10
The Sapporo Sculpture Garden
Hokkaido Island, Japan
written by Marian Ironmonger
Within the 40-hectare Sapporo Art Park, nestled beneath a forest canopy, lies the Sapporo Sculpture Garden. Easily accessible by public transport and 40 minutes away from Sapporo City, the Garden’s undulating hills and meandering paths take you through a permanent exhibition of over 70 sculptures by Japanese artists, with a few exceptions: Horst Antes & Hans Steinbrenner (Germany), Anthony Gormley & Nigel Hall (England), Raymond Kaskey (USA), U-Fan Lee (Korea), Jinduo Tian (China), Raimo Utriainen (Finland) and Gustav Vigeland (Norway).
A monolith of stacked aluminium slats commands the entrance to the Art Park.
The Sapporo Sculpture Garden
Hokkaido Island, Japan
written by Marian Ironmonger
Within the 40-hectare Sapporo Art Park, nestled beneath a forest canopy, lies the Sapporo Sculpture Garden. Easily accessible by public transport and 40 minutes away from Sapporo City, the Garden’s undulating hills and meandering paths take you through a permanent exhibition of over 70 sculptures by Japanese artists, with a few exceptions: Horst Antes & Hans Steinbrenner (Germany), Anthony Gormley & Nigel Hall (England), Raymond Kaskey (USA), U-Fan Lee (Korea), Jinduo Tian (China), Raimo Utriainen (Finland) and Gustav Vigeland (Norway).
A monolith of stacked aluminium slats commands the entrance to the Art Park.
“Ascending” by Raimo Utrtiainen (Aluminium)
Adorning the entrance wall is “Symbol Relief” by Ryokichi Mukai.
Cast from real branches, the rough aluminium shapes contrast the delicate nature of plants. The Japanese characters welcome the visitor to the “Sapporo Sculpture Garden and Open Air Museum”.
After purchasing entry tickets from the Art Park Centre, a short stroll away are stairs which entice you into the Sculpture Garden.
The following are a few examples of the variety of work in the Garden which I have grouped into themes: Nature, Guardians, Mindfulness, Existence, Resilience and Joy.