The Door into Summer: The Age of Micropop exists as a curatorial manifestation of Matsui's interpretation of French philosopher Gilles Deleuze's concept of "micropop." Matsui perceives in Japanese contemporary art -- and, apparently, recent contemporary art in general -- an important tendency towards the "minor." Within the context of Deleuze, the minor initially referred to the work of certain modern writers -- for example, Irish-born, Paris-based Samuel Beckett -- and their attempt to form new modes of expression through the utilization of an apparent disadvantage: the difficulty of conventional, direct communicability inherent in the foreign. Deleuze and Matsui both read in this type of inherently creative communication a model for a new, subversive mode of existence within the present -- a means whereby differing forms of creative action, intensely personal forms of expression based upon a certain minor position within the culture, may serve, more generally, as models and manifestations of new means of survival within the postmodern age. Though not direct descendants of historical Pop Art, the artists of micropop are said to personalize and utilize the signs of popular culture as means to the creation of their own communication -- means of survival.

The Age of Micropop makes good use of the space of the Contemporary Art Gallery of Art Tower Mito. Matsui's position is clearly articulated through the allotment to each of the exhibition's participating artists of a generous amount of space in which to clearly present their own distinct form of expression. This is regardless of position; less established artists such as 31-year-old Tokyo-based film/installation artist Taro Izumi and 28-year-old Kaikai Kiki progeny Mahomi Kunikata each have their own entire room or multiple rooms in which to present new and older bodies of work. More established "grandfathers" of this young movement share equal space, though Matsui is clearly making a statement in the presentation of internationally recognized, influential performance-based artist Shimabuku and his trash-toting Santa Claus in the exhibition's opening space. Perhaps the most successful arguments for the vitality of micropop are present in the form of an ongoing collaboration/dialogue between painters Yoshitomo Nara and Hiroshi Sugito. Each artist's individual work exists as a hybrid of multiple visual vocabularies, and the new language spoken by the joint presentation makes for yet another position to consider; the situation serves to further and refresh each artist's practice. Micropop finds its purest expression in the drawing installation of Japanese-born, New York-based artist Tam Ochiai's engaging, ongoing project. With the apparent ease and innocence of a child, Ochiai presents a highly complex yet sensitive position. Less successful are the installations of artists Koki Tanaka and Masanori Handa, each of whom seems under an unfortunate influence of excess and somehow out of place within the context of the present exhibition.

The Door into Summer: The Age of Micropop is an important, engaging exhibition. There are a number of additional, unmentioned artists whose work deserves consideration, and the screen of micropop provides a possible means of newly understanding this and more familiar work presented in the exhibition.

Also of note is the exhibition catalogue, The Door into Summer: The Age of Micropop, to be released by Parco Publishing in the spring of 2007.