In this photoset, Vincent Hecht takes his lens into the recently completed Sumida Hokusai Museum, designed by pritzker prize winner Kazuyo Sejima, one half of the acclaimed international firm SANAA. Located in the Tokyo neighborhood of Sumida, the 4-story, angular structure will house a collection of over 1800 works by world-renowned ukiyo-e woodblock painter Katsushika Hokusai, who lived in Sumida over 200 years ago.
The museum will feature space for a permanent exhibit examining the relationship between the artist and the region, as well as temporary exhibition spaces, seminar and lecture rooms, and workshop areas to provide more in-depth studies into the artist’s work.
Angular cuts in the building’s reflective facade will bring natural light into the gallery interiors, where works such as ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ will be displayed. The angular geometries will continue into the interiors in the form of walkways and apertures.