Archive for January 2010

"Lullaby" by Miwa Yanagi

“Lullaby,” 2009, 12 minutes, edition of 5, image courtesy of the gallery Kyoto-based photographer Miwa Yanagi is known for her series of images that examine actual and mythical female identities. Her heroines are devoid of commonplace anxiety of time-triggered decay; they only gain from aging that brings the long-sought liberation from their circumscribed societal roles. […]

Lucky Fortune: ZENSHI and Yuka Sashahara Share Gallery Space

Akiko Yanagimoto, Self-portrait Buddha, 2008, ceramics, 18 x 16 x 10.5 cm This inaugural joint exhibition of several artists represented by ZENSHI and Yuka Sashahara opened last night at the old ZENSHI location. Its title—”Lucky Fortune”—references the auspicious events of the New Year, and the works in the show offer a range of light-hearted and […]

ARTFORUM Critics’ Picks: Kosuke Ichikawa

Installation view, © Kosuke Ichikawa / Courtesy of the artist and FOIL GALLERY, Tokyo As promised, here is a link by my Artforum review of Ichikawa’s “Murmur” show. The exhibition will be on view through February 6th at the Foil Gallery in Higashi-Kanda. When you visit the gallery do not forget to stop by Taro […]

Clear your schedules: G-Tokyo at the Mori, 01.30–01.31

For two days only, on January 30th and 31st, the Mori Arts Center Gallery (Mori Tower, 52nd floor, Roppongi Hills, 6–10-1, Roppongi, Minato-ku) will be hosting an exhibition of contemporary art. Fifteen prime Tokyo galleries will contribute their artists’ works, so this will be a excellent opportunity to witness what is happening on Tokyo gallery […]

More New Year Exhibitions: Higashi Kanda

Jay Davis False Woods, 2009, 8×10″ Acrylic on vinyl Image courtesy of the Motus Fort gallery Davis is one of over half a dozen artists in the group show “Drrreeeeaaaaammmmmsssssssszzzzz!!!!” at the Motus Fort gallery. His four paintings on view are done in multi-layered acrylic which plays up the translucent quality of the pigment, exposing […]

Kosuke Ichikawa, "Murmur"

I will follow up this posting with a proper exhibition review, in the meanwhile, I strongly recommend you see Foil Gallery’s latest show which features fifteen works by Kosuke Ichikawa (in the photo above). The artist works in an unusual medium of incense, pigmenting or burning designs onto the sheets of washi paper. The images […]

Kabutocho Nihonbashi Exibitions

Masao Kinoshita, Top: Yoga Asura, 2009, 62 cm(H), Painted stone clay; Bottom: 鳥獣戯画 兎,2009, 58cm (H), Painted Glassfiber. Image courtesy of the artist and the gallery Unseal Contemporary and gallery Frantic, both located in 16–1 Kabutocho Nihonbashi, are holding two ostensibly different exhibitions that are still very much united by their shared focus on the grotesque. […]