Children of Unquiet (2014) by Mikhail Karikis. Installation view at “The Third Entity,” Asakusa, 2015. Courtesy the artist and Asakusa, Tokyo. Photo by Ippei Shinzawa

“17th Domani: The Art of Tomorrow”, exhibits a diverse range of 12 emerging Japanese artists. From this engaging exhibition we get a taste of what work is current amongst Japanese contemporary art scene. This is the 17th exhibition held by the Agency for Cultural Affairs Overseas Study Program for Artists. The program sends young artist abroad in which training course of each discipline is provided for, in order to stimulate exciting work in the Japanese art world. This year’s exhibition is under the theme of “Density and purity of Japan Contemporary Art”, which,” focuses on artists who create highly delicate and dense works modeling and increase the purity of expression by such works.”

A life-size flat human figure creates a new language

Throughout all the different art pieces in the show amongst all of them there was a great “attention to detail”. Many of the drawings and painting are immaculately made giving them a real completeness. One room had striking drawing installation was made by the artist Chiaki Kamikawa, titled “Gathering for the admired twin-guru”.

The work consisted of various 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional drawings of different sized drawings of people arranged in the space. As all the objects were drawn onto white paper with pencil, when viewing the installation from a distance the white walls of the gallery space merged with the drawings created a 2-dimensional view. However as the viewer moves around the space the images continually change and we experience the 3-dimensionality of the drawings. Kamikawa’s work often uses symbols of religious belief, in particular stories of Western religious art. She works in a playful humorous manner and moves between the line of reality and unreality. Kamikawa’s installation makes us view drawing in a refreshing way for example the way a life-size human figure is flopped over a box, creates a new language.

Layers of coloured and grey pencils with bold effect

In contrast to Kamikawa’s bold drawing installations Naoko Sekine’s drawings consists of hundreds of different weighted, layered and textured lines to create beautiful art pieces. The method in which she draws with the pencil has an organic feel as, “the lines composing the piece are made not by a collection o f units but due to the changes of the lines themselves.” While many of her drawings are quite light shades, in her last work made in Paris during the programme she made a drawing composed of three layers of coloured pencil and lines and grey pencil lines which creates very deep and bold effect.

Fascinated by the complexity and depth of the city

While the majority of the exhibition featured drawings and paintings a Takahiro Iwasaki’s intricate sculptures holds a strong presence in the exhibition. He displays two sets of sculptures. One series of sculpture titled, “Out of Disorder” consists ambiguous scenes of steel towers and factories made from used clothing and everyday items.

While the other set of sculptures is titled “Reflection model”, which are impressive hand-made cypress wood models of famous traditional buildings that represent Japan. Both of these sculptures are intentionally displayed in the same room as they are meant to complement each other. Iwasaki explains how, ” I think I place pieces with different qualities in the same space because I am fascinated by what those things bring to the complexity and depth of the city.”

This exhibition provides an exciting insight into today’s Japanese emerging artist. Each artist work is enriched by the opportunity of develop their practise abroad and it gives excitement to see how their work continues to develop in the Japanese art world.

 

text by Anna Gonzalez Noguchi

 

Exhibition info
Title: 17th DOMANI : The Art of Tomorrow
Date: 13 Dec. 2014- 21 Jan. 2015
Place: National Art Centre Tokyo.
Website: http://domani-ten.com/english/

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo is celebrating its twentieth anniversary next year, and Contacts is the second of three special exhibitions marking the anniversary with their collection. Each of the exhibitions is organized under different themes. This term, Contacts highlights on new connections between diverse artworks and artists.

The Contacts exhibition is spread throughout two main floors of the museum, divided into fourteen sections. In each section, artworks from postwar to contemporary periods with different genres, generations and methods are combined to provide a unique experience only possible in its space.

Perceptual Image That Communicates Through Senses

When viewers enter the exhibition, they first encounter layers of ‘sounds’ played in the museum’s iconic atrium. In this large atmospheric open space, sounds echo and reflect; creating a strange yet speculative symphony. This is the space where visitors can experience works through various senses.

Saburo Murakami’s “Work” appears to be rusty wooden box our naked eyes, however when it is ‘listened’ carefully, we can hear the box ticking repeatedly, which reveals to be a grandfather’s clock; what sounds like our heartbeats allows us to oddly familiarize with it. Yukio Fujimoto’s “Ear With Chair” is also an installation work with invisible features. It has two components; a chair designed by Kuramata Shiro and meters long pipes which audience can place their ears onto. It is an incarnation of the artist’s wondering idea; what if the shape of human ears were like long pipes, and what kind of sounds can we hear from them? Such genuine questions drove him to create this particular work which could be seen, listened, and seated.

