 |
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.
Note: Most of Japan's museums and galleries have reopened, but conditions and anti-coronavirus precautions vary. If you are planning a visit, please check the venue's website beforehand. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
| Cosmo-Eggs |
| 23 June - 25 October 2020 |
Artizon Museum
(Tokyo) |
|
| Described as a "homecoming show," this is a reconstruction of the Japan Pavilion's presentation at the 58th Venice Biennale Art Exhibition, held in 2019. Curator Hiroyuki Hattori brought together four professionals in diverse fields -- artist Motoyuki Shitamichi, composer Taro Yasuno, anthropologist Toshiaki Ishikura, and architect Fuminori Nousaku -- to collaborate on an installation on the theme of "coexistence and symbiosis between human and nonhuman entities." |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| Timeless Conversations 2020: Voices from Japanese Art of the Past and Present |
| 24 June - 24 August 2020 |
The National Art Center, Tokyo
(Tokyo) |
|
| Predicated on a fun conceit, this exhibition pairs the works of eight contemporary artists with those of Edo-period and earlier masters, highlighting the ways in which today's practitioners gain inspiration from their predecessors. These conversations across the centuries may take the form of parody, or homage, or the incorporation of ancient art into contemporary installations. With over 200 works old and new on display, there are ample opportunities to discover thematic and compositional affinities that transcend time. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| Chronicling Design to Create a Legacy |
| 3 June - 14 July 2020 |
Good Design Marunouchi
(Tokyo) |
|
| Subtitled "Ten Years of the Good Design Award Yearbook: 2010-2019," this show offers a thorough look at the making of the yearbook produced in tandem with Japan's most prestigious design prize. Since 2010, when designer Naoto Fukasawa reimagined the annual publication as a hefty hardcover tome, the yearbook has steadfastly maintained the same format and dimensions in the face of the general trend away from print to digital publishing. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| Takaki Sudo: The Theater is You |
| 28 May 2020 - |
| Online |
|
| An online performance created by video director Sudo, who calls it "an experiment in marginal theater." It's not clear, though, who the titular "you" is, nor what sort of "theater" is involved here. The format is exceedingly simple: white text input in real time on a black background. Held three or four times a week, each "performance" lasts 20 to 30 minutes, and the content varies. In the sense that it can only be experienced "live," the work may be best described as a type of performance art. Sudo's site states that the performances will continue "at least into early July" and possibly longer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Akira Takayama / Port B: "Tokyo Trunk Room" |
| 8 February - 23 August 2020 |
Archi-Depot
(Tokyo) |
|
| An experimental show by theater director/artist Takayama and his arts collective Port B. True to Archi-Depot's function as a storage and display facility for architectural models, they attempt to present the "true face of modern Tokyo" by "expressing its reproducible urban infrastructure . . . in the form of a model." In keeping with Takayama's notion of theater as a model of reality, and of Tokyo as a city made up of replicable models, the exhibition space is designed to change and grow from day to day like the metropolis itself. Visitors are encouraged to reenter the show as often as they like while it is up. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| The 1930s -- Urban Life in Modern Tokyo |
| 1 June - 27 September 2020 |
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
(Tokyo)
|
|
| Once a year the museum holds an open-house exhibition showcasing the building itself, an art-deco masterpiece built in 1933 as the residence of Prince Asaka. Until now each annual show has introduced a different aspect of the structure -- its history, interior details, people associated with its architecture and construction, restoration efforts, and so on. The 2020 iteration takes a slightly different approach, focusing on the city and the era that gave birth to the edifice -- Tokyo in the 1930s -- and seeking out other examples of classic modernity still to be found in the capital. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| MIDSOMMAR |
| Ongoing |
Various cinemas
|
|
| In this 2019 folk-horror tour-de-force, American filmmaker Ari Aster constructs the worldview of a small spiritual community through symbol-laden works of art and unique architectural designs, costumes and music. Unlike most films or manga that feature a cult of some sort, MIDSOMMAR does not center around an evil but charismatic religious leader, but instead observes the community through the eyes of Dani, a young college student grieving over the loss of her family in a murder-suicide and struggling in her relationship with an unreliable lover. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
