Artist and conservationist Jason deCaires Taylor has installed a new sculpture, ‘Ocean Gaia‘, off the island of Tokunoshima, Japan.
Installed on 14 October at a depth of five metres, the monumental sculpture weighs more than 45 tons and spans 5.5 metres in width, and features a serene, large-scale portrait of the renowned Japanese model Kiko Mizuhara.
Ocean Gaia is reportedly the first underwater sculpture ever installed in Japan.
Set close to shore and embedded within the fringing reef, the sculpture is perforated with openings around its edges to invite marine life inside, creating both a piece of art and a new habitat for marine life.
The gently swirling contours of the statue have been designed to echo the intricate sand circles crafted by the Japanese white-spotted pufferfish (Torquigener albomaculosus), which is native to the region, and the rising peaks and valleys of Tokunoshima’s mountains.
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Tokunoshima – also known as Tokuno Island – is part of the Amami archipelago off the southern coast of the Japanese island of Kyushu.
It was chosen as the location for the sculpture as it is known for its healthy lifestyle and high birthrate, and is home to a remarkable number of centenarians.
A mountain range along the spine of the island, Mount Amagidake, is known by the locals as nesugata-yama – ‘sleeping-form-mountain – as its silhouette is said to resemble a pregnant woman sleeping.
In recent years, many of Japan’s younger generations have left the islands for larger cities. DeCaires Taylor says his new installation seeks to inspire renewed cultural interest and a deeper connection with the sea among local youth.
‘Ocean Gaia stands as both a symbol of renewal and a gesture toward reconnection between people, the sea, and the continuity of life itself,’ he said in a statement announcing the installation.
‘Ocean Gaia envisions the sea as a vast maternal force that breathes, renews, and heals. Drawing from the myth of Gaia, the primordial mother, the work reflects on the ocean as origin and consciousness, the source from which all life emerged.
‘It speaks to interconnection and reverence, a reminder that the ocean is not apart from us, but an entity on which we are entirely dependent.
‘It is hoped that when visited, the piece evokes a deep, instinctive memory of being held within water — a quiet meditation on creation, fertility, and the ocean as the original womb of life.’
For more information, visit underwatersculpture.com/projects/ocean-gaia/
