Tokujin: Rainbow Church

The exhibition “Tokujin Yoshioka_Crystallize” at Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, presents Tokujin's new works made of crystal: Ray of Light and Rainbow Chair.

The Rosaire Chapel designed by Henri Matisse was polished throughout his last years. Tokujin visited this chapel located in Vence in his early 20's, and has a mysterious experience of being filled with overwhelming light and vibrant colors.

Tokujin-Rainbow-Church_01 — Tokujin Yoshioka, Rainbow Church, "Tokujin Yoshioka_Crystallize", Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo

Astonished by this chapel, Tokujin cames up with the idea of the architecture Rainbow Church: as one of the important elements in the architecture project Rainbow Church, the stained glass composed of 500 crystal prisms converts natural rays into rainbow color so that “miraculous light” appears in the space, filling the visitors and integrating them with nature. In its interior space, Rainbow Chair is installed as the symbol of Rainbow Church. A solid and transparent sculpture made by crystal prisms emits an aura of rainbow light.

Tokujin-Ray-of-Light_01 — Tokujin Yoshioka, Ray of Light, "Tokujin Yoshioka_Crystallize", Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo

Shining from a window, Ray of Light is a sculpture of prisms. Like a stained glass in a church, a window is formed by the radiance of crystal prisms. The miraculous light produced by the solar energy becomes a sculpture, and creates a space where the nature and the architecture are unified.