Inujima Seirensho Art Museum utilizes its industrial
scenery and repurposes the former copper refinery on
the island. The refinery was built in 1909, but ceased its
operations only 10 years later due to a dramatic plummet
of copper prices. Instead of constructing an entire
building, the art museum is set into the existing karami
bricks and smokestacks. It is efficiently designed to
minimize its impact on the environment.
The museum’s architectural design features its own
innovative water purification system and utilizes natural
energies from solar to geothermal. Inside, there are
works created by Yukinori Yanagi, a vocal critic of
Japan’s modernization. His collaboration with architect
and designer Hiroshi Sambuichi is the art space we see
today. The art gallery has a small store and café inside
the Inujima Ticket Center, where visitors may purchase
artist-related books and other goods. There is an
additional café, Seirensho Café, with a menu consisting
of seasonal dishes local to the island.