Sculpture and Painting of Nature and Melody

In the room titled “Sculpture and Painting”, we can experience the combination of solemn beauty of a sculpture by Shigeo Toya and quiet and melodic paintings by Naoko Sekine.

Toya’s “Death of the Kilin of the Elephant of the Wood” positioned in the center of the room floor instantly captures the audience’s attention. The artist explains this work as ‘a sculpture representing structure of the forest’, and the forest is an interfacial space between the ground and the sky. By following its overwhelming size and complex textures on the rough surface made by a chainsaw, the viewer becomes a part of its subject, lost and searching, as though as they are in a forest.

In contrast, Sekine’s paintings are almost silent. They quietly wait on walls, mesmerizing us to enter into her mellow world. These paintings are created with layers of line drawings. Likewise Shigeo Toya, Sekine decides her lines as she progresses without a solid compositional image and planning, and those monochromatic and unreserved lines evoke us to think about nature. Sekine is also taking part in the 17th Domani; Art of Tomorrow exhibition at The National Arts Centre, Tokyo, where she discusses her encounters with ancient cave drawings during her stay in France. She explained how those drawings were applied on the pre-existing surface and simply not drawn as ‘images’, provoking her to think how primeval inhabitants could see cows and people in shadows and shapes of the stone surface, as we do with clouds in the sky and ink smudges on paper today. Such encounters where one can experience the sources of the most primitive senses are the inspirations to both artists continuing their practice.

Sculptural Experience

In the space “Sculptural Experience”, a collaborative nature with works of two artists is remarkably significant; “Gold Finger” by Motohiro Tomii was particularly made for the Contacts exhibition to collaborate with “Twenty-Second Steel Cardinal” by Carl Andre. Both artists’ practice looks in material and political aspects of sculpture. They both are created with sets of rules and systematic positioning and patterning, and are made of such industrial materials as steel and everyday materials as push pins. They comment on a conceptual relationship between art and labour to question where sculptural value lies.

Carl Andre thought sculpture as an expansive art form, from its ‘form’ to ‘structure’, then its encompassing ‘space’. “Twenty Second Steel Cardinal”, composed of twenty-two steel on the floor, is a piece which provides an unconventional viewing experience; as viewer becomes aware of their body and position by stepping on steel panels, the work progressively completes itself. “Gold Finger” by Motohiro Tomii is a flexible series which shifts its size and ratio for each exhibition. For this particular occasion, Tomii decided to recreate the work equal to the size of “Twenty Second Steel Cardinal”, and install it vertically on a wall, contrasting with Andre’s horizontal installation.

Animated Paintings Breathing in the Space

In the last room of the exhibition, viewers are introduced to the Dynamism of paintings by Sam Francis and Takashi Ishida.

Ishida’s “UNASAKA”, the sea slope, was produced over three weeks. Nine meters long scroll painting was done inch by inch, gradually pulled over to be painted. Every shot was photographed by a camera fixed at the angle and on the eyelevel of the artist to be animated. In the final result, it displays a record of the creative process; the black line advancing towards the edge looks as though it is travelling over the sea slope. In the next room to Ishida’s monochromatic animation, viewers encounter vivid colours of Sam Francis’s painting series surrounding brightly lit space. These three paintings embody artist’s interactions with canvases and acrylic paints rather than working on concepts. The canvas is ‘an arena in which to act’ as a postmodern art critic, Harold Rosenberg once said, for Francis, painting was a living form. It absorbed him as a part of itself, and could never be fully understood until the very end. This series goes over the boundary of the canvas to freely express such impulsive vibrancy and energy through lines and colours.

Extension; Rediscovery and Revaluation

The Contacts exhibition provides the joy of ‘realisations’. It is the revelation of each work’s potentiality; the collaboration unfolded and extended its hidden quality. It ‘contacts’ and bridges the viewers and the museum collection, artists and artworks, lines and colours, sculpture and painting and whatsoever that lies in-between. Throughout the journey of rediscovery, viewers can enjoy the new values and connections created between the works from various time periods and media.

Text by Hikari Masunaga

Exhibition info
Title: Contacts
Date: Sept 27, 2014 – Jan 4, 2015
* On Jan 2 and 3, 2015, visitors can enjoy this exhibition for free admission.
Place: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Website: http://www.mot-art-museum.jp/eng/exhibition/motcollection-contacts.html

After three years of major renovation and restoration the visitors are left speechless as they see the beautiful transformation made at the Re-opening of the Teien Art Museum. Alongside the re-opening the artist Rei Nato artwork harmonises well with the various rooms of the building.

