ART | "Roppongi Crossing 2013: Out of Doubt"
ART | Questioning the "Now" of Japanese Contemporary Art from a Global Perspective
Roppongi Crossing 2013: Out of Doubt – For a Future Landscape
The Roppongi Crossing 2013: Out of Doubt – For a Future Landscape exhibition, marking the 10th anniversary of the Mori Art Museum, is on view until January 13, 2014 (Monday, holiday).
Text by YANAKA Tomomi
Two curators in their 30s, well-versed in the Japanese art scene, were invited from overseas.
Roppongi Crossing, known as a triennial exhibition series that summarizes Japan's art scene. In its fourth iteration, this exhibitionGreat East Japan Earthquakeaims to pose the question of what productive discussions can arise from doubt towards all social conventions and existing systems, in present-day Japan where social time and consciousness have clearly heightened since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
In addition to Mami Kataoka, Chief Curator at the Mori Art Museum, the exhibition features a new initiative: two curators in their 30s, both well-versed in the Japanese art scene, were invited from overseas – Reuben Keehan from the Queensland Art Gallery in Australia and Gabriel Ritter, Assistant Curator at the Dallas Museum of Art in the United States. This has resulted in an exhibition that questions contemporary Japanese art from a global perspective. The artists, primarily born between the 1970s and 1980s, include Taro Izumi and Fumiko Kobayashi, with a total of 29 artists coloring the "now."
Among them,Great East Japan Earthquakeefforts have been made to foster dialogue across generations, featuring young artists active since the Great East Japan Earthquake alongside artists who led post-war Japanese contemporary art from the reconstruction period through the 1960s. Works by Hiroshi Nakamura, born in 1932 and a participant in the reportage painting movement of the 1950s, are juxtaposed with those of Sachiko Kazama, born in 1972, prompting reflection on the present through dialogue with different generations.
Furthermore, this exhibition includes Japanese artists living abroad or born overseas. Works by Masato Takasaka and Akira Akira residing in Australia, and Mika Tajima and Hikari Sasamoto based in New York, are also on display, broadening the perspective on "Japan" as a culture.
It has been 10 years since the Mori Art Museum opened its doors in 2003. This decade has also been one of constant global upheaval due to wars and natural disasters. However, this collection of works, which highlights the landscape of contemporary Japanese art, may offer us a sense of future possibilities.
Roppongi Crossing 2013: Out of Doubt – For a Future Landscape
Exhibition Dates: Saturday, September 21, 2013 – Monday, January 13, 2014 (holiday)
Hours: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Last admission until 9:30 PM) *Fridays and Saturdays, and the day before a holiday, until 10:00 PM (Last admission until 9:30 PM). Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until 7:00 PM (Last admission until 6:30 PM).
Venue: Mori Art Museum
53F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-5777-8600 (Hello Dial)
Admission: General ¥1,500, Students (High School/University) ¥1,000, Children (4 years – Junior High School) ¥500