Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum – Arte Piazza Bibai

Sculpture Park where nature and art merge

Soft curved sculptures are arranged in the park lush with greenery. Arte Piazza Bibai is an outdoor sculpture museum for pieces by Kan Yasuka who is from Bibai and works in Italy. He moved to Italy, the ultimate place for sculptures. Pietrasanta, where his studio is located, is a city where the sculptors gather from all over the world. Touching one of the pieces, Nakata claimed, ”The texture is softer than it looks.” ”Myomu”is a sculpture similar to the ones at Tokyo Midtown and Sapporo Station JR Tower. Perhaps it is because it is displayed in nature, the art seems to resonate more with the heart.

Gymnasium transforms into an Art Space

Arte Piazza Bibai is located in the former Sakae Primary School, with the schoolhouse and gymnasium still remaining. They serve as the gallery and art space. The gymnasium is ”a solid building with great acoustics, so they hold classic and jazz concerts.” Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako visited, and the piece ”Mezame” which the Emperor touched, is still a favorite with visitors. In the park, there is a water plaza that is designed like a river, and children play in the water during the summer. There is a small path and river that leads into the hill were adults can enjoy a quiet walk. Nakata feels regenerated from being out in the wilderness, and comments with his arms stretched out ”It’s such a luxury to have all this space. It is also great that it’s free for visitors.”

Time to look deeply into your soul

Here you can attend lectures by Yasuda several times a year. All the marble, furniture and pedestals are from Italy. We get to experience stone carving. Nakata commented ”It is soft and easy to carve. I have difficulty figuring out what to create when I’m by myself, but I can appreciate the joy of creating when I watch sculptors creating.” Yasuda strives to give shape to the soul/heart. ”Since it is an expression of the heart, there is no goal. So the time it takes varies by the individual.” Nakata’s is so focused that he loses track of time. He spends time looking deeply into his heart.

ACCESS

Arte Piazza Bibai: Ochiai-cho Sakaemachi, Bibai, Hokkaido; URL http://www.artepiazza.jp/english/