Snake Museum of Contemporary Art, Contemporary art museum in Iwaki, Japan.
The Snake Museum of Contemporary Art is an art museum in Iwaki that displays contemporary works along a 99-meter corridor. The exhibitions integrate indoor spaces with outdoor areas where cherry trees and natural elements form part of the experience.
Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang established this museum in April 2013 as part of a larger cherry tree planting project in Iwaki. Its creation was tied to the vision of weaving art and nature together within a public space.
The museum's name is abbreviated SMoCA, and its Japanese name, Iwaki Kairō Bijutsukan, refers to the corridor that structures the site. The facility includes a stage of about 8 by 4 meters and roughly 70 bamboo and wooden benches, seating around 500 people for events.
The museum is free and open daily from sunrise to sunset, with lighting after dark. From JR Iwaki Station, take a taxi (about 20 minutes) or walk 4.6 km (about 50 minutes); from JR Kusano Station it is a 2.5 km walk (about 30 minutes). By car, it is about 30 minutes from the Iwaki-Chuo Interchange on the Joban Expressway.
The museum's Japanese name, Iwaki Kairō Bijutsukan, is shortened to SMoCA. The site also holds Ryūkotsu, a work by Cai Guo-Qiang made from a decommissioned ship, and a stage of about 8 by 4 metres with roughly 70 bamboo and wooden benches seating around 500 people.
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