You'd think a brighter theme might be in order for a grand return, but Tokyo's photography museum reopened on 3 September with an exhibition that questions the very future of mankind. In Lost Human Genetic Archive, which runs through 13 November, New York-based artist Hiroshi Sugimoto presents three bodies of work that together explore the decay and demise of civilization. Occupying two floors, the show offers up Sugimoto's view of history, and it's a dark one indeed. more...

The Asakusa Gallery is housed, literally, in a former family residence built in 1965 and renovated in 2015. The energy the gallery commands derives from its combination of unique surroundings, an unexpected use of space, and a powerful concept of art. The gallery is "just" a small remodeled house down an alley a few minutes' walk from the Tawaramachi subway stop in a funky, "low-city" (shitamachi) Tokyo neighborhood adjoining Asakusa. With only two rooms to make its conceptual point, it manages to create an innovative space to rethink what art can be, what it is supposed to do, and how it can be experienced. more...