GINZA SIX MELDS ART AND URBAN LIFE IN TOKYO 

GINZA SIX evolves as a dynamic cultural platform where art and urban life collide. Under the guiding theme ‘From the Ginza to the World’, the hub presents high-level sensory stimulation with a global creative exchange. The intervention featuring the contemporary artist Julian Opie debuted on September 11, 2025, marking the first time a dynamic, film installation has ever been presented within the building’s central atrium, which was designed by Gwenael Nicolas of Curiosity. 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 GINZA SIX’s atrium, transforming a commercial space into a cultural stage | image © Yasuyuki Takaki

IMMERSIVE JOURNEY INTO CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT 

The concept ‘From Ginza to the Word’, places GINZA SIX beyond traditional retail, establishing itself as a cultural hub. Through curated site-specific collaborations with world-renowned creators, the facility integrates cultural engagement and sensory stimulation, placing art at the center of the visitors’ immersive journey.

Within ‘Marathon. Women.’ Julian Opie brought a sense of dynamism into the central atrium, debuting his first ‘floating’ LED installation. The artist, who has long been fascinated by how art interacts with its surroundings, reimagines the commercial void as a digital intervention. Inspired by British female sprinters, the work captures the rhythm of human movement to naturally integrate with the building’s daily pulse.

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 across suspended LED signage. The visuals are displayed on both sides of the screen, making the work viewable from multiple perspectives across four floors (2F–5F) and taking full advantage of the spatial volume. Opie developed the concept through rigorous VR simulations, using LED signage as a ‘magical language’ that allows for fast reading and a sense of normality.

Central to its narrative is the dynamic imaginary human act of running reverberating throughout the space, which generates a feeling of motion that blends with the visually busy shops and crowds. The installation adopts a rectangular rather than circular form, mirroring the building’s own geometry. Distinct colors differentiate the seven runners, while their varying speeds orchestrate an endless race around the atrium.

Playground right at 1F entrance | image © Yasuyuki Takaki

Expanding upon the atrium project, 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 at the GINZA SIX Garden (rooftop)  and the 1F entrance, both projects 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-world cityscape. Meanwhile, ‘Walking Children’ transforms the rooftop garden into an interactive playground featuring sculptural works modeled after 20 children of various ages. Together, these installations reinforce GINZA SIX as an immersive urban landscape where fine art is lived and breathed by everyone who passes through.

‘20 Children’ transforms the rooftop into a playground featuring sculptural works modeled after children | image © Yasuyuki Takaki

located in tokyo’s iconic district, GINZA SIX positions itself as a global creative exchange from ginza to the world

the central atrium serves as a blank canvas for sensory stimulation, evolving into a dynamic hub for artistic collaborations | image © Satoshi Shigeta

GINZA SIX functions as an immersive urban landscape where fine art and world-class architecture seamlessly collide

project info: 

platform: GINZA SIX | @ginzasix_official

location: 6-10-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

artwork: Marathon. Women., 20 Children, and Playground 

artist: Julian Opie

dates: September 11, 2025 – Atrium (Marathon. Women.), and April 10-June 30, 2026 – Rooftop (20 Children) and 1F Entrance (Playground) 

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