Exhibition design for “ADAPTATION – KYNE”

This venue design is for the solo exhibition “ADAPTATION – KYNE” by the artist KYNE, who is based in Fukuoka. This marks his first solo exhibition in a Japanese museum. The exhibition plan includes approximately 200 works, including paintings, sculptures, and drawings, displayed in a vast 1200 square meter space, featuring a 12-meter-long mural.

KYNE is an artist with roots in street culture, such as graffiti, yet his work also reflects elements of traditional Japanese paintings, which he has studied. Therefore, the exhibition space aims to blend the fundamental characteristics of a public museum with the dynamic and spontaneous feel of street art.

The exhibition is divided into the following sections: a collection of past works, an archive of materials related to his creative activities, and new works created specifically for this exhibition. In the first section, dedicated to past works, the existing showcases and glass windows of the museum are used to emphasize the traditional museum viewing experience. Paintings were displayed in glass cases as if they were three-dimensional objects, making visible normally hidden aspects like the handstrokes and textures on the backs of canvases.

Another part of the exhibition repurposes spaces typically used for museum storage into temporary exhibition areas. In one section, unfinished walls, usually hidden as part of the exhibition wall structure, were used as backdrops, evoking the randomness of street settings. The approach integrates art into the existing conditions rather than creating entirely new setups. This juxtaposition within the official museum space adds variation to the viewers path, aligning with KYNE’s artistic roots. Throughout the exhibition, the layout guides the viewer’s gaze and movement. Walls and benches were partially integrated, with some benches for viewing being collaborative art pieces with KYNE. This setup allows visitors to engage with the murals and artworks in an installation-like manner.

In the final exhibition zone, a retail space—often located outside traditional exhibition areas—is designed as a nested structure within the venue. This reflects KYNE’s extensive collaborations with various brands, incorporating this context as part of the exhibition narrative.