A groundbreaking fusion of creativity, heritage, and innovation awaits in Bali as timeless artistry meets visionary design

Bali is preparing to welcome the Eugene Museum, scheduled to officially open in the summer of 2026 in Tabanan. The museum has confirmed an important collaboration with ISSEY MIYAKE through the work Light and Shadow Inside Me, which will join its permanent collection. This project is the outcome of a three-year creative dialogue between Japanese multidisciplinary artist Eugene Kangawa and A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae with his team.

The partnership began with Kangawa’s solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2021 to 2022, where Miyamae first encountered the Light and Shadow Inside Me series. The discovery led to a series of workshops, explorations in textiles, and ultimately a new collection that will be showcased at Art Basel Paris in October 2025 before being permanently installed in Bali.

The Eugene Museum is designed by renowned Indonesian architect Andra Matin. Located on more than one hectare of land within a UNESCO World Heritage site, the museum will feature 5,000 square meters of space and over 15 galleries presenting Kangawa’s paintings and installations. Beyond exhibitions, it will also offer an overnight accommodation program, allowing visitors to experience Kangawa’s works in shifting light throughout the day for a deeper and more personal engagement with the art.

The architectural concept emphasizes harmony between art and nature. Built on revitalized rice fields while preserving existing trees, the museum incorporates a façade made of handcrafted terracotta bricks by local artisans. This approach creates a balance between contemporary design and Bali’s natural landscape.

At the heart of the collaboration is Light and Shadow Inside Me, a series of two-dimensional photograms created entirely with light. Kangawa’s method involves folding photographic paper into origami-like polyhedral forms and exposing them to natural or artificial light to produce unique gradations. This process uses light and shadow as both material and medium, reflecting human existence and dimensions beyond the body.

Inspired by this technique, the A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE team developed an innovative textile through a bit-level approach, drawing parallels between silver particles on photographic paper and threads in fabric. The gradation from black to white was achieved solely through variations in weave density, without the use of additional dyes, marking a breakthrough in textile design.

Eugene Kangawa expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, emphasizing the alignment of his artistic vision with Issey Miyake’s human-centered philosophy. Miyamae added that the project brought their creative practice back to the essence of material and structure, exploring light and shadow through the use of black and white threads.

Through this cross-disciplinary collaboration, Eugene Museum and ISSEY MIYAKE introduce a new experience that unites visual art, architecture, and fashion. The museum is expected to become a cultural landmark in Bali and a reflective space where art, culture, and everyday life converge.

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