January 24, 2010

Exhibition: Everyday life Another space

The group show of 6 Japanese artists held in Yokohama. (Sorry, already ended)
exhibition web


Hironari Kubota, Berlin based artist shows "Berlin Hitoritabi".
The car Travant, produced in ex Eastern Germany, rotates in the air in high speed with Enka song (Japanese old style pops, especially popular among the elder people).
The motor used to rotate Travant is from the car itself.
The car is taken its innards and rotating by its power.
It is bizarre, isn't it?
The artist was in typical Japanese Yakuza style. He wears usually Fundoshi, Japanese male loincloth, but gallery rejects because of his tattoo on the back.
Tattoo itself is simple black square, Yakuza fashion seems to be more violent. It is also funny.

Ramon Todo's stone work is also interesting.
He takes stone or piece of concrete or blocks, insert the glass in it.
The stone or piece of block are come from the historical spot, like Berlin's wall or Guernica, so it is deeply related with the history.
Todo's web



Keiko Sato's installation is awful.
She makes beautiful garden with the tree stumps, flowers and batteries, broken cups, plates and rice.
Sato's work

Most ironical work is by Taiyo Kimura.
He asks the viewer to write his / her dream, and put this paper into the box.
The viewers find the box is shredder and the paper they wrote their dream are torn into pieces. Too awful!

January 18, 2010

Exhibition: Element / Cecil Balmond




Structural engineer Cecil Balmond's solo exhibition travels to Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery.

Show starts "The forest of banner", introduce Balmond's idea concerning nature and how he get his idea and form form the nature, then viewers are lead to "The secret temple", which shows the secret of numbers.



This photo is "The garden". The graphic of the floor is made by prime numbers and the gap of them.
Structure of "x" shaped plate is "H_edge", which stands only by these plates and chain.
The black and white rocks are made by tetrahedron.
Balmond says every forms are made of tetrahedron.

He also says that he found it was like a Japanese garden after installation is completed.

The show is till March 22.

January 11, 2010

Architecture: House in Kujukuri by Kimihiko Okada





Rising architect Kimihiko Okada's first work "House in Kujukuri" has completed.
It is for a man who retires his work and starts to  live near the sea.
(5 minutes by car)








The fence of this house is shaped spiral and continues to the wall of the house, it is also spiral.
The gate, garden, entrance, living room, kitchen, bed room, they are connected in spiral shape.

The hight of fence and wall is getting higher to the center, the roof is shaped in 3 dimensional curve.





The client will grow the lawn or vegetable in the garden.
Really lovely house.

January 7, 2010

Exhibition: William Kentridge

William Kentridge (born 1955 in South Africa) doing solo show in Tokyo.
Most of his works are animation with hand written drawing, cut out papers, objects.
He shoots one frame, then erase the drawing and write new one (or move things slightly), then take new one frame. It takes very long time to complete one piece.

Some of his works are serious, treating political issue. It would be natural regarding his birthplace.
But some are more humorous like artist himself bothered by the tools he use.
(For example, he has to chase the cup of coffee which running on the table)

There is some erotic scene is inserted in political context.
It makes me aware that the love and hate drive the history by making war, economical conflict, and so on.
The show is to be February 14.

January 6, 2010

Book: The Ascent of Money / Niall Ferguson

Subtitle : A Financial History of the World.


The author Niall Ferguson sometimes appears CNN podcast program of Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek.

The hardback edition is published on November 2008, just after Lehman Shock.
Ferguson was talking about the future of American economy in Fareed's podcast at that time, being asked by Fareed " Is it  like the lost decade in Japan?",  replied " This is a better scenario".

Fareed is rather optimistic. He says American economy recovers already in resent interview.

I'm not sure which is right, but I feel we have to suffer this situation a little more.

January 5, 2010

Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre

by Toyo Ito, opened in 2004 in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.

Big steps take viewers to main hall in the 2nd floor.


Small windows of rounded shape introduce the light inside.
I guess the light come out to the town at the night.


I think the benches are also done by Toyo Ito.
The color of the carpet becomes lighter under the bench.

January 3, 2010

Book: Seven Days in the Art World / Sarah Thornton

The book I just have read.

Detail


Inspiring report on what happens behind the art exhibition, galleries, museums, biennial exhibition, especially featuring money game in the art world.

January 2, 2010

Rei Naito's exhibition


it maybe seems to be little bit strange exhibition.

Art pieces are settled outside and inside, some are on the floor, on the handrail of the terrace.
Very thin ribbons are flattering in the air of courtyard, chained small beads hanging from the ceiling is moving slightly by the wind. (These works are shown outside of the building)
In the room, one thing most unique is viewers can walk in the showcase (see the web below).


Museum's web 


The artist says the glass of the showcase refers the boundary of "Another world".
Viewers can walk through two worlds.

I specially love these small, ephemeral objects standing in the dark light, or in the air like thin ribbon flattering in the sky.

No Man's Land



Before the building of French Embassy in Japan will be demolished, artistic installation is held.
A Renault car is painted by an artist.

I miss this lovely relief which will be lost.


A big wall painting is seen from the courtyard.


The artwork titled "Homage to the office" by Alexa Daerr.
Everything is painted in silver except colorful files on the shelf.


Claude Leveque's work at the staircase.
Chinese letter means "a nosebleed". I don't know why the artist choose this word.

Till January 31, 2009 at old French Embassy in Hiroo.