ART SPACE
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ART SPACE
The Art Space at the Oya Grand Center is divided into two areas: the Permanent Exhibition and the Special Exhibition. In the Permanent Exhibition, visitors can experience works by artist YOSHIROTTEN, who combines materials collected through repeated field research in Oya into immersive sound and visual installations. The Special Exhibition area features seasonal, rotating exhibitions. Within a space that still carries the traces of its history, take the time to experience Oya as interpreted through the perspective of contemporary art.
In this Art Space, massive Oya stone formations extend into the interior, gently connecting indoor and outdoor areas. Traces of what is believed to have been a public bath remain, offering a glimpse into the history of the Oya Grand Center. Here, nature is respected, and the stone is integrated boldly and directly into the space. Honoring the vision of the building’s original construction, the space is designed to let visitors sense the passage of time, the changing seasons, and the weather firsthand. Alongside the exhibited works, the space itself becomes part of the exhibition, inviting you to experience it as both a gallery and a living environment.
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PAID SPACE
This exhibition space is what’s left of the old Yamamotoen Oya Grand Center, a unique architectural achievement utilizing Oya stone and equipped with a dining area and public bath. Built in 1967, this facility was once one of Utsunomiya’s most vibrant tourist attractions. However, it has remained abandoned since its doors closed over thirty years ago. The space where the exhibition room is located was once an open-air bath that retains its link to the past through the Peace Kannon statue visible from the bath’s window. The power of this space resonated with YOSHIROTTEN, an artist who visualizes piercing observations into nature and history through digital means. YOSHIROTTEN created the work for this exhibition after meticulously researching this distinctive space and the history of the Oya area.
YOSHIROTTEN’s interventions at the Oya Grand Center not only confront the presence of nature as an unchanging entity containing ancient memories, but also consider the continual changes Oya stone has undergone as a result of industrial development and human intervention. This exhibition is not merely about viewing the artworks installed in a specific place. It allows us to become attuned to the messages carried in these stones, moving together with them through the town which they inhabit and contemplating both past and future. This space offers the viewer an opportunity to interact with the artwork and form their own memories of Oya. (The Chain Museum Inc.)
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YOSHIROTTEN
Born in 1983, YOSHIROTTEN is an artist whose work is driven by an insatiable curiosity for the unknown. Drawing on an intuitive sensitivity to both nature and technology, he creates a worldview in which concepts such as light and matter, spirituality and empiricism, and the ancient and the futuristic merge and coexist. In recent years, he has been developing several series that explore visual languages inspired by science fiction, drawing from research and hypotheses about fundamental elements and entities such as color, the Earth, and the sun.
The content of the Special Exhibition area changes periodically. For information on the current exhibition, please check the NEWS section. If you wish to use the space, please contact the facility in advance.
Guidelines for the Art Space
◯Photography and video recording are permitted, but please refrain from using flash, loud devices, or selfie sticks so as not to disturb other visitors.
◯Commercial photography, secondary use of recorded audio, and any filming or broadcasting that may inconvenience other guests are not allowed.
◯Eating and drinking are prohibited in the Art Space. Please refrain from bringing uncovered beverages.
◯Due to the characteristics of the building, there are uneven surfaces. Please watch your step while enjoying the artworks.
◯Some areas may be hazardous if touched. Please do not lean on or touch the building.
◯Large luggage, umbrellas, or wet items may be stored at reception; please speak to a staff member.
◯Please set your mobile phone to silent mode and refrain from making calls.
◯Please avoid loud conversations that may disturb others.
◯We kindly ask that you follow the instructions of the staff during your visit.
