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Picks is a monthly sampling of Japan's art scene, offering commentary by a variety of reviewers about exhibitions at museums and galleries in recent weeks, with an emphasis on contemporary art by young artists. |
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| Ayato Fujiwara: Scenery of the Sky and Vacant Mind |
| 6 - 23 June 2013 |
gallery 21yo-j
(Tokyo) |
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| A single ceramic relief lurks high on a broad white wall; three one-meter-high statues stand about on the floor below. The relief is of two nude figures whispering to each other; from their feet two black shadows, three meters long, extend obliquely down the wall to the left. The shadows, themselves in relief, possess the outlines of noses and eyes. Thus Fujiwara has made figure and shadow equal, giving the latter solid form even as he flattens the former. |
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| Sawako Nakanishi |
| 17 - 22 June 2013 |
bangarow
(Osaka) |
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| Nakanishi's paintings, which resemble unbroken meshes of woven bamboo, at first glance appear to consist of nothing more than an expanse of lines and patches of color. Closer inspection, however, reveals a wealth of hues layered in rhythmic modulations. If you take the time to trace the movement of her lines and colors at point-blank range, you may experience a sensation akin to listening to a soothing piece of music. |
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| Memories of a Town: Yokosuka in Photography and Contemporary Art |
| 27 April - 30 June 2013 |
Yokosuka Museum of Art
(Kanagawa) |
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| Some 180 works by 15 photographers revealed the breadth and depth of imagery inspired by the gritty naval port of Yokosuka. Besides the iconic work of such luminaries as Daido Moriyama and Miyako Ishiuchi, the show introduced lesser-known artists like Kazuumi Takahashi and Miyuki Ichikawa, homegrown talents who focused on the sea itself. A pleasant surprise was the inclusion of Yokosuka scenes culled from such famous series as Akihide Tamura's Road and Takashi Homma's Tokyo Suburbia. |
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| Masami Kondo: Iron Painting & Oil Painting of New Series |
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Higure 17-15 cas
(Tokyo)
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| The show at this small gallery in Tokyo's funky Yanaka district featured Kondo's "iron paintings" -- lacquer and other materials applied to steel sheet -- on the first floor and oil paintings on canvas on the second. To silhouettes of such objects as skulls, human figures, and pigeons, Kondo adds an abstract layer of paint drippings, conical shapes and the like to create an idiosyncratically multidimensional spectacle. |
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| Masayuki Nishimura: memories I did not know |
| 4 - 16 June 2013
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gallery Suzuki
(Kyoto) |
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| The paintings are filled with despair at a world of ceaseless war, of mourning for the children so often sacrificed in conflicts, of inconsolable sorrow as one stands transfixed in the face of that reality. Yet in the far corners of these canvases we see a small white bird, or a little boat floating on the sea -- straws of hope that one seeks to reconcile with the larger truths of the world. The deep blues of Nishimura's palette pierce the heart with every viewing. |
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| Imaginary Architecture from Piranesi to Minoru Nomata |
| 13 April - 16 June 2013 |
Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts
(Tokyo) |
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| This exhibition straddled the domains of unbuilt architecture and pure art. From the architectural side it offered a tasty selection of flights of fancy by Colonna, Bibiena, Ledoux, Schinkel, and Ferriss. Among the artists presented were Desmazières, Hiroshi Abe, Aya Koizumi, and Minoru Nomata. It's a pity the show wasn't better publicized in architectural circles. |
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| Daido Moriyama: 1965~ |
| 1 June - 20 July 2013 |
Gallery 916
(Tokyo) |
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| Boasting over 100 images, many of folio size, this show had the heft of a museum retrospective. Works ranged from Moriyama's Foetus series, which first appeared in the February 1965 issue of Gendai no me (Modern Eye) magazine as well as in his debut collection Japan, A Photo Theater (1968), to more recent work by the still active elder statesman of postwar Japanese photography. The show was a welcome opportunity to immerse oneself in Moriyama's world, which critic Kotaro Iizawa characterizes in his commentary as possessing such qualities as "dampness," "a floating feeling," and "sectionalization/fragmentation." |
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| TWS-Emerging 196/197/198/199 |
| 8 - 30 June 2013 |
Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo
(Tokyo) |
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| Tokyo Wonder Site's Emerging program provides an annual showcase for young artists, setting up solo shows at its Hongo venue for 20 out of about 1,000 applicants. However, this reviewer found the recent offerings by four such artists less than inspiring. Yuki Sai paints ambiguous abstracts, but the most eye-catching thing about them is the curved corners of their frames. Yasuhiro Kasami displayed ten large paintings dominated by pinks and grays, but these abstracts, too, seemed dated. Nor were the figurative motifs by Yuhi Kazama (silkscreen or woodblock prints on washi paper) and Mayuko Kuwada (painted canvases covered with drawings of trinkets, plants, and small animals) any more compelling. |
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| Naoko Akiyama Pinhole Photo Exhibition: Creeping through Town |
| 16 - 23 June 2013 |
yoshidamachi gallery
(Kanagawa) |
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| Akiyama's pinhole camerawork does indeed look like she has been crawling through the Yoshidamachi district of Yokohama that is the subject of this series. This is deep Yokohama -- a cluster of old, somewhat tawdry neighborhoods that look somehow familiar. Yet perhaps because they are slightly out of focus, or imbued with pastel colors, these images also evoke the streets of Paris. |
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| Art + Living: Takashimaya |
| 20 April - 23 June 2013 |
Setagaya Art Museum
(Tokyo) |
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| Subitled "The Department Store as a Culture Setter," this intriguing show examined the historical role of the Ginza's flagship retailer in promoting Japanese arts and crafts both inside and outside the country. As for why a public museum would showcase a private business in this manner, the reason is apparently quite simple: Takashimaya has a branch in the neighborhood. That being the case, perhaps the museum will take inspiration from the trash incinerating plant next door and do a show on "art and garbage" someday. |
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