teamLab Borderless in Tokyo has welcomed 2.3 million visitors in its first year of operation, making it the world’s most popular single-artist destination. The museum is an immersive artainment attraction.
The 2.3 million visitors came from more than 160 countries, with approximately half coming from overseas. The majority of visitors came from the US, followed by Australia and China.
According to a survey conducted by teamLab Borderless, nearly half of the overseas visitors came to Japan with a main purpose of visiting the new attraction.
The permanent museum and a temporary experience, called teamLab Planets, opened in 2018 in Tokyo’s Odaiba and Toyosu. A further 1.2 million guests visited the teamLab Planets immersive light experience.
teamLab Borderless visitors came from 160 countries
To put those figures into perspective, teamLab Borderless had more visitors than Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, which received around 2.1 million guests last year.
The museum has also contributed to the surrounding area on Tokyo’s waterfront. Since its launch, the closest rail station (Aomi Station on the Yurikamome Line) has welcomed 50% more visitors. VenusFort, a retail complex adjacent to the museum, has also welcomed 20% more visitors.
teamLab Borderless is jointly operated by Mori Building Co and teamLab, a digital art collective. It is based on the concept of borderless, experiential exhibits that interact physically with visitors.
1.2 million guests visited teamLab Planets
The digital art museum boasts approximately 50 interactive artworks in five zones. The interactive artworks have no borders to separate them from other works, with some extending into corridors and overlapping with other artworks, creating an entirely immersive experience.
Earlier this year, Tank Shanghai opened with a trio of exhibitions, including a giant interactive digital waterfall installation by teamLab.
Borderless, experiential exhibits from teamLab
As galleries and museums evolve and utilise state-of-the-art technology, a new trend has emerged. Artainment fuses art and technology, and is a key feature of the likes of Meow Wolf and teamLab.
Images: teamLab
