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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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17 January 2011 |
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| Tomoko Sawada: Mirrors |
| 24 October - 12 December 2010 |
MEM
(Tokyo) |
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| New York-based photographer Sawada presents a series of what appear to be portraits of identical twins -- except that both of the subjects in each pair are Sawada herself. In most cases she has subtly varied her appearance with changes in hairstyle, makeup or dress, though in some pieces she appears as identical, or mirror, images. |
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| Kiyoshi Suzuki: Hundred Steps and Thousand Stories |
| 29 October - 19 December 2010 |
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
(Tokyo) |
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| A retrospective of the late photographer Suzuki (1943-2000), focusing on works from his photographic books, the medium to which he devoted himself unstintingly throughout his career. Of the eight photo collections he compiled, all but one were self-published. Also on display are examples of the handmade "dummy" editions of these books that he always prepared in advance of publication. A marvelously crafted facsimile edition of his debut collection, Nagare no Uta (Soul and Soul), has been published concurrently by Hakusuisha. |
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| Naoyo Fukuda |
| 1 - 13 November 2010 |
gallery fukka
(Tokyo) |
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| The only material Fukuda uses for the works in this installation is manuscript paper, out of which she has cut meshes of 400 holes. Folded vertically and stood upright, the sheets become buildings; a single row forms a ladder. Until now Fukuda has been known for art made of text -- palindromes and other wordplay. Even these utterly wordless new works are, if anything, extremely literary. |
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| Tomoe Murakami: "The universe is fine photic particles, I imagine." |
| 29 October - 25 November 2010 |
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CASHI
(Tokyo) |
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| Until now, Murakami's photography seemed a little too perfect, an honor-student approach without much punch. In this solo show, however, she demonstrates that she has learned to cut out the dross, as if to tell the viewer, "This is what I saw -- you got a problem with it?" Conversely, her images of fog and vapor are suffused with a "now you see it, now you don't" ambiguity that embraces rather than discards. Overall, Murakami's point of view has become more supple, yet tougher too. |
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Yuka Kobashi: Needles Fly
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9 - 21 November 2010
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Gallery Shuhari
(Tokyo) |
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| Though still young, photographer Kobashi has already proven that she can do solo exhibits that stand on their own, like this one at Yotsuya's newly opened Gallery Shuhari. But she seems to be at a turning point of sorts. Her snapshots of street scenes, familiar objects, close relatives and so on have been skillful in their portrayal of diverse subjects. Now it seems time for her to become a bit more selective and place her own stylistic imprint on her work. |
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| Kenichi Kohgo: in order to face the world |
| 30 October - 20 November 2010 |
art & river bank
(Tokyo) |
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| Making his debut less than a decade ago, Kohgo is part of the first generation to create photographic art by manipulating digital images, and has earned a degree of acclaim for his work, which uses basic software like PhotoShop to reconstruct and redefine landscapes. The current show represents a continuation of such endeavors. Unfortunately, the digital manipulations that seemed refreshingly shocking ten years ago are almost too comfortably familiar today. |
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| Osamu Kokufu: Parabolic Garden |
| 9 November - 4 December 2010 |
Artcourt Gallery
(Osaka) |
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| Sculptor Kokufu's installation consists of several large works that incorporate entire plant ecosystems. One senses here a profundity of vision that embraces not only plants but human emotions and physical sensations. The artist here scrutinizes the relationship between the living and the artificial, between nature and science -- not by contrasting them as opposites or otherwise severing them from context, but by examining the instants in which they encounter one another. |
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| Yuki Hayashi: the world and fragments of the world |
| 6 November - 18 December 2010 |
Gallery Yamaki Fine Art
(Hyogo) |
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| Video artist Hayashi introduces three new works at this Kobe gallery. From a vast collection of still photos he has snapped and stored in his computer, he selects, cuts, and layers images to create animations of reconstructed everyday scenes that seem to wander back and forth in the space between memory and documentation. In these latest works a human figure walks further and further into the picture plane as the landscape, which has the depth of a 3D projection, shifts around it. |
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| Makiko Koie: Solo Exhibition |
| 12 November - 22 December 2010 |
Zeit-Foto Salon
(Tokyo) |
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| Kyoto-based photographer Koie has been consistent in her production of large multiple-exposure scenes. In this series she pursues her obsession with crowds, assembled here at what appears to be a racetrack. Shooting the masses from a bird's-eye perspective, Koie seems to be trying to capture the tremendous energy emitted by people when they gather in groups. |
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| Mayuko Morita: Can of Paprika |
| 22 - 27 November 2010 |
O Gallery eyes
(Osaka) |
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| These new paintings and drawings by Morita are inspired by her travels; the paprika can of the title is one she picked up in Hungary some years ago that sits unopened on her kitchen shelf, a permanent memento. Though individually titled, the works on display all contain motifs that link them to one another, like symbols in the artist's personal code. The overall impression is thus one of a single installation rather than separate works. |
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