GINZA SIX COMBINES ART AND URBAN LIFE IN TOKYO
GINZA SIX is evolving as a dynamic cultural platform where art and urban life collide. Under the guiding theme ‘From Ginza to the World’, the center presents high-level sensory stimulation with a global creative exchange. The intervention by contemporary artist Julian Opie debuted on September 11, 2025, marking the first time a dynamic, cinematic installation has ever been presented in the building’s central atrium, which was designed by Curiosity’s Gwenael Nicolas. This large-scale, floating LED installation, named ‘Marathon. Women”. invites visitors to experience immersive art while shopping.
Julian Opie’s “Marathon”. Women”. figures glide across the atrium of GINZA SIX, turning a commercial space into a cultural scene | image © Yasuyuki Takaki
DEEP JOURNEY INTO CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT
THE meaning “From Ginza to Logos”, parts GINZA SIX beyond traditional retail, it is establishing itself as a cultural hub. Through curated site-specific collaborations with world-renowned creators, the installation integrates cultural engagement and sensory stimulation, placing art at the center of visitors’ immersive journey.
Inside the Marathon. Women”. Julian Opie brought a sense of dynamism to the central atrium, debuting his first ‘floating’ LED installation. The artist, who has long been fascinated by how art interacts with its environment, reimagines the commercial void as a digital intervention. Inspired by British female sprinters, the project captures the rhythm of human movement to naturally integrate into the everyday pulse of the building.
the artist uses LED signage to visualize the movement of sprinters running at high speed | image © Yasuyuki Takaki
ART LIVED AND BREATHED AS A PUBLIC EXPERIENCE
The installation features seven runners depicted in Opie’s signature colorful, minimalist lines, moving at varying speeds on suspended LED signage. Graphics are displayed on both sides of the screen, making the project visible from multiple perspectives on four floors (2F–5F) and making full use of the spatial volume. Opie developed the concept through rigorous VR simulations, using LED signage as a “magic language” that allows for quick reading and a sense of normalcy.
Central to his narrative is the dynamic fictional human act of running that reverberates throughout the space, creating a sense of movement that blends with the visually busy shops and crowds. The installation adopts a rectangular rather than circular form, reflecting the geometry of the building. Different colors differentiate the seven runners, while their varying speeds orchestrate an endless race around the atrium.
Playground right at the entrance 1F | image © Yasuyuki Takaki
Expanding on the atrium work, two additional works inspired by Opie’s first visit to GINZA SIX in autumn 2025 take place from April 10 to June 30, 2026. Located in the GINZA SIX garden (rooftop) and entrance 1F, both works explore the theme of ‘Walking Children’. At the 1F entrance, the British artist presents his first use of ‘mesh LED’, a technology that allows animated figures to be projected onto a transparent surface, letting the minimalist figures blend seamlessly into the real cityscape. Meanwhile, ‘Walking Children’ turns the rooftop garden into an interactive playground with sculpture works modeled after 20 children of various ages. Together, these installations reinforce GINZA SIX as an immersive urban landscape where fine art lives and breathes from all who pass by.
