Art & Culture
Art & Culture
Essential exhibitions Have an art-filled summer with artistic relationships, playful architecture and introspective photography ‘Motion Science’ 21_21 Design Sight, Jun 19-Sep 27 Curated by filmmaker Seiichi Hishikawa, ‘Motion Science’ shines a light on how mobility in technology, engineering and aesthetics has both made our daily lives more convenient and widened our artistic vistas, offering a selection of cutting-edge examples representative of one or both of these aspirations. Many of the installations are interactive, allowing visitors to experience the wonder of optimised movement for themselves. 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato. 03 3475 2121. www.2121designsight.jp/en. 10am7pm, closed Tue (except for Sep 22).
‘Manga＊Anime＊Games from Japan’ The National Art Center, Tokyo, Jun 24- Aug 31 Taking the year 1989 and the
death of Osamu Tezuka as its point of departure, the centre’s investigation into the visual forms of modern Japanese pop culture is an ambitious attempt to say something comprehensive about how manga, anime and games have impacted culture and society, and about how said genres in turn adapt to and mirror social changes. Consisting of eight sections, from ‘Contemporary Heroes and Heroines’ to ‘The Creators’ Handiwork’, the exhibit takes visitors on a journey through the last 25 years of these media while also highlighting how the people behind them work and create. 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato. 03 5405 8686. www.nact.jp/english. 10am-6pm (Fri until 8pm), closed Tue.
‘Kyosai – Master Painter and His Student Josiah Conder’ Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Jun 27-Sep 6 One of the last greats of traditional Japanese painting (Nihonga), Kyosai Kawanabe (1831-1889) witnessed
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Japan and Edo make the leap towards modernity – a leap that the artist often ridiculed in his work, caricaturing the new system and society. Kyosai regularly skirted decency and traditional morality both in his art and in private, but maintained a close connection with the mythology of traditional Japan. Later in life, Kyosai accepted British architect and enthusiast of Japanese art Josiah Conder as his student. This extensive retrospective focuses particularly on how the two men influenced each other. Note that some of the displays will be rotated after the first part of the exhibition (Jun 27-Aug 2). 2-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda. 03 5405 8686. mimt.jp/kyosai. 10am-6pm (Fri & Aug 31-Sep 4 until 8pm), closed Mon (except for Jul 20 & Aug 31).
‘Erik Satie and His Time’ The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Jul 8-Aug 30 Travel back to Paris in the 1920s and venture into the peculiar world of the fascinating composer Erik Satie, who counted Picasso, Debussy and Cocteau as his drinking buddies. The Bunkamura’s
‘The Prolific World of Togo Murano – Architectural Models’ Meguro Museum of Art, Jul 11-Sep 13 One of Japan’s best architects, modernist Togo Murano was impressively productive, working on up to 300 projects until he passed away aged 93. The Nissay Theatre in Yurakucho displays his penchant for the playful, with the organically inspired, mysterious interior perhaps marking Murano’s most experimental work. This exhibition covers around 80 projects and draws attention to the architect’s lifelong desire to design buildings specifically for the people living in and visiting them. 2-4-36 Meguro, Meguro. 03 3714 1201. www.mmat. jp/english. 10am-6pm, closed Mon (except for Jul 20) & Jul 21.
‘Cai Guo-Qiang: There and Back Again’ Yokohama Museum of Art, Jul 11-Oct 18 Returning to Japan with a largescale exhibit this summer, Chinese contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang has earned plenty of international recognition since taking his talents to New York in 1995. Cai is famed for applying unconventional materials and techniques while incorporating elements of traditional Chinese culture – from gunpowder to herbal medicine – and is well-attuned to the tastes of Japanese audiences having previously lived here. ‘There and Back Again’ features both
‘MOTION SCIENCE’: MAI IKINAGA + HITOSHI AZUMI ‘REFLECTION IN THE SCULPTURE’, MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL JUNIOR DESIGNER AWARD 2014 JUDGE'S SPECIAL PRIZE – NAOKI SAKAI PRIZE; ‘MANGA, ANIME, GAMES FROM JAPAN’: The voices of a distant star © Makoto Shinkai / CoMiX Wave Films; ‘KYOSAI – MASTER PAINTER AND HIS STUDENT JOSIAH CONDER’: KYOSAI KAWANABE, FROLICKING ANIMALS, NEKOMATA AND TANUKI BADGER, MEIJI PERIOD, INK ON PAPER, KAWANABE KYOSAI MEMORIAL MUSEUM; ‘ERIK SATIE AND HIS TIME’: Erik Satie (composition), Charles Martin (illustration), Sports et Divertissements, 1914-1923, pochoir sur papier, Fonds Erik Satie - Archives de France / Archives IMEC; ‘THE PROLIFIC WORLD OF TOGO MURANO – ARCHITECTURAL MODELS’: MURANO ARCHITECTURE ‘FOREST OF MODELS’, SCALE 200:1. PAPER, PRODUCED AND OWNED BY KYOTO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, KIMURA/MATSUKUMA OFFICE. PHOTO BY YASUSHI ICHIKAWA
summer special sheds light on his artistic relationships in Montmartre, where Satie hung out with Man Ray, André Derain and Georges Braque, soaking up influences and impacting the creatives around him. B1 Bunkamura, 2-24-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya. 03 5777 8600. www. bunkamura.co.jp/english. Sun-Thu 10am-7pm, Fri & Sat 10am-9pm.
