teamLab: Existence in Perception - Engyoji Temple | teamLab

Exploring the notion of a world without boundaries in every dimension, teamLab’s creations in recent years have been themed around vast questions such as the meaning of life and existence.

For example, there is an artwork that has been gaining attention in which a sphere of light appears to float in a space that is in reality physically empty. It is an artwork that incites viewers to realize that the world we see with our eyes does not necessarily exist, and that what we see exists only in the viewer.

The Jiki-do, the exhibition venue, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property and one of the three temple buildings (collectively called Mitsunodo) of the prestigious Shoshazan Engyoji Temple, which has over 1,000 years of history since the Heian period (794 and 1185). The current building is from the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573), and was a multi-purpose space for monks used for learning, lodging, and dining. The two-storey structure is one of Japan’s largest-scale Important Cultural Properties designated by the country, and in this exhibition, teamLab transforms its first floor, a 38m-long hall, into a new artwork space.
The artworks of this exhibition will lead viewers to perceive forms of light and radiance that do not physically exist, produced by phenomena born from the effects of the environment and our perception, showcasing the innovativeness of teamLab’s work.

When we enter teamLab’s artwork space, we come face to face with our own existence that is continuous with the space. The world does not exist separately, independent from us - rather it is continuous with us, together with us, and within us. The spheres of light created by teamLab inside Engyoji Temple, a venue regarded as a sacred location for the arts, invites viewers to reconsider the universal question of life and existence.

ー Himeji City Museum of Art