The area is dotted with artworks and works of design. These add color to the streets and make walks through the neighborhood enjoyable. They also have an important role to play in making this area a cultural center.
What is public art and design?
The Roppongi Hills Public Art and Design Project is intended to develop Roppongi Hills as a center of culture in Tokyo. Throughout the facility, works by more than 20 world-class artists and designers have been specially commissioned as appropriate to the theme of a major plan to make this area a “cultural heart of the city. ”
Art and design know no borders--beautiful and functional works create a landscape for a creative cultural heart of the city.
Public art
There are 6 works curated by the Mori Art Museum in the public areas of Roppongi Hills, and there are 3 works chosen by Fumihiko Maki, the designer of the TV Asahi Headquarters. We hope that you will enjoy these works by some of the world’s leading artists right here on the streets of Roppongi Hills.
Maman
A gigantic 10-m tall spider at 66 Plaza sure to catch the eyes of passersby. It symbolizes a place where people from around the world gather and where new information is spun.
LOUISE BOURGEOIS
2002 (1999)/Bronze, stainless steel, marble.
9.27 x 8.91 x 10.23 (h) m
Rose
An enormous rose that significantly exceeds the height of a person. This is planted in 66 Plaza as a symbol of love and beauty at Roppongi Hills.
ISA GENZKEN
2003 (1993)/Steel, aluminum, lacquer.
8.0 (h) m
Hollywood Beauty Group Collection
COUNTER VOID
Digital numbers floating on a glass screen call to mind people’s imagination.
MIYAJIMA TATSUO
2003/Neon tubing, glass, IC, aluminum, electric wires, etc.
One unit of characters: 3.2 x 2.2 m x 6 characters.
Commissioned by TV Asahi Directed by MAKI AND ASSOCIATES
Wall Drawing #948 Bands of color (circles)
This work was created in the entrance hall of TV Asahi, a lively composition consisting mainly of colorful circles.
SOL LEWITT
2003/Acrylic.
1 F: 2.7 x 13.4 m, 2 F: 3.0 x 14.8 m
Commissioned by TV Asahi
roboroborobo(roborobo-en)
Child robots appear here and there in Sakurazaka Park. The eyes and chests of the 44 robots that make up the tower are illuminated at night.
CHOI JEONG HWA
2003/FRP, stainless steel, optical fiber.
1.0 * 1.0 * 12.0 (h) m
High Mountain Flowing Water: 3-D Landscape Painting
A work derived from Chinese folklore. A three-dimensional sculpture combining a stone mountain and seascape presented to seem naturalistic.
CAI GUO-QIANG
2003/Stone, water.
10.1 x 26.8 x 4.0 (h) m
Guardian Stone
Using simple rustic materials, this work exudes a variety of expressions.
MARTIN PURYEAR
2003/Black granite (Shanxi black granite).
3.7 x 3.0 x 5.5 (h) m
Kin no Kokoro
▪ This work, commissioned to mark the 10th anniversary of Roppongi Hills and the Mori Art Museum, is poised over the Mohri Garden pond, which is so rich in history.
▪ This installation is a string of gold-leaf beads that describe the arc of a heart. As one walks around the Mohri Pond, the sculpture gradually takes on the appearance of a Möbius strip.
▪ What I want viewers to experience is nature in Japan as it changes through the seasons and the pageant of history embodied in Mohri Garden, a history that stretches all the way back to the Edo period. (From the artist)
JEAN-MICHEL OTHONIEL
2013/Bronze, gold leaf, stainless steel.
330 x 360 x 169 (h) cm
Courtesy: Galerie Perrotin, Hong Kong and Paris
Street Furniture
Along Keyakizaka Dori, the main street of Roppongi Hills, a collaboration of 12 designers has given birth to the world’s first “streetscape” plan. We invite you to experience art as you enjoy a pleasant stroll.
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
This is a bench that carries the title of a jazz standard. The design is based on the idea of removing a certain kind of weight from things.
UCHIDA SHIGERU
2003/Stainless steel, ceramic paint.
0.45 x 6.0 x 0.95 (h) m
Arch
Located between the sidewalk and street, installed as a boundary between design and architecture.
ANDREA BRANZI
2003/Concrete, ceramic paint.
0.5 x 6.0 x 3.0 (h) m
Evergreen?
Ivy that grows up from the ground curls intertwined in the gaps between a bundle of endless loops.
RON ARAD
Ron Arad, 2003/Main part: bronze pipe. Legs: steel pipe, bronze sheet cladding.
1.48 x 6.04 x 2.71 (h) m
Isola Calma
This space is designed to provide a private space to shield people from the many passersby and vehicles on the street.
ETTORE SOTTSASS
2003/Walls: made-to-order terrazzo. Floor and fence: granite (Cardozo). Benches: marble (bianco carrara).
2.3 x 7.0 x 2.1 (h) m
Chair disappears in the rain
The outline of a piece of glass gradually disappears when the glass is placed in water. Similarly, this chair appears to completely disappear on a rainy day
YOSHIOKA TOKUJIN
2003/Main part: glass. Chair legs: mirror-finished stainless steel. Floor: burner-finished granite.
Chair: 0.75 x 0.98 x 0.99 (h) x 0.41 (sh), lump: 0.5 x 0. 98 x 0.55 (h) m,
Floor: 1.68 x 5.95 m
Park Bench
The design concept is a bench. It is intended to balance with the environment without provoking curiosity.
JASPER MORRISON
2003/Legs and arms: stainless steel. Back and seat: Japanese cypress.
0.44 x 8.58 x 0.75 (h) m
ripples
都市の「森」に浮かんだ大きな水面であり、その上に広がっていく＜波紋＞をイメージしたもの。
TOYO ITO
2003/Seat: Clad steel (machined), non-directionally buffed, ceramic paint. Legs: concrete.
0.9 x 3.8 x 0.43 (h) m
Motocross
These benches have colorful stripes that suddenly appear at the feet of passersby, and are designed for people who walk in different ways, whose paces vary from hustling along to dawdling at a leisurely pace.
JOHANNA GRAWUNDER
2007/FRP, rubber, artificial turf.
Moored Balloon
Extending broadly like the branches of a tree, this installation is designed to create a place where families can spend some relaxing time shielded from the sun.
PATRICIA URQUIOLA
2007/Titanium, stainless steel, rubber.
day-tripper
Combining elements of tables and chairs, the design of Day-Tripper is based on research on the kinds of positions people assume during the course of the day, including leaning, sitting, crouching, and so on. Emphasizing a concentration of European sensibilities and culture, this pink benches covered with printed white flowers.
DROOG DESIGN/Jurgen Bey with Christian Oppewal and Silvin v. d. Velden
2003/Polyurethane formed FRP, polyester paint, silkscreen print.
Roppongi Hills Recommended Information
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Future and the Arts: AI, Robotics, Cities, Life - How Humanity Will Live Tomorrow
Mori Art Museum
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Special Exhibition: A Railway Story in the Sky
Mori Arts Center Gallery& Sky Gallery
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