The Neue Nationalgalerie presents a new site-specific fog sculpture by the Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya in its sculpture garden – a work that is both monumental and ephemeral, engaging with the iconic architecture of Mies van der Rohe.

Fujiko Nakaya was born in 1933 in Sapporo, Japan. In the 1960s, she gained recognition as a member of the New York-based collective Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.), and later achieved international acclaim for her immersive fog sculptures. Her first fog sculpture was created for the Expo World’s Fair in Osaka in 1970, using a system that generates pure water fog.

Nakaya’s fog sculptures transcend traditional boundaries of sculpture by creating fleeting, borderless transformations that involve the audience and give atmospheric conditions a sculptural form. Her works invite visitors to engage with natural elements in real time – through site-specific, ephemeral experiences that blur the lines between nature and artistic expression.

Installation for the Neue Nationalgalerie

For the Neue Nationalgalerie, Nakaya has developed a new installation that fills the entire sculpture garden. At regular intervals, different fog formations emerge from selected sides of the garden, blending with the trees and the permanent sculptures by Henri Laurens, Wolfgang Mattheuer, and Alicja Kwade, before slowly dissolving into the sky from the center of the garden. The moving fog appears in varying densities – at times as a nearly tangible volume, at others as a translucent veil.

The Neue Nationalgalerie’s iconic architecture, designed by Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1968 – just two years before Nakaya’s first fog sculpture – offers multiple vantage points from which to experience her work. The 90-meter-long glass façade on the museum’s collection level provides an impressive view of the ever-changing fog formations from inside. Visitors can also step directly into the garden from the collection area and immerse themselves in the fog.

Career and Awards

Fujiko Nakaya, daughter of physicist Ukichiro Nakaya, renowned for his pioneering research on snow crystals, has collaborated throughout her career with artists from a wide range of disciplines, including architecture, music, dance, lighting design, and video art. She studied at Northwestern University in the United States and later at the Sorbonne Institute in Paris.

Nakaya has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Praemium Imperiale (2018), the Australian Cultural Award (1976), the Special Prize of the Isoya Yoshida Award (1993), the Merit Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival (2008), the French Order Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (2017), the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award (2020), the Person of Cultural Merit honor (2022), and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (2024). She has been a member of the Japan Art Academy since 2023.

Important exhibitions of her work have been held at Khao Yai Art Park, Thailand (2025), the Fondation Beyeler and the LUMA Foundation (2024–25), Haus der Kunst, Munich (2022), and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (1998), among others.

Exhibition Imprint

Curators: Klaus Biesenbach, Lisa Botti
Curatorial Assistance: Nikola Richolt
Communication: Markus Farr, Maribel Nicolás Cabello
Technical Installation: Eric Dufour, Dutrie SAS

Special Thanks to:
Fujiko Nakaya, Momo Sugita, Shiro Yamamoto, and the entire studio Fujiko Nakaya.
The exhibition is supported by the Kuratorium Preußischer Kulturbesitz.

Visitor Information

During the fog sculpture by Fujiko Nakaya, please note the following:

The sculpture is activated on the hour between 11 am and 5 pm. On Thursdays, activations run until 7 pm.

Each fog sequence lasts for 8 minutes. During the activation, the doors to the sculpture garden remain closed! Please enter the sculpture garden on time.

During the fog phases, visibility may be significantly reduced.

Entering the sculpture garden is at your own risk.

• When dense fog appears, obstacles and other visitors may be difficult to see. Please move slowly and carefully. If visibility is very low, we recommend staying in place until the fog clears.
• The ground may become wet and slippery due to the fog. Please watch your step.
• Keep a safe distance from sculptures, water features, and other visitors.
• Be mindful of uneven surfaces and possible tripping hazards.
• Please supervise children closely at all times.
• Photography and filming are welcome. Please be aware that the fine water mist may affect electronic devices.

For any questions, feel free to contact the staff on site.

A special exhibition by the Neue Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin