What Is Light Art? From Flavin, Turrell and Eliasson to Japanese Artists: Key Works and Where to See Them

Light art is a term used for art that takes light itself as its material or subject. At the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, James Turrell’s “Gasworks” (1993) goes on display from Saturday, October 31 for the first time in 16 years. At the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, a retrospective of Minami Tada, whose work incorporates the reflection and transmission of light, runs until Sunday, December 6. This article traces key works by Dan Flavin, Turrell, Olafur Eliasson and Japanese artists, and introduces places in Japan where permanent works can be seen.

New developments in light-based works continue both abroad and in Japan. On June 19, 2026, ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Denmark unveiled Turrell’s 100th Skyspace, “As Seen Below – The Dome, a Skyspace by James Turrell.” In Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, the “Sea of Time – TOHOKU Museum,” which will permanently display Tatsuo Miyajima’s work using 3,000 LED counters, is scheduled to open in 2029.

What is light art? How it differs from projection mapping and illuminations

In this article, light art refers to works that take light itself, from lighting fixtures to natural light, as their material or subject. The Chichu Art Museum introduces Turrell as an artist who “presents light itself as art.” The National Gallery of Art in the United States explains that Flavin pursued the artistic possibilities of fluorescent light for more than 30 years.

Some works emphasize acting on the viewer’s perception. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, describes Turrell’s “Blue Planet Sky” as a work that captures passing light and acts on human perceptual experience (seeing and feeling). The Takamatsu Art Museum says that as technology developed and the use of light, sound and video became familiar, installation-format works and works in which audiences participate became established.

Light art overlaps with projection mapping in its use of light. Michiyuki Ishita of the Projection Mapping Association of Japan explained the technique in the academic journal “Kogaku” (Japanese Journal of Optics, 2014), describing “mapping” as positioning and overlaying CG images and the like, designed to fit the projection target, at the time of projection (for details, see our explainer on projection mapping). Most of the works introduced in this article do not project images but use fluorescent lamps, LEDs, neon tubes or light from the sky directly as their material.

There is also a difference in duration. Most winter illuminations and projection mapping shows are held as events limited to a season or period (our roundup of illuminations in Tokyo and the Kanto region). In contrast, most of the Japanese works covered in this article are permanent displays or collection works at museums. That said, some works stage light over time, such as the House of Light, which runs a lighting “light program” around sunrise and sunset.

Commercial fluorescent lamps as material: Dan Flavin

Dan Flavin (1933–1996) made commercially available fluorescent lamps his main material from 1963. According to the National Gallery of Art, the pivotal work was “the diagonal of May 25, 1963 (to Constantin Brancusi).” Earlier, in 1961, he had begun the “icons” series, attaching incandescent and fluorescent lights to shallow, box-like square constructions made of wood and other materials.

He used standard fluorescent tubes. He limited the colors to red, blue, green, pink, yellow, ultraviolet and four kinds of white, and the shapes to straight tubes of 2, 4, 6 and 8 feet, plus circular tubes from 1972. The museum explains that limiting his materials opened up possibilities rather than constraining him.

In later years, large site-specific works became central. In Bridgehampton, New York, a converted former church was established as the Dan Flavin Art Institute in 1983, and his work for a church in Milan was completed after his death. From 2004 to 2007, a retrospective organized by the Dia Art Foundation in cooperation with the National Gallery of Art toured the United States and Europe.

James Turrell and Olafur Eliasson: The light of the sky and an artificial sun

James Turrell was born in Los Angeles in 1943 (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa). According to ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, he has worked with light, space and the sky for more than half a century and became a central figure in California’s “Light and Space” movement in the 1960s. In 1977 he acquired a cinder cone of a dormant volcano in northern Arizona and has been working on “Roden Crater,” creating within it places to observe earthly and celestial phenomena with the naked eye.

One of his series is the “Skyspace.” ARoS explains that the simple idea of an architectural space with an opening to the sky produces a profound experience. The 100th work offers three ways of seeing: “Open Sky,” looking at the sky; “Colour Shift,” with the opening closed; and “Twilight,” in which the color of the light inside changes with sunrise and sunset. Turrell himself reportedly calls it his most ambitious Skyspace to date.

Several works can be experienced in Japan. The Chichu Art Museum on Naoshima, Kagawa Prefecture, permanently installs “Afrum, Pale Blue” (1968), “Open Field” (2000) and “Open Sky” (2004), three works chosen from his series from the early years to the present, which visitors can experience in chronological order. Also on Naoshima, the Art House Project “Minamidera” presents “Backside of the Moon” (1999) in a building newly constructed by Tadao Ando to fit the work.

The permanent work “Blue Planet Sky” (2004) at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, is a room in which a square is cut out of the center of a square ceiling, drawing the gaze to the sky. It invites visitors to experience light that changes from morning to night through the four seasons. Art Tower Mito owns “Soft Cell” (1992), made of plywood, urethane, incandescent lamps and carpet (Art Platform Japan’s collection search “SHŪZŌ”).

