Aomori Museum of Art
Jun Aoki & Associates · Aomori, Japan · 2006
Jun Aoki derived the museum's excavated-looking ground profile from the nearby Sannai-Maruyama archaeological site. White cubic galleries sit above and between trench-like earthen voids, producing an intentionally ambiguous relationship between building and excavation. The stark surfaces and changing level conditions create a spatial identity distinct from the museum's iconic artworks, including Yoshitomo Nara's large Aomori-ken sculpture.