On view from March 31st to June 22nd, 2025, Anselm Kiefer: Solaris transforms Kyoto’s historic Nijo Castle into a site of artistic contemplation. Curated by Fumio Nanjo, former director of the Mori Art Museum, the exhibition marks Kiefer’s largest presentation in Asia to date, featuring 33 paintings and sculptures. Installed throughout the Daidokoro building and its surrounding courtyards, the works engage in a poetic dialogue with the castle’s architecture and Kyoto’s deep cultural legacy.
Kiefer reflects on themes of power, history, and rebirth, inspired by the golden interiors of Nijo Castle and their symbolic use of light. The exhibition touches on Japonisme’s influence on Kiefer’s practice and the intertwined histories of Japan and Germany. Solaris is a haunting, luminous invitation to reflect on memory, destruction, and the potential for transformation.
Anselm Kiefer: SOLARIS, installation views, Nijo Castle, Kyoto, 2025
Photography by UFER! ART DOCUMENTARY