at the other works, a artist caught my attention, I’m not someone who likes to use colour, so I saw the sketch first and then his coloured work took my breath away, I particularly like how the “self portrait” when into as much details as the veins on his legs.

Upstairs was another level where there was a cafe which was designed with what felt like paper, definitely something that suits by simplistic tastes.

All in all, it is always interesting to see the art museums in each country and city because it becomes a window into what culturally they appreciate. There’s also a paid section within the OPAM which had an exhibition of famous artists, unfortunately photos weren’t allowed so I can’t share them with you!