The “House of Light” in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, was created as a Turrell work for the first “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale” (2000). Conceived as a guesthouse for meditation, it was inspired, Turrell says, by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki’s “In Praise of Shadows.” In “Outside In” on the second floor, the roof slides open so that visitors can see the sky through a glassless skylight. In the first-floor bathroom, the water is filled with light at night by fiber-optic lighting.

Olafur Eliasson was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1967 (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa). One of his best-known works is “The weather project,” shown in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern in the UK from October 16, 2003, to March 21, 2004. Tate describes it as a work that takes the weather as a starting point to consider experience, mediation and representation.

According to the artist’s official website, the work created the illusion of a sun using a semicircular screen, a mirrored ceiling and artificial mist. Aluminum frames covered with mirror foil were suspended from the ceiling, visually doubling the volume of the hall. The semicircular screen on the far wall was backlit by about 200 mono-frequency lamps. The semicircle and its reflection looked like a huge setting sun beyond the mist, and walking to the far end of the hall revealed how the sun was made.

“Colour activity house” (2010), facing the plaza of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, is a pavilion in which walls of cyan, magenta and yellow colored glass form a spiral around a single point. Areas of light mix depending on the viewing position and people’s movements, and the light source at the center shines like a colored lighthouse from sunset to dawn.

Japanese artists: Atsuko Tanaka, Minami Tada and Tatsuo Miyajima

Until Sunday, November 29, the Takamatsu Art Museum is holding an exhibition that traces the history and development of contemporary art in Japan around the keyword “moving,” centered on its collection. On display are works from the museum’s collection such as Atsuko Tanaka’s “Electric Dress” (1956/86) and Tatsuo Miyajima’s “Counter Line No.1” (1988).

Minami Tada (1924–2014) was an artist who brought industrial materials and processing techniques that spread during Japan’s period of rapid economic growth into artistic expression. According to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, she incorporated the reflection, transmission, refraction and shimmer of light into inorganic surfaces that show no trace of the hand. She also created the light wall “Dawn” (1970) at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, made of about 7,600 glass blocks. The museum’s retrospective “Tada Minami—Still, shimmering light” runs until Sunday, December 6 (our article on the Minami Tada exhibition).

Tatsuo Miyajima was born in Tokyo in 1957. Invited to the young artists’ section of the 1988 Venice Biennale, he presented works using digital numbers (announcement by The Chain Museum). His official website sets out three concepts for his work: “Keep Changing,” “Connect with Everything” and “Continue Forever,” the idea that everything changes, is interconnected and continues forever.

“Chi no Ten” (1996), in the collection of the Chiba City Museum of Art, is an installation 980 cm in diameter made of light-emitting diodes, ICs, electric wire and wooden panels. Following restoration, it is on view in the museum’s special exhibition until Monday, November 23 (national holiday). “Counter Void” (2003), owned by TV Asahi, is a work in which six digital counters 3.2 m tall count from 9 to 1 at different speeds, never displaying 0. According to the artist’s official website, its materials include white neon tubes and film glass, and it looks different by day and by night.

At the Art House Project “Kadoya” on Naoshima, visitors can see “Sea of Time ’98.” Residents of Naoshima Town took part in making the work, and Benesse Art Site Naoshima explains that it also became an opportunity for contemporary art to intervene in the region and the lives of islanders. “Sea of Time – TOHOKU,” begun in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, is likewise a collaborative project: 3,000 participants each set the timing of an LED counter counting from “9 to 1,” and the 3,000 counters glow in a 22.5 × 40 m pool of water.

Editor’s perspective

With light art, even the same work looks different depending on the time of day, season and weather of a visit. The Chichu Art Museum explains that natural light changes the expression of the works and spaces throughout the day and through the four seasons. The skylight at the House of Light cannot be opened in rain, snow or stormy weather. Choosing when to visit becomes part of the viewing.

Changes in light sources also bear on the work of preserving artworks. In its last special exhibition before closing for renovation, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, notes that passing on works involves uncertainties such as the aging of materials and the obsolescence of equipment, and also shows the processes of restoration and equipment replacement.

In Japan, following decisions under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the manufacture, import and export of fluorescent lamps for general lighting will be phased out between the end of 2026 and the end of 2027 (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ministry of the Environment; sales of existing stock and use of existing products remain possible after the phase-out). Seeing works that use everyday products as light sources is also a way of encountering this front line of preservation.

Main places in Japan to see permanent works

Here are the main places where works by Turrell, Miyajima and Eliasson can be seen on permanent display. Opening hours and prices are listed only where they could be confirmed on official websites as of October 21, 2026.

Chichu Art Museum (Naoshima, Kagawa)

Established in 2004 and designed by Tadao Ando, the museum is largely buried underground. It permanently installs three works by Turrell together with Monet’s “Water Lilies” and works by Walter De Maria. Every Friday and Saturday, there is a night program in which visitors view “Open Sky” for 45 minutes around sunset (adults ¥3,700, ages 6–15 ¥1,000, capacity 30). How to get around the islands is introduced in our art guide to Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima.

