From 1983 until 2000 there was an initiative to build more sculptures throughout the city, with there now being 25 located through Fukuoka. Now with the Tenjin Big Bang project underway, many new shopping centers and office buildings feature unique works of art that are also available to the viewing public. Thanks to these efforts, Fukuoka has become an urban open museum, filled with unique pieces for pedestrians and travelers to find! 

This time DELIVA, a social media influencer and artist with over 1,000,000 followers decided to help us explore Fukuoka and the Tenjin area in search of eye-catching art. DELIVA says, “Fukuoka is basically one big art museum!” Without further ado, we set off on our artistic walk. 
 

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DELIVA

DELIVA was born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1980 and raised in Saitama Prefecture. An artist, his life is filled with unique and interesting experiences. He posts on SNS as a “stiletto wearing gay influencer”. He regularly provides fashion advice from his own wealth of experience on social media and replies to his followers in a kind and refreshing manner. For these reasons he has amassed over 1,000,000 followers.

目次

• ONE FUKUOKA BLDG.
• Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City Park
• Tenjin Business Center
• Marine Messe Fukuoka
• Fukuoka FaN Week is on every year!

ONE FUKUOKA BLDG.

Our first stop was the ONE FUKUOKA BLDG., a new shopping center built on the former site of the Fukuoka Building, Tenjin Core, and Tenjin VIVRE buildings, all once considered symbolic parts of Fukuoka.

This building has been attracting a lot of attention since it opened in April of 2025, and it features shopping facilities, office space, and even a hotel. One reason for of its increasing popularity is the art located on its premises. It is known for having art installed in various locations both inside and outside the building. 

Pixel Tree

As one of Tenjin’s newest popular meeting spots, we decided to rendezvous with DELIVA in front of one of the Pixel Tree.

Hey! There he is! 

While a known artist, DELIVA is also a respected fashionista. This time though, he seems to be exercising unusual restraint in his choice of clothing. 

His reasoning is that by wearing black and sticking to a plainer look, he wouldn’t divert attention away from the artwork. DELIVA joked, “When I think of art I think of… London! So, I wanted to wear a hat with a checkered pattern on it to fit the vibe”. On his feet were a pair of rough looking sandals, and for his top a cardigan with a deep V-neck completed the image—perfect for the beginning of fall! 

According to DELIVA part of the fun of travel is deciding on the clothing that best matches the destination. 

And with that, we set off.

The first art piece we visited happened to be where we agreed to meet. This object was made with a concept of combining the natural world with the virtual one that surrounds us, a project conceived of by modern artist Leandro Erlich. 

This 5.7-meter-tall work combines a pixelated aesthetic with a tree, symbolic of the natural world. DELIVA exclaimed “I think walking would become a lot more fun if every store had one of these planted in front of it!” Showing different faces based on the lighting at day or night, this is a highly popular social media picture spot as well. 

Pixel Tree
Artist: Leandro Erlich
Size: 5.7 meters tall
Location: outdoors in front of the ONE FUKUOKA BLDG.

Future Bloom

Near the main entrance to the building is this wall art piece, featuring floral patterns arranged by Danish artist Nicolai Bergmann. The theme of this piece is “A verdant bridge that connects people, the city, and nature”, and it uses 3-dimensional flowers to create a popping and dynamic design. The Tenjin area has a strong connection to plum blossoms, and the piece creatively depicts this process from bud to bloom. Each flower petal sits at a different angle to the others, helping light to scatter and refract in various directions. 

The hardy Ficus plant serves as a background to the piece, communicating an enduring sense of vitality even as the seasons change. An enthused DELIVA said, “This piece strikes me as different from his other works. I’m glad I could encounter this ‘new Nicolai Bergmann’ here!” As a symbol of the ONE FUKUOKA BLDG., this piece is bringing joy to many.

Future Bloom
Artist; Nicolai Bergmann
Size: 12 meters tall, 8 meters wide
Location: the wall of the ONE FUKUOKA BLDG.

tieCOM_2501

Within the ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. on the shopping floor, a piece made by an artist with connections to Fukuoka is on display. Kitakyushu City born artist Soh Souen made this piece which uses a pixelated ID photo that has been reproduced in pointillistic fashion. By using this technique to create a composite image, one’s distance from the piece influences what one sees in the piece. The aim of this intriguing piece seems to be reflecting on the relationship between human and data, and how the blurred line between reality and fiction influences our senses. 

tieCOM_2501
Artist: Soh Souen 
Location: ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 2nd floor shopping area

Boundary Stones Tenjin

A tranquil piece composed of copper foil shapes that have been molded from stones taken from a riverbed. At the boundary between the visible and hidden parts of urban architecture, a transparent landscape emerges like natural scenery from a mountain or cave. The metallic quality of the foil resonates with the natural shapes of the stones, quietly symbolizing the interval between the natural and the manmade that we humans find ourselves in. 

