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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.

1 October 2015

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Artist File 2015 - Next Doors: Contemporary Art in Japan and Korea

29 July - 12 October 2015

The National Art Center, Tokyo
(Tokyo)

Hosted jointly with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, this binational exhibition introduces artists from both Korea and Japan. Among the Japanese standouts are Kohei Kobayashi, who offers hilariously abstruse contemporary works with his own wacky commentary, and Aiko Tezuka, who extends her m.o. of unraveling textiles in new directions. Noteworthy Korean artists include Lee Wonho, who has built a huge cardboard house out of shelter materials he purchased from people living on the streets, and Im Heungoon, who uses the fraught past and present of Jeju Island as a motif.

All Begun in Kamakura 1951-2016: Part 2, 1966-1984 - The Museum as a Disseminator

4 July - 4 October 2015

The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura
(Kanagawa)

Slated for closure in 2016, The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura continues its countdown with an exhibition of works from its collection displayed there between 1966 and 1984. Paintings of the Meiji (1868-1912) and Taisho (1912-26) eras are well represented by artists ranging from Yuichi Takahashi to Ryusei Kishida. Particularly memorable are the dark oils of yani-ha ("resin school") artists Kinkichiro Honda (Night View of Lake Chuzenji) and Chutaro Ando (Interior of a Japanese Temple).

Seiji Tsutsumi, Takashi Tsujii: Two Eyes, Homage Vol. 2

26 July - 23 November 2015

Sezon Museum of Modern Art
(Nagano)

Seiji Tsutsumi (1927-2013) was not only the head of the huge Seibu Saison Group conglomerate, but also a poet and author under his pen name Takashi Tsujii. His collection, featured here at the museum he founded, conjures up vivid memories of the 1980s. Today deep-pocket patrons like Benesse's Fukutake and Mori Building's Mori play similar roles, but Tsutsumi was remarkable not just as a collector, but for the commentaries he wrote about art as Tsujii, as well as his own collaborations with artists.

An Art Exhibition for Children: Whose Place Is This?

18 July - 12 October 2015

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
(Tokyo)

Jurgen Lehl reconfigures trash found on beaches; Kenjiro Okazaki asks kids about art;
Alfredo & Isabel Aquilizan build stacks of little cardboard houses. For the installation by the Aida Family (Makoto Aida, Hiroko Okada, and son Torajiro), Makoto turns himself into part of the show. His video impersonation of Osama bin Laden some years back was good, but his parody this time of a Japanese prime minister extolling isolationist policies is even funnier.

MOT Collection: Postwar Art in Close-Up

18 July - 12 October 2015

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
(Tokyo)

In the current iteration of MOT's rotating permanent exhibition, the eye is drawn to the documentation and videos of the politically tinged work of the late sixties. Happenings like the Black Festival for Expo 70 Destruction were typical of the art that arose out of movements opposing the Vietnam War, the U.S. occupation of Okinawa, the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, and yes, even Expo 70. Toshikatsu Endo's Fountain, a 20-meter-long charred log that fills an entire gallery, is a dominating presence.

Yokoo Tadanori: Y-Junction Continued

8 August - 23 November 2015

Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art
(Hyogo)

The artist's eponymous museum focuses on his output from 2006 on of paintings featuring Y-junctions, a recurring Yokoo motif since 2000 or so. In Black Y-Junction the picture's meticulous detail has been smeared over with black paint, intentionally rendering the visible invisible. The viewer nonetheless seeks to discern something there, and in the instant that an image emerges, the icon that appears not only catches us unawares but forces us to reconsider the act of "seeing."

38th Exhibition: Hot Springs, Literary and Railway

4 August - 23 November 2015

Old Shimbashi Station, Railway History Exhibition Room
(Tokyo)

The volcanic Japanese archipelago is dotted with hot springs that people have long flocked to for health and pleasure. Working off of two keywords, "literary" and "railway," this show assembles various materials to document the relationship of trains and literature to the growth of hot spring resorts in two parts of Japan, the Kanto region around Tokyo and the Hanamaki area of Iwate Prefecture far to the north. Featured are railroad maps, bird's-eye views, guidebooks, tickets, and more. The resulting exhibit is refreshingly unlike those of more typical railroad museums with their emphasis on technology and rolling stock.

Tadahiko Hayashi: Kasutori Jidai 1946-1956 & AMERICA 1955

27 July - 25 August 2015

Canon Open Gallery 1, 2
(Tokyo)

Two series by renowned photographer Hayashi (1918-90) share the bill here. Generally regarded as his masterwork, Kasutori Jidai (The Rotgut Era) depicts Japanese scuffling to survive the chaotic postwar years. AMERICA, displayed in its entirety for the first time, contrastingly portrays the good life Americans enjoyed a decade after the war. Hayashi had flown to the U.S. in July 1955 to cover the Miss Universe contest and proceeded to snap all manner of subjects, undaunted by his inability to converse with them; the images fairly burst with the joy of picture-taking.

Motion Science

19 June - 27 September 2015

21_21 Design Sight
(Tokyo)

As befit its theme of motion, this show was genuinely dynamic and fun, not just a display of static objects. Highlights included arrows that synchronize with visitors' movements to point in the same direction, and interactive works that form moving pictures when viewed through a zoetrope.

Artist Lab 2: Simulation Game

18 July - 30 August 2015

Kawaguchi Art Gallery
(Saitama)

This is the second in a series of "Artist Labs" in which workshop participants can collaborate with artists on works and exhibitions. The "simulation game" here involves creating something based on the proposition "Suppose you were a . . ." The cooperating artists are Takayuki Yamamoto and the unit Mas(T)A, consisting of Teppei Soutome and Hiroaki Morita. The former works with the theme "Telling your future" and the latter "Suppose you're taking a trip." Fun for neighborhood kids of all ages.

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