The renowned international art collective teamLab is set to open its largest permanent museum in Japan on October 7, 2025. Named Biovortex Kyoto, the expansive 10,000-square-meter facility will be located in Minami-ku, just within walking distance of Kyoto Station, marking a significant milestone in the group's approach to immersive, multi-sensory environments.
The ambitious project is part of the broader Kyoto Station Southeast Area Project, strategically positioning itself at the intersection of urban development, culture, and interactive art. This new museum represents teamLab's most comprehensive exhibition in Japan to date and signals an evolution in their artistic vision.
Biovortex Kyoto will house an impressive collection of more than 50 immersive artworks, many of which explore teamLab's signature themes of perception, transience, and the complex relationships between humans and their environments. Among the standout pieces is "Massless Amorphous Sculpture," featuring sound by Hideaki Takahashi, which has never been displayed in Japan before. This work exemplifies the collective's concept of "Environmental Phenomena," the idea that artworks emerge organically from the conditions that surround them.
Other key installations include "Megaliths," "Transient Abstract Life and Return," and "Return," each designed to challenge visitors' understanding of space and time. The museum will also feature dedicated interactive spaces that blend education with play, including the innovative "Athletics Forest" and "Future Park" sections.
"Athletics Forest" invites visitors into a complex, high-dimensional space where physical movement and spatial awareness become essential tools for experiencing time and perception in entirely new ways. This installation reflects teamLab's deep interest in how bodily interaction can generate thought and awareness that transcends conventional dimensional understanding. Meanwhile, "Future Park" embodies the concept of collaborative creativity through artworks that continuously evolve as visitors co-create with one another, demonstrating the fluid nature of creative processes when shared collectively.
The museum will showcase a suite of visually striking, digitally mediated works that transform the surrounding environment through advanced technology. These include "Sea of Solidified Light," "Spherical Crystallized Light," "Ephemeral Crystallized Drop," and "Forest of Flow and Light." Each piece employs sophisticated digital projection and responsive design to create immersive experiences that react to visitors' presence and movements.
Among the new works created specifically for the museum are "Ephemeral Crystallized Rain" (2025) from the series "Ephemeral Crystallized Light" (2021-), "Megaliths" (2025) from the series "Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins" (2019-), and "Spherical Crystallized Light" (2024-) from the series "Bubble Universe." All of these installations feature sound design by Hideaki Takahashi, with additional production support from specialists like Hirohito Saito of OryZa Design and Shinya Yoshida of SYD INC.
The integration of these diverse works into a single, contiguous space encourages deep reflection on the interdependence of art, perception, and environment – central themes that have defined teamLab's practice throughout their career. Additional interactive facilities, such as the innovative "Sketch Factory," will allow visitors to transform their digital creations into tangible products, bridging the gap between virtual and physical art-making.
Biovortex Kyoto represents a crucial component of the city's broader urban planning initiative to transform the area southeast of Kyoto Station into a vibrant creative hub dedicated to culture, art, and youth-focused activities. The museum's opening is expected to significantly enhance Kyoto's position as a global destination for contemporary interactive art and cultural innovation.
