ART | 'Shiro Takatani: BRIGHT ROOM' Exhibition at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
ART | Introducing Shi-ro Takatani's Early Photographic and Video Works
Exhibition "Shi-ro Takatani: Camera Lucida" Held at Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
Shi-ro Takatani, a video artist who has pursued the possibilities of performance through cutting-edge technology. His exhibition "Shi-ro Takatani: Camera Lucida" will be held from December 10 (Tue) to January 26, 2014, at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum in Ebisu, Shibuya Ward. The exhibition introduces his artistic journey by linking his early photographic and video collections with the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum's own video collection.
Text by YANAKA Tomomi
Special Artist Talk Featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto and Akira Asada
Shi-ro Takatani was born in Nara Prefecture in 1963. After graduating from Kyoto City University of Arts with a degree in Environmental Design in 1984, he co-founded "Dumb Type," an artist group comprising students from the university with diverse backgrounds in architecture, art, design, music, and dance. He has been involved in various activities, including creating visual works, alongside his individual artistic endeavors.
In recent years, he has gained recognition for his diverse artworks, including installations utilizing the latest technology and performances in collaboration with artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Mansai Nomura.LIFE-WELLHe is also known for his diverse artistic works.
The exhibition is titled "Camera Lucida," a term from Roland Barthes' 1980 book on photography, and also the name of an optical device used by painters to project an image of a scene onto paper. The Japanese translation of this term is "bright room." The exhibition features works that resonate with its title, such as "Camera Lucida" (2004), which explores the act of "seeing" through the device itself by employing a simple method to construct the fundamental mechanism of a camera where an object forms an image on a focusing glass through a lens.
The exhibition also includes new works such as "Chrono" (2006), a video installation that condenses the movement of the sun and clouds into approximately four minutes by continuously connecting 20,000 digital photographs taken every five seconds from sunrise to sunset using a fisheye lens, and "Topograph," which expresses new realities imperceptible to human vision through mechanical perspectives.
Furthermore, a "New Year Special Artist Talk" featuring distinguished guests will be held on January 3 (Fri) during the exhibition period. Musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and critic Akira Asada, who are close associates of Takatani, will be invited to discuss future projects, the relationship between society and art, and other topics.
Takatani's art, while actively incorporating new technologies, has consistently pursued the fundamental act of "seeing." This exhibition re-examines this very act of "seeing" with the audience.
Shi-ro Takatani: Camera Lucida
Exhibition Dates | December 10 (Tue) - January 26, 2014 *Closed on Mondays and from December 29 to January 1.
However, if a Monday falls on a public holiday, the museum will be closed on the following Tuesday.
Hours | 10:00 - 18:00 *Thursdays and Fridays until 20:00. January 2 and 3: 11:00 - 18:00
Venue | Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
1-13-3 Mita, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, within Ebisu Garden Place
Tel. 03-3280-0099
Admission Fees | General ¥500, Students ¥400, Junior/Senior High School Students & Seniors (65+) ¥250
Special Artist Talk
Date | January 3 (Fri)
Time | 16:00 - 17:30
Venue | Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, 1F Hall
Speakers | Shi-ro Takatani (Artist), Ryuichi Sakamoto (Musician), Akira Asada (Critic)
Capacity | 190 people. Numbered tickets will be distributed starting at 10:00 on the day of the event. Seating is unreserved and admission is by number. (Opening hours on January 3 will be 11:00.)
Fee | Free *Requires a stub from the exhibition ticket.
Curator's Floor Talk
December 13, 2013 (Fri) 16:00 –
December 27, 2013 (Fri) 16:00 –
January 10, 2014 (Fri) 16:00 –
January 24, 2014 (Fri) 16:00 –
Please gather at the exhibition entrance with your ticket stub for this exhibition (valid on the same day).