Hours: 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00)
Closed: Mondays (open on national holidays and closed the following day). Closed from Tuesday, January 12 to Friday, March 19, 2027, for regular maintenance
Admission: Online ¥2,500 on weekdays and ¥2,700 on weekends and holidays; at the counter ¥2,800 on weekdays and ¥3,000 on weekends and holidays. Free for ages 15 and under
Reservations: Date-and-time reservations required (when online tickets sell out, no tickets are sold at the counter either)
Photography: Not permitted inside the museum (permitted up to the reception area)
Official website: https://benesse-artsite.jp/art/chichu.html

Art House Project “Minamidera” and “Kadoya” (Naoshima, Kagawa)

Among the Art House Project works, which renovate vacant houses and other buildings in the Honmura district to turn the spaces themselves into artworks, Turrell’s work can be seen at “Minamidera” and Tatsuo Miyajima’s at “Kadoya.” Owing to the nature of the work, children aged 5 and under cannot enter “Minamidera,” and photography is not permitted.

Hours: “Minamidera” 10:00–16:30 (last admission 16:05); “Kadoya” 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–16:30
Closed: Mondays (open on national holidays and closed the following day). Closed from Tuesday, January 12 to Monday, January 18, 2027, for regular maintenance
Admission: “Minamidera” ¥600 online or ¥700 at the counter, reservation required. “Kadoya” requires either a combined ticket for five houses (¥1,200 online, ¥1,400 at the counter) or a single-house ticket (¥600 online, ¥700 at the counter). Free for ages 15 and under
Official website: https://benesse-artsite.jp/art/arthouse.html

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Kanazawa, Ishikawa)

Its permanent works include Turrell’s “Blue Planet Sky” and Eliasson’s “Colour activity house.” In the special exhibition “From Today to Tomorrow: Passing On Artworks” (Saturday, October 31 – Sunday, April 18, 2027), visitors can experience Turrell’s “Gasworks.” The experience is free but requires a ticket for the day; it is time-slotted at about 10 minutes per person, with up to eight people each in the morning and afternoon sessions. The museum is scheduled to close for major renovation from May 6, 2027, to March 2028.

Hours: Exhibition Zone 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays); Public Zone 9:00–22:00
Closed: Exhibition Zone closed on Mondays (the following weekday if Monday is a holiday) and over the New Year holidays; Public Zone closed over the New Year holidays
Admission: Entry to the Public Zone (the building) is free. “From Today to Tomorrow” costs ¥1,200 for general visitors (¥1,000 online and for groups), ¥800 for university students, ¥400 for elementary, junior high and high school students, and ¥1,000 for those aged 65 and over. Check the official website for the conditions for viewing permanent works
Official website: https://www.kanazawa21.jp/

House of Light (Tokamachi, Niigata)

Day visits and overnight stays are both possible. The roof of “Outside In” on the second floor cannot be moved in rain, snow or stormy weather. Visitors are asked to keep photographs for personal enjoyment. Overnight guests bring or cook their own dinner.

Visiting hours: November 1 – March 31, 11:30–15:00 (last entry 14:30); April 1 – October 31, 12:00–15:30 (last entry 15:00)
Closed: Every Tuesday and Wednesday from December to February and every Wednesday in March (there are other days when visits are not possible)
Admission: Junior high school students and older ¥800, elementary school students ¥400, younger children free (cash only)
Overnight stays: Reserve through the official website (first come, first served)
Address: 2891 Kamino-ko, Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture
Official website: https://www.hikarinoyakata.com/

*Information as of October 21, 2026. Please check the official websites for the latest information.

Frequently asked questions

How does light art differ from projection mapping?

Both use light, but projection mapping is described as a technique of overlaying images designed to fit the projection target at the time of projection (Michiyuki Ishita, “Kogaku,” 2014). Most of the works introduced in this article use fluorescent lamps, LEDs, neon tubes, light from the sky and so on as their material, and remain as permanent displays or collection works at museums.

Do I need a reservation to see Turrell’s works?

It depends on the venue. The Chichu Art Museum requires date-and-time reservations, and “Minamidera” on Naoshima also requires a reservation. “Gasworks” at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, uses same-day, first-come, first-served time slots and requires a ticket for the day. For the House of Light, the official visitor information makes no mention of reservations for day visits, while overnight stays require reservations.

What should I keep in mind when visiting in winter?

The Chichu Art Museum is closed for regular maintenance from Tuesday, January 12 to Friday, March 19, 2027. The House of Light shortens its visiting hours from November and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from December to February. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, is scheduled to begin a long-term closure on May 6, 2027, and the special exhibition showing “Gasworks” runs until Sunday, April 18.

*Top image: Tatsuo Miyajima, “Sea of Time – TOHOKU” [detail], 2020, photo: Nobutada Omote (from The Chain Museum’s press release)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official announcements and public materials from each museum, foundation and institution (as of October 21, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team