The 'Now' of Contemporary Art is Here! "G-okyo" Exhibition Opens
G-tokyo 2012
The Now of Contemporary Art is Here!
For two days, Saturday, February 25th and Sunday, February 26th, the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi will host "G-tokyo," an art fair featuring 15 top galleries. It's an event where you'll want to experience firsthand the condensed space of cutting-edge contemporary art.
Text by SUGIURA Shu (OPENERS)
15 Top Galleries Gather
This is the third year for G-tokyo. Leading Japanese contemporary art galleries such as Tomio Koyama Gallery and TARO NASU are participating, with the entire event structured around solo and special exhibitions presented in each booth.
Arataniurano, a gallery in Shintomi-cho, will present "Learning About How Ghosts and Yokai Are Seen," an exhibition by emerging painter Noriyuki Konishi. Konishi, known for his portraits of figures with red eyes, noses, and mouths, and pure white hair, will unveil his latest works here. Tomio Koyama Gallery will exhibit works by photographer Mika Ninagawa. Her representative pieces, including those from her photobook "Monthly MEN SPECIAL Yosuke Kubozuka NOWHERE," released last year, will be shown together.
Toshiyuki Konishi Untitled 2010-2011 Oil on paper h.87.2 x w.63.2 cm © Toshiyuki Konishi Photo by Ikuhiro Watanabe Courtesy of ARATANIURANO
Mika Ninagawa [Yosuke Kubozuka] 2011 C-print ©mika ninagawa Courtesy of Tomio Koyama Gallery
Utilizing the expansive venue, which exceeds 4 meters in height, installations will also be on display. Mizuma Art Gallery will dynamically exhibit the sculptures of young boys and girls by Koji Tanada, created using traditional Japanese wood carving techniques. From SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, a gallery housed in a renovated public bath, works by Haruka Kojin and Yusuke Komuta, both born in 1983, will be featured. TARO NASU's booth will highlight Simon Fujiwara, who also appeared in the "Berlin in the Noughties" exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo last year. He is also a young artist, born in 1982, and will present new works alongside pieces from the "Berlin in the Noughties" exhibition.
Wind Boy 2011 Single block carving from camphor wood, silk thread 163×62×38cm Photo: Kumagai Jun © TANADA Koji Courtesy Spiral / Wacoal Art Center, Mizuma Art Gallery
Simon Fujiwara Beer Jockey (The Father of Pottery) 2011 © Simon Fujiwara Courtesy of TARO NASU and NEUE ALTE BRÜCKE
Most works at G-tokyo are available for purchase. Takaiishii Gallery, among others, will focus on new works by emerging artists championed by participating galleries, offering pieces at accessible prices and sizes. This may be your chance to acquire something usually out of reach.
Other participating galleries include Koyanagi Gallery, Gallery SIDE 2, Hiromi Yoshii, Kenji Taki Gallery, Kodama Gallery, Ota Fine Arts, ShugoArts, Wako Works of Art, and Take Ninagawa. All are galleries that should not be missed when considering the future art scene. Though brief, it promises to be an intense two days.
G-tokyo 2012
Hours | February 25 (Sat) 11:00-21:00 / February 26 (Sun) 11:00-20:00
Admission | Adults ¥1100, Students (High School/University) ¥900, Ages 4-Junior High: ¥500 (Valid for same-day re-entry)
Venue | Mori Arts Center Gallery, 6-10-1 Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 52F, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Organizer | G-tokyo 2012 Executive Committee
http://www.gtokyo-art.com
info@gtokyo-art.com
Tel. 03-5777-8600 (Hello Dial Venue)