Kumamoto Museum of Contemporary Art, CAMK

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

In the free library, Turrell's ceiling changes colour every evening at 19:30.

On the third floor of a building at the mouth of the Kamitori arcade, you enter the Home Gallery free of charge: an art library where you leaf through books under the light ceiling by the American artist James Turrell. Every evening at 19:30 the light changes colour for fifteen minutes. You pay only for the exhibition room.

The municipal museum of contemporary art opened on 12 October 2002, on the third floor of the building びぷれす熊日会館, built under the urban renewal plan for the Kamitori area. The project began in 1993, when the family of the painter Ide Nobumichi (井手宣通, 1912–1993), born in Mifune, donated his main works to the city. The building holds four works installed in its structures: ‘MILK RUN SKY’ (2002) by James Turrell, the light ceiling of the Home Gallery; ‘Library for Human Use’ by Marina Abramović, a bookcase you can sleep in; ‘INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM, Early Spring Rain’ (2002) by Yayoi Kusama, under the stairs; the column of numeric LEDs by Tatsuo Miyajima in the atrium. Besides the temporary exhibition room, the museum has a Home Gallery with art books and comics, a space for children and a shop.

ℹ️ Open 10:00–20:00 (last entry to the exhibitions 19:30), closed on Tuesdays (if that is a public holiday, the museum is open that day and closed on the next weekday) and at the end of the year. The Home Gallery, the children's space and the common areas are free; you pay only for the exhibition room, at a price that changes with each exhibition (not read). For events other areas may also have a ticket; the Home Gallery is also used for events, so it is best to ask the museum. Current exhibition ‘プラカードのために’ from 19/09 to 29/11/2026. One minute on foot from the 通町筋 tram stop; from JR Kumamoto Station 15 minutes by tram or bus. The museum's website does not mention the earthquake of 28/07/2026; the city list of 02/10/2026 gives it as open 10:00–20:00. According to visitors, the entrance is hard to find when coming from the underground car park.

🚉 Torichosuji · 1 min walk

Sources: camk.jp · camk.jp · camk.jp · camk.jp · kumamoto-guide.jp · kumamoto-guide.jp · kumamoto-guide.jp · ja.wikipedia.org

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