fujiko nakaya fog sapporo art museum

I’m in Sapporo this week exploring the 2014 Sapporo International Art Festival. The theme of this year’s city-wide art show is “Nature and City” and is curated by the great Ryuichi Sakamoto. I’m documenting a few of my favorite installations. The art festival runs from July 19 – September 28, 2014.

Fog artist Fujiko Nakaya is using her signature style to encase the courtyard of the Sapporo Art Museum in dense fog. Nakaya once told me that her sculptures rely entirely on the wind, which is true to some extent, but is an unforgivably modest statement. That’s because it completely ignores the careful meticulous studies that Nakaya takes on prior to any installation.

She spends endless hours and days becoming acquainted with local weather patterns and making precise calculations before installing her fog machines. “FOGSCAPE #47412” is a result of this disciplined behavior. A veil of serene fog gently hides and reveals parts of the museum, creating an magical, intimate experience between visitor and site.

fujiko nakaya fog sapporo art museum

fujiko nakaya fog sapporo art museum

fujiko nakaya fog sapporo art museum

fujiko nakaya fog sapporo art museum