Art and cultural facility SKAC opened in Kameari, Tokyo, where art and daily living meet beneath an elevated railway.
In this article, we are going to delve into the attractive features of SKAC (Skwat Kameari Art Centre), which opened in November 2024.
SKAC is located in Kameari, a town where the traditional “shitamachi” culture is still very much alive. In a unique space beneath an elevated railway, a wide variety of shops are lined up—art, design, architecture, food, music, and nature (botanical)—exuding a unique atmosphere where art and daily living meet.
SKAC was designed by Daikei Mills, a design firm led by Keisuke Nakamura. Under the lead of the design firm, SKAC was established as part of the Skwat initiative, which temporarily occupies vacant facilities in urban areas and converts them into something valuable.
The exterior of SKAC beneath an elevated railway
One of the SKAC shops is an artbook shop called “twelvebooks.” Artbooks from all over the world are lined up in the spacious warehouse. In collaboration with NPO Telescope, it also has a permanent exhibition section dedicated to the archive of Kiyosato Museum of Contemporary Art, which holds a collection of valuable contemporary art books, allowing you to gain a deep understanding of art and fine art.
The interior of SKAC
VDS (Vinyl Delivery Service), a London-based popular record shop, also opened its Japan main shop here. The shop carries a carefully curated collection of valuable used records from around the world.
The shop is packed with valuable used records from around the world
SKAC also has a café called Tawks, where you can enjoy professional-quality, single-origin coffees prepared by a barista.
The Tawks café
Through experimental exhibitions unlike those of conventional museums and galleries, and through works conceived outside the conventional frameworks, SKAC lets you experience the forefront of the contemporary Japanese art scene. We highly recommend that you visit the unique art space of the Skwat initiative that bridges society and culture.
■DATA SKAC (Skwat Kameari Art Centre） Address: 3-26-4 Nishikameari, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo Opening hours: 11:00 - 19:00 Closed: Mondays & Tuesdays *The opening hours and regular closing days of the SKAC shops vary by shop. Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/skwat.site/ (Information as of January 2025)
