The entrance to the museum is accessed at ground level. Visitors then follow a series of unlit corridors, ramps and staircases that create a pensive light journey guided only by the natural light that flows into the passages via tilted slits in the concrete.
Three art spaces are implanted into the subterranean labyrinth of light and shadow. Each one dedicated to one of the three represented artists and “emerged from an uncompromising collaboration” between artists and directors.
The James Turrell space contains 3 installations. The dimensions and materials for each room were determined by the artist according to the conditions of each work.
In the Walter de Maria space, Illumination pours in from a long east-west skylight, changing over the course of a day.
The Monet space contains 5 works from his Water Lilles series. Soft indirect light suffuses the interior of rough plastered walls and "pixel" marble flooring.
Tadao Ando 3 - Inside Japan.
Recommended reading on Tadao Ando:
GA Architect 16 Tadao Ando 1994-2000
Tadao Ando 3 Inside Japan.