Boundary Stones Tenjin
Artist: Yasuaki Onishi 
Location: ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 4th floor shopping area

TENJIN MOSAIC

This piece by depicts the main intersection in the Tenjin area with all of its chance meetings and energy in the signature pop illustration style of artist Toyameg. Boundary Stone Tenjin sits right next to this piece and the collaborative contrast lends this space a unique sense of rhythm and place.

The free spirit of Fukuoka is palpable in this piece that depicts the Tenjin intersection as a place of meetings between people and animals that transcending nationality. DELIVA remarked, “I feel like I’ve entered the world of a picture book! People and animals mingle together in a way that communicates Fukuoka as a truly free-spirited place.” As DELIVA demonstrates, depending on the angle of your photo, there's then the joy of becoming part of the work yourself!
 

TENJIN MOSAIC
Artist: Toyameg
Location: ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 4th floor shopping area 

The Eye of the Whale Series: Blood of the Sea・Scylla：White Forest

A piece taken from Maki Ohkojima’s representative Eye of the Whale series. Having participated in the Tara Pacific Ocean Project scientific expedition, Ohkojima said the inspiration for this piece came to him when he saw the remains of a whale being consumed by a variety of smaller animals, saying “It was like a cycle of life and death concentrated into a soup of life”. To communicate this, the sea’s abundance and circle of life within is depicted on the enormous body of the whale. The impressive scale of the piece helps to transmit the vital energy within, helping to call to remind us that the earth is one great ecosystem that we are all a part of. 

The Eye of the Whale Series: Blood of the Sea・Scylla：White Forest
Artist: Maki Ohkojima
Location: ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 6th floor Sky Lobby 

Ring Nebula

Ring Nebula is a piece that was born from the following thought: “If a piece of clay fell from outer space to earth, wouldn’t it become a kind of extraterrestrial ceramic when entering the atmosphere?” Combining both the warmth of pottery with the majesty of outer space, this piece looks like a meteorite the moment it makes contact with the earth. This piece radiates an inquisitive sense of curiosity towards its materials. 

Ring Nebula 
Artist: Kunito
Location: ONE FUKUOKA BLDG. 6th floor Sky Lobby 

Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City Park

Located five minutes away from the ONE FUKUOKA BLDG, this spot of green was built around the former Daimyo elementary school, now a complex filled with different facilities: the Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City Park.

The Daimyo Guardian Dog

Conceived by 4th generation Hakata Doll maker Nakamura Hiromine, you will often find children climbing and playing around this playful art piece. Taken together with the lion that features proudly in The Ritz Carlton Fukuoka’s emblem, they form a pair of guardian deities, with this piece symbolizing the local and the lion in the hotel’s logo the global. 

Made with the climbing and napping of children in mind, this piece is meant to show that art can serve many functions and be a natural part of our surroundings. The piece is popular as a piece that can both be touched and played with. 

The Daimyo Guardian Dog
Artist: Nakamura Hiromine
Location: Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City Park Main Square

moments

A collaborative piece made by artist Nakayama Akiko and anno lab, a creative lab. By combining moving images together with a clock, the numbers that appear unite the world in this digital art piece. The numbers on the screens change daily, making this piece a kind of living artwork. DELIVA reflects, “Every day this piece shows a new face making each viewing fresh.” The power of art breathes life into this busy business district. 

moments
Artist: anno lab, Nakayama Akiko
Location: Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City Park interior office entrance

Incidentally, in between the different moments of this piece, other images will sometimes cut in. During the interview the guardian dog even showed up! We quickly snapped a photo.

Tenjin Business Center

Our next destination was the first building to be revamped as part of the Tenjin Big Bang Project: the Tenjin Business Center. With a striking glass façade, this facility features many interesting art pieces within it. 

Light & Color, work in situ

Located at the office entrance is this piece by world renowned modern artist Daniel Buren. A series of lightboxes are constructed using a steel frame, LEDs, and plexiglass.

The black-and-white stripes emphasize the depth of the space, with a design that changes expression based on the viewer's movement. DELIVA says “I absolutely love these Mondrian-like color schemes”. 

Light & Color, work in situ
Artist: Daniel Buren
Size: (width) 7 meters, (depth) 3 meters, (height) 4 meters
Location: Tenjin Business Center Office Entrance

HG6 Alto Relieve

You can find this piece on the second floor, directly after having stepped off the escalator. Like the preceding this was made by Daniel Buren.

