As the world reopens for tourism, we couldn't help but notice the cultural lineup looks better than ever. Here we chronicle the best new museums to visit.....
Amid the cascading skyscrapers, the elevated subway and U.S. fast-food chains, a nine-floor elliptical curiosity has slowly taken shape over the last several years in Dubai. The building, which can be viewed from Sheikh Zayed Road, features panels marked with Arabic calligraphy and is set to be one of the most iconic, cultural landmarks in the world. The museum, which is the next project in Dubai Future Foundation, is dedicated to exploring the threats and opportunities of our future and will promote research to conceiving a better future for ourselves and our planet.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened last September to give film aficionados a comprehensive look at the movie industry. Its official pledge is to tell the history of cinema with full representation of diverse voices and to advocate for a more equitable future. For the museum, the world of movies is not just bright, but accountable too. Situated on Museum Row, the former department store was transformed into a three-story exhibition featuring an extensive collection of items from memorable films. A futuristic concrete and glass orb was added to the building to serve as a 1,000-seat movie theatre.
Federico Fellini’s movies are extravagant and fantastical, often blurring the lines between imagination and reality. The filmmaker’s eponymous museum in Rimini - his hometown is a truly immersive experience: Images appear on walls when visitors blow on a feather, fountains spray mist to mimic the director’s fog-filled cinema scapes, and guests are invited to recline on a giant sculpture of Anita Ekberg.
Devoted to cult Japanese author Murakami, perhaps one of Japan’s most acclaimed literary exports, whose bestsellers range from Norwegian Wood to 1Q84, it’s designed by star architect Kengo Kuma. Signature curves of wood looping into the sky span the façade – with the tunnel effect continuing upon entering, drawing visitors down a dramatic cathedral-like timber space called the Stair Bookshelf, curations of Murakami-related books filling either side. The new library is home to 3,000 books, manuscripts and original material. There is also a Lounge where his favourite records are played and a Gallery – plus, in the basement, a replica of his study alongside a café run by students, serving his favourite dark roast coffee and novel-inspired dishes such as the Wind-Up sandwich.
One of the most talked-about cultural openings in Latin America is MACA, Uruguay’s first contemporary art museum. As an ode to the landscape, the undulating structure rests on slanted beams made of local eucalyptus trunks that were custom-shaped in France. On the pastoral perimeter are abstract marble sculptures carved by Pablo Atchugarry, the Uruguayan-born artist who masterminded the entire project. Inside are three main exhibition areas, one holding a permanent collection focused on celebrated regional artists like Julio Le Parc, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Joaquín Torres García, and Ernesto Neto, and the other two are reserved for temporary international exhibits.
Antwerp’s cult fashion museum, ModeMuseum (MoMu), has reopened after a three-year renovation, and it’s more stylish and culturally relevant as ever. MoMu’s permanent collection honouring Flemish designers is still intact, but visitors can now expect to see a rotating line-up of culturally significant items from global fashion history.
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