Subtly placed miniature “humans”

Rei Naito’s calm work greatly compliments the different rooms of both buildings. Naito’s practise, “that at the verge of the imperceptible is nudged ever-so-slightly towards us, just enough for us to sense a change in its presence.” The way in which she subtly places her miniature “humans” made from acrylic on wood, throughout the two buildings makes the viewers observation more acute. Her work guides the audience and makes one really take notice and experience different parts of the building.

Great skills of Japanese craftsmen led the restorations

The Teien Art Museum has two buildings: the Main building and the Annex building. The Main building which is the Former Prince Asaka Residence went through incredible renovations and restorations, thanks to the great skills of expert Japanese craftsmen. The building has been restored as closely as possible to its original state so that the audience has an authentic experience of brilliant Art Deco architecture.

White cube newly opened in the Annex building

The Annex building has been rebuilt into a new white cube exhibition space which will enhance the range of shows and programmes held. The two different style of buildings marry well together giving a fine balance between the old and the new.

Text and photographs by Anna Gonzalez Noguchi

Exhibition info
Title: Rei Naito “The emotion of belief” at the Re-opening of
Date: Nov 22 – Dec 25, 2014
Place: Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
Website: http://www.teien-art-museum.ne.jp/special/en/

Check our Tumblr Blog to see more images of this exhibition.
http://azito.tumblr.com/post/104711885288/rei-naito-the-emotion-of-belief-at-the
http://azito.tumblr.com/post/104711871148/rei-naito-the-emotion-of-belief-at-the

12 artists group exhibition under the theme of “abstract art” is now open at an old warehouse in Kyoto downtown. The exhibition is independently run by the artists themselves to raise a question to us of what the abstract art means today.

Twelve artists, almost all born after 1970, are due to take lead role in the next art scene

Why abstract art now for new generation artists? Twelve artists, almost all born after 1970, are due to take lead role in the next art scene. Abstract expressionism is just a bygone phenomenon? 21-century artists are already free from any ideas of the abstract or figurative? But it might be a wrong assumption from the viewer’s side. As a creative practitioner, every artist respects the precursors and feels close to them. Participating artists decided to look back at the starting point of modern art to go one step further.

The chairperson of Executive Committees, Mr. Kazuhito Tanaka declared in the exhibition statement as follows. “Abstra in the title means a fresh form of abstract art. Historically, abstract art reached its peak by the mid-20th century Abstract expressionism. It was a powerful and masculine movement. But what we’re developing today is abstract art that has more feminine aspects. A figure named “Abstra” will be a muse who we are seeking for on the way to our own new styles.”

Tomonari Nakayashiki is a painter characterized by his unique works those are bringing vivid abstract objects into the representational landscape. This time, however, he features abstract subject only. The marbling expression used for colorful rings is also his signature. It is hard to actualize this marbling effect on canvas with acrylic paints. It needs delicate controls on temperature or the moisture in paints, and concentration on the condition of surfaces.

Hidekazu Tanaka has consistently dedicated himself to painting abstract subjects. He is trying to develop various conceptual approaches as well. Live painting is one of the most important methods for him. He live-painted this work on the first day.

Kazuhito Tanaka is an artist who specializes in photography. He eliminates the boundaries between the abstract and figurative in his works. Some readers may remember that his works appeared on the top of AZITO website. “Triptych for Abstra with Ghost of Modern Art” is taken from works of a symbolist painter, Odilon Redon and a conceptual artist, Bruce Nauman. “Diptych for Abstra with Ghost of Modern Art” is taken from a pop artist, Roy Lichtenstein and a post-Impressionist painter, Vincent van Gogh. Now you can see what stands in the middle of those art history icons.

Lyota Yagi is exploring new approaches to seize surroundings including its sounds and the flow of time by using various mediums like vinyl records, video tapes or musical instruments. His works are right in a gap between visual art and new media art. Three pieces for this exhibition were made from the surface layers of CD.

Meiro Koizumi, recently won the Grand Prize at Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 15, performed third piece from his “Eternal Virgin” series. He took an image of Setsuko Hara, well known for her role as Haruko in Ozu Yasujiro’s Tokyo story, and made a performing intervention towards her image. The performance work consists of a mixture of video sampling, voice dubbing, and violent gesture of pencil drawing. These drawings are the remains of the performance took place on the first day.

