Museum overview

On Green Hills

Opened on May 3, 1989, the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art is the first public art museum to devote exclusively to contemporary art in the whole of Japan. It is situated amid the rich greenery of the Hijiyama park, commanding sweeping views over the city. The museum building is of design by the architect Kisho Kurokawa. While blending the building harmoniously with the nature of the museum, and the building’s materials change as one moves upward through it, from natural stone, through tiles, to aluminum, created by human, representing the unfolding of civilization out of the past into the future, and the flow of time, as well as Kurokawa’s unique philosophy of symbiosis.

Message from the Director

The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art is celebrating its renewal opening. We conducted the large-scale renovation in the past two years after over thirty years of its operation since its inauguration in 1989.

We are the first public museum in Japan specializing in contemporary art and have welcomed many domestic and international visitors. We have continued our activities to serve as a place where the visitors feel and think about the vision of eternal peace that Hiroshima seeks to promote through contemporary art. The 6th Hiroshima Art Prize laureate, Shirin Neshat’s “Land of Dreams,” a newly acquired piece for the first time in over ten years, reflects the artist’s background while showing a link to Hiroshima and will become one of the representative collections of the museum.

As Almost eighty years have passed since World War II, the post-war art, a significant part of our collection, has become a historical piece. They were produced in a time and space different from where we are today, and our approach to these works should reflect our understanding of the artist and the work’s historical background. At the same time, the exhibitions of the existing contemporary artists will become more active in the future. Through artworks, we encounter the artist and learn about their artistic world, and through sharing it with others, we also discover ourselves. We begin our activities today to create a space for individual visitors to respect each other regardless of their differences and learn about themselves.

We hope to welcome you at the newly renovated museum.

March 2023
Director Junji Teraguchi
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art

Guiding Principles

- The museum that faces the present and opens the way for the future prospects
- The museum with international perspectives
- The museum as a center for new cultural creation
- The museum for the urban revitalization

Collection Policy

The museum collects artworks following the three principles.
1. Important works representing the history of contemporary art after the World War II
2. Works indicating the link between contemporary art and Hiroshima
3. Works of promising young artists

Museum Activities

1. Collection, preservation, and utilization of a wide spectrum of artistic expression
2. Diverse and wide-ranging displays
3. Active outreach programs that promote communications
4. Survey and research of art and museum

Centering on the above four pillars, we plan and actualize diverse programs that reflect our missions as a public institution in a sustainable manner for our diverse visitors with different backgrounds, including ages, sexualities, economic and social status, and the level of interest in art.

Characteristics of Our Programs

Exhibition view of the “30th Anniversary Exhibition: The Seven Lamps of The Art Museum” 2019 (Photo: Kenichi Hanada)

Special Exhibition

Hiroshima MOCA introduces a diverse line-up of exhibitions, including solo and group exhibitions, presenting the developments in art within Japan and overseas, and the contemporary exhibition, which is constantly broadening artistic horizons. Through exhibitions, we create opportunities where visitors can experience the diversity of culture and share new values.

Exhibition view (Photo: Kenichi Hanada)

Collection Exhibition

Exhibitions from the museum’s collection feature masterpieces of contemporary art and works inspired by the memories of “Hiroshima,” which is the collection’s major pivot. We also offer theme-based exhibitions centering around the museum’s collection that approach various artistic expressions from a multiplicity of angles.

Exhibition view of "Hana Sawada: A 360-degree Detour" 2020 (Photo: Kenichi Hanada)

Open Program

Using various places in the museum, including galleries, multipurpose space “moca moca,” and other public areas, we organize a richly varied range of projects and workshops to open the museum to a broader public with participating audiences.