Buren enjoys creating pieces that incorporate stripes, bright colors, and mirrors in order to create a kind of dialogue with the viewer. The mirrored surface captures the surrounding space, appearing to change depending on the viewing angle and time of day. It also offers the delight of becoming part of what is captured, as DELIVA demonstrates.

HG6 Alto Relieve
Artist; Daniel Buren
Size: (width) 2.5 meters, (height) 2.5 meters
Location: Tenjin Business Center office entrance
*At the moment of writing not all of this piece is available for viewing.

The question of the helix in a broken cross composition

Using red fabric and pieces of traditional men’s and women’s kimonos, this handmade piece makes use of triangles in a geometrical configuration. The stainless-steel structure is artfully arranged, and makes good use of its helical structure to both reflect light and express a sense of transparency, making this an interactive piece that changes together with lighting of the space. 

The question of the helix in a broken cross composition
Artist: Athina Ioannou 
Size: (height) 4 meters, (width) 1.7 meters, (depth) 1.4 meters
Location: Tenjin Business Center, near the escalator leading from the basement to 1st floor

Marine Messe Fukuoka

A large event space located in the bay area of Fukuoka’s Hakata ward. As a place where concerts, sporting events, exhibitions, and a wide range of other functions are often held it is considered one of Fukuoka’s representative facilities. 2021 saw the opening of Marine Messe Hall B which added new facilities and widened the existing space to accommodate an even greater number of events. 

The Blooming

The Blooming is a piece located in front of Marine Messe Fukuoka by Indonesian artist Eko Nugroho. This colorful piece symbolizes the new world views and culture that blossom here thanks to the energy of those who gather here. 

The Blooming is a piece located in front of Marine Messe Fukuoka by Indonesian artist Eko Nugroho. This colorful piece symbolizes the new world views and culture that blossom here thanks to the energy of those who gather here. 

The Blooming
Artist: Eko Nugroho
Size: 5 meters tall
Location: between Marine Messe Halls A and B (outdoors)

Fukuoka FaN Week is on every year!

FaN Week is the main event of Fukuoka City's art promotion project, Fukuoka Art Next (FaN). It is an art festival held throughout Fukuoka City from mid- to late September. 

The 2025 event ran for 16 days from Saturday, September 13 to Sunday, September 28. Exhibitions, performances, and workshops unfolded not only in museums and galleries but also in diverse locations like cafes, hotels, commercial facilities, and public spaces. As part of this, the exhibition Best Collection III: Breaking the Conventional: New Self-Portraits was currently being held at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum during our art tour. We went to see it together with DELIVA! 

Fukuoka Asian Art Museum

Located on the 7th and 8th floors of the Hakata Riverain building, this museum specializes in modern and contemporary Asian art. With a collection of over 5,000 pieces from 23 different countries, this museum is considered a place of artistic and cultural exchange in its own right. No matter the exhibit, a diverse array of Asian expressions and works that resonate across the ages are always on display.

▲ Collaboration between Navjot, Rajkumar, Shantibai, Gaslam [India] 
“Modes of Parallel Practices; Ways of World Making” 1997

▲ Hanh Thi Pham [Vietnam/America] 
“Self-Portrait・Long Hair・Pipe” 1985

The exhibit Best Collection III: Breaking the Conventional: New Self-Portraits was the third installment in a series of exhibitions showcasing carefully selected masterpieces of modern and contemporary Asian art from the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum's collection of approximately 5,700 works. Running from July 5 to November 30, 2025, it featured around 40 works by 11 artists, including paintings, photographs, videos, and sculptures.

Centered on expressions reflecting the political upheavals, economic development, and shifting values across Asia brought about by the 1980s and 1990s, this exhibition presented the unique artistic worlds constructed by artists as they re-examined their own cultural backgrounds and social perspectives. 

When you’re finished perusing the museum and whatever exhibit happens to be on, we highly recommend visiting the gift shop. An index of the museum’s collection and original goods that can only be purchased here are also available, so please check it

A city where art is part of daily life, Fukuoka

With the redevelopment of the Tenjin area, new office buildings and commercial facilities have been coming up all around the area, and with these developments art has been appearing in and among them. Offering some closing remarks, DELIVA exclaims “Enjoying art at the same time one explores these buildings. Now that’s extravagance! I’m incredibly inspired by Fukuoka’s artists and want to get painting right away!”

Encountering art in daily life that causes us to stop and reflect even in the midst of our busy schedules. Perhaps moments like these make Fukuoka itself a more vibrant and freer place.