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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.

1 July 2009

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Masanori Hata and Masaru Eguchi: Destructive White and Creative Black

26 May - 7 June 2009

Akarui Heya
(Tokyo)

Hata and Eguchi shot monochrome nude images of each other and processed them in various ways, commuting between their two studios to produce this collaborative series. Wild and raw on the surface, the work reveals a meticulous control beneath. Though their approach may seem arbitrary and incoherent to purists, Hata and Eguchi are clearly seeking ways to expand the range of possibilities for photography.

Takashi Homma: Trails

8 - 30 May 2009

Gallery 360°
(Tokyo)

In these new works Homma shoots the traces of hunters in winter landscapes: spots of animal blood on the snow. The photographer's recent shift of focus from urban to natural settings suggests an interest in the power of nature lurking under contemporary life. His "Trails" series hints at a magical force beyond human reason.

Satoshi Nishizawa: What Exists There

1 - 27 May 2009

INAX Gallery 2
(Tokyo)

Shot in the classrooms and offices of Tohoku University of Art and Design, where Nishizawa studied, these lifesize inkjet prints of everyday furniture and appliances -- desks, chairs, plastic buckets, computers, file cabinets -- shot under their "natural" fluorescent light somehow transform these prosaic items into contemporary art objects.

Sakiko Kurita: Install

19 May - 7 June 2009

gallery morning kyoto
(Kyoto)

This solo show in a newly opened gallery includes only three new works by Kurita. Though small in number, however, the drawings and paintings shown here enable the viewer to enjoy a glimpse into Kurita's world and a sense of her evolution as an artist. As always, the quirky titles she gives her works stick in the mind along with the images.

After School

23 - 31 May 2009

Former Rissei Elementary School
(Kyoto)

In this curator-less show, 11 participating artists presented works on the theme of "after school." Nearly every day featured workshops and talks under the rubric "Remedial After-School Classes." The sights, sounds and smells of the old school building carried visitors back to their own school days; an installation in the former library was especially evocative.

Kijuro Yahagi: Magnetic Vision / 100 New Works

8 - 30 May 2009

ginza graphic gallery
(Tokyo)

Some 100 of Yahagi's graphic works fill the first and second floor galleries. All are photos of everyday scenes or images culled from magazines. But in the center of each is a circular window displaying a reduction of the larger view beyond the square frame of the poster. The effect is thus like a magnifying glass in reverse; the holistic notion of finding the whole in the part comes to mind.

Risaku Suzuki: WHITE

28 May - 11 July 2009

Gallery Koyanagi
(Tokyo)

Suzuki's photographs are all about snow: snowy mountains, snow-covered trees, snowflakes. Why the camera seems to be preferred to the paintbrush as a means of capturing images of snow may have something to do with the monochromatic origins of photography.

Sakae Ozawa: Perlenpoesie

30 May - 5 July 2009

Mori Yu Gallery
(Kyoto)

Ozawa's motifs, images, even her lines are rich with narrative magic. One also senses in her work a painful quest for the self, and a darkness somewhere on the border between the conscious and unconscious. These paintings are truly gemlike expressions of the delicate and complex folds of the heart.

Le Corbusier & The National Museum of Western Art

4 June - 30 August 2009

The National Museum of Western Art
(Tokyo)

This year marks the 50th birthday of the Main Building of Tokyo's National Museum of Western Art, designed by Le Corbusier and built under the supervision of three Japanese disciples (Junzo Sakakura, Kunio Mayekawa, and Takamasa Yoshizaka). The exhibit features photos, plans and sketches detailing the history of the building, the only one Le Corbusier designed in Japan and a candidate for designation as Tokyo's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tomokazu Hiroe: Uneasy Place

15 May - 13 June 2009

Megumi Ogita Gallery
(Tokyo)

What appear to be collages of photos of stuffed toys or action figures are in fact all hand-drawn. Hiroe applies a file to a white surface before painting his meticulous images. This gallery bears watching as it always manages to discover artists who excel in jewel-like creations.

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