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Picks is a monthly sampling of Japan's art scene, offering short reviews of exhibitions at museums and galleries in recent weeks, with an emphasis on contemporary art by young artists. |
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Yuuki Hayashi: Small Paralysis |
| 13 - 26 October 2008 |
neutron
(Kyoto) |
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| Hayashi's video images seem minimalist and his soundtrack rhythms simplistic, but there is a hypnotic beauty in the lonesome, pale-gray landscapes passing by, in the design of the recurring motifs and in the awkward movements of the human figures. As the title suggests, the installation induces a "small paralysis" of the senses. |
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| Yuichi Yonebayashi |
| 17 October - 3 November 2008 |
University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts
(Tokyo) |
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| This retrospective commemorates the retirement of veteran sculptor Yonebayashi from Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai), where he was a professor. His early works, created in the sixties, are particularly captivating. |
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Fourth Exhibition: Descendants of the Atelier |
| 17 - 26 October 2008 |
Denchu Hiragushi Atelier
(Tokyo) |
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| This exhibition of figurative wooden sculptures finds a simpatico ambience in the traditional tatami rooms of the home and studio of Denchu Hiraguchi (1872-1979), one of Japan's greatest woodcarving artists. Arranged throughout the rooms like so many guardian spirits, the works are often unnerving, e.g. Hitoshi Adachi's carving of a diver foaming at the mouth, and Chisa Iura's severed arm covered with the scars of an attempted suicide. |
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| This once grave basement |
| 19 - 26 October 2008 |
ZAIM
(Kanagawa) |
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| The basement of the old Yokohama building occupied by the ZAIM art project used to house prisoners. The impact of the space itself unfortunately overwhelms the art exhibited here -- a study in contrasts with the supportive ambience of the Denchu Hiragushi Atelier. Still, that condition seems understood and even exploited by the six artists in the show: Yasuhiro Aihara, Yumi Inaba, Motohiro Goto, Shinzou, Mamoru Narita, and Hoshitaro. |
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Printed Treasures: Highlights from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
| 7 October - 30 November 2008 |
Edo-Tokyo Museum
(Tokyo) |
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| From Sharaku's actor portraits to woodblock print books by Kiyonobu and Utamaro, this exhibition of ukiyo-e from Boston's renowned collection is unrivaled in its variety and sheer volume. Not only that, the colors of the works are more vivid than any this reviewer has seen in other ukiyo-e shows. One is moved both by the beauty of the art and by its astonishingly pristine condition. |
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Station 2008: Art on the Tsurumi Line |
| 25 October - 7 December 2008 |
5 stations on the JR Tsurumi Line
(Kanagawa) |
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This spread-out show showcases art at five stations along the Tsurumi Line, which extends from JR Tsurumi Station (between Tokyo and Yokohama) into the Keihin Industrial Zone. Its organizer, the Tokyo Station Gallery, is holding exhibitions at other stations while closed (till 2012) for renovation. Normally patronized by factory workers and factory buffs (an otaku subset), the Tsurumi Line has its own special vibe; Umi-Shibaura Station is particularly recommended.
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Tomoko Yoneda: An End is A Beginning |
| 12 September - 30 November 2008 |
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
(Tokyo) |
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| Yoneda's photographs on the theme of invisible memories and histories become clear in their purport only upon reading the titles, which trigger associations with past events. The SCENE series, for example, depicts what appear to be tranquil landscapes or everyday life in some unnamed country. But the titles indicate that these are in fact the sites of massacres, landmines and other horrors. |
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Hyakka Kyo-ran |
| 11 October - 7 December 2008 |
Mori Yu Gallery Kyoto
(Kyoto) |
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Having just moved into new quarters, the Kyoto branch of the Mori Yu Gallery showcases its 20-odd stable of artists. "Hyakka kyo-ran" is a pun on the phrase hyakka ryo-ran (an effusion of flowers) substituting the "kyo" of Kyoto; as the title suggests, the works are colorful and showy. They go nicely with the gallery's new location by a cherry tree-lined canal.
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Hidemasa Fujii: Stain "Outward" |
| 25 - 28 October 2008 |
Spiral 1F Showcase
(Tokyo) |
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| This small solo show on the ground floor of Aoyama's Spiral art complex displays works by the winner of the grand prize at this year's 9th Spiral Independent Creators Festival. Fujii's "Stain" series utilizes streams of LED lights, to which he has added work made of unraveled cellophane tape placed in a light-polarizing case. All are beautiful, but one wonders how the artist will take the next step past mere beauty. |
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Yohei Sasakura: Tsutau |
| 4 - 26 October 2008 |
PANTALOON
(Osaka) |
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Sasakura began painting his "Tsutau" (a play on tsuta, vine) series last year. These massive works depict vines luxuriantly twisting and spreading in all directions. Their placement in the gallery stairwell only enhances the overwhelming effect of the images. The motion and flow of the lines, even when drawn only by pen, exude an oppressive tension.
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