Hiroshi Tachibana is a US-based Japanese artist, who has recently left NY and now works in San Francisco. He focuses on accidentally created abstract expressions in his painting. He also attempts to bring together what he creates and what others create on one canvas with layering techniques. The work is homage to an American abstract expressionist painter, Michael Goldberg.

Teepei Kaneuji is widely known for his three-dimensional works created by collage techniques. In this work, he pieced together the mishmash of lenticular printing stickers into a huge polyhedral sculpture.

Saori Miyake is an artist who has been focusing on photogram technique. She creates works by exposing the painted film and some small objects together in an improvised manner.

“The evening of three-cornered wooden horses” is a collaborative installation by Ei Arakawa and Shimon Minamikawa. The work consists of paintings, some scripts and this large wooden boards in the back. It finally turns into a performance piece at some point in the exhibition period.

Ei Arakawa is a performance-based artist. “See Weeds” is his performance focusing on the Gutai group, the artistic movement emerged in mid-20th century Japan. It was performed in les Abattoirs in France.

Shimon Minamikawa is well known for his illustrations of Shuichi Yoshida’s novel, “Yokomichi Yonosuke”. But basically he gained a wide reputation in his simple paintings with restricted colors, stripe and dot patterns or roughly sketched figures. For this exhibition, four paintings all in gray are on display. Slightly uneven touches left behind.

Takashi Kunitani is an artist who is attracting the wide attention for his neon work installation. Neon is mostly stimulating media, but his works have strange tranquility. Collage works with neon and three standing neon signs are on display. Every piece brings significant effect to the space.

Kaoru Kan is Japanese style painter, who takes up “water” as the subject. She describes its transparency and limitless variety using traditional Japanese style painting method. She presents some mixed media works with fabrics for this exhibition. But it is rarely seen in the field of Japanese style painting.

Reality more deeply than what galleries or museums can offer

The venue is an authentic warehouse which is still in active use. The artists asked the owner to move away whole products stocked here during the exhibition period. It was worth it. Space provides a perfect combination to artworks. In particular, how cool they look with corrugated aluminum covered walls or cracked concrete walls filled with plaster in the background! I felt the reality more deeply than what those all white galleries or museums can offer.

photo and text by Natsuki Niimi

Exhibition Info
Date: Nov 11 – Dec 16, 2012
Place: Daido warehouse
Address: 1−63, Mibushinmeicho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto , Japan
Exhibition Designer: Fumiko Takahama(architect)
Website: http://abstra12.tumblr.com/

Her largest-scale retrospective soon open at Tate Modern, the show was recently running at Centre Pompidou, Paris and is travelling to Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. In the southern hemisphere Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane is currently holding her major exhibition “Look Now, See Forever”. Yayoi Kusama, now at the age of 82, is obviously one of the world’s leading creators.

Meanwhile in Japan her solo exhibition “Eternity of Eternal Eternity” has begun at The National Museum of Art, Osaka. Kusama’s shows are always visually striking and exciting, the venue full of her flamboyant and energetic works is in some festive mood.

The exhibition starts with her painting series “Love Forever”, 50 drawings originally painted with black markers on canvases. This time all 50 pieces that have been silk screen printed on canvases are on display. The floor of the room is filled with “Clouds”. Using quick-drying materials like marker pens means that she’s done everything in a single burst.

As soon as Kusama reached the goal of “Love Forever”, she immediately begun to devote herself into new painting series. Next section is dedicated to this latest and ongoing series “My Eternal Soul”. The series have more than 140 pieces and 47 works of which are exhibited here. In contrast to “Love Forever”, with extravagant colors and biomorphic patterns she seems to represent the eternal cycle of life, death and birth.

Several unforgettable works close out the show, “GLEAMING LIGHTS OF THE SOULS” and her self-portraits. The former is an installation of mirrored room where illuminating lights reflect infinitely. Standing inside the room, you can experience your body being surrounded by never-ending reflection of light. That is a tremendous time, in Kusama’s vocabulary, the moment when the self and everything is “obliterated”.

The latter is her newest works specially commissioned by this exhibition. Three self-portraits having totally different faces are all covered with dots.

Her hallmark, the pumpkin placed in the passage introduces us to Kusama world.

Her recent FRP sculpture, “FLOWERS THAT BLOOM TOMORROW” is being showcased at the main lobby of Rihga Royal Hotel Osaka which is just 5 minutes walking distance from the museum.