The 45-ton installation sits 5 metres below the surface and functions as an artificial reef

A 45-ton underwater sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor was installed on October 14, 2025, in the waters off Tokunoshima, a small island in Japan’s Ryukyu Archipelago. The work sits 5 metres below the surface, embedded in the fringing reef near the shore. Measuring 5.5 metres wide, it depicts the face of Kiko Mizuhara, a Japanese-American model and actress, in a reclining position. The piece is the first underwater sculpture to be placed in Japanese waters.

The structure contains perforations along its edges, designed to allow fish and other marine organisms to move through and inhabit the interior. Its surface includes curved, circular patterns that reference the courtship structures made by Torquigener albomaculosus, a species of pufferfish endemic to the waters around southern Japan. Males of this species construct geometric sand circles on the seabed during mating season. The sculpture’s form also incorporates the profile of Tokunoshima’s central mountain range, which resembles the silhouette of a reclining pregnant figure when viewed from certain coastal points.

Tokunoshima has a population of approximately 22,000 and is part of Kagoshima Prefecture. The island has one of the highest proportions of centenarians per capita in Japan and has been the subject of demographic and longevity studies. In recent decades, younger residents have migrated to urban areas on Japan’s main islands, contributing to population decline. The sculpture project was conceived in part to draw attention back to the island and encourage marine tourism and local engagement with coastal ecosystems.

The work takes its title from Gaia, the Greek primordial deity associated with the Earth. The installation references the ocean as a source of biological origin and as a site of environmental concern. It is accessible to divers and snorkelers, and the site is intended to function as both an artificial reef and a visitor attraction.

Kiko Mizuhara was born Audrie Kiko Daniel in Dallas, Texas, in 1990, to an American father and a Japanese-Korean mother. She moved to Kobe, Japan, as a child and began modelling in her teens. She appeared in campaigns for Dior, Coach, and Shiseido, and acted in films including Norwegian Wood (2010), directed by Tran Anh Hung, and Attack on Titan (2015). She has worked as a designer and creative director for fashion collaborations and maintains a presence in both Japanese and international fashion industries. She has over 9 million followers on Instagram as of 2025.

The sculpture was fabricated using marine-grade materials intended to withstand saltwater corrosion and support biofilm development. The installation process required coordination with local fishing cooperatives and marine conservation groups. No official artist credit has been widely circulated in available materials related to the work.

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