The Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo is an amazing space.
A huge structure of metal and glass – it’s beautifully bright and airy on the inside.
I’d like to share some of the pieces I saw which resonated with me.
From the MOT Collection, “Walking, Traveling, Moving―From the Great Kanto Earthquake to the Present”.
Yoshio Fujimaki “Cityscape” (1932 Woodcut)
Fujimaki apparently died when he was just 24 years old. His woodcuts are striking and bold.
Setsu Asakura from Sketch Book 8 (1946-1950) (for all the cat lovers out there)
Jun Nakano’s sketches in pencil, pastel and watercolor depict a post-war Japan.
The bold and expressive works of Shinpei Kusanagi (2016)
I really enjoyed the simplicity of Tomoko Aso‘s work.
“Tempura Stall” (2020)
This piece in particular tugged at an emotion in me I have a hard time naming. There’s a certain lonliness to it.
Together but alone.
Beside another but still alone.
In a city with millions. But alone.
There’s something about the childlike simplicity of the figures asleep on the beds which adds to my feeling of sadness.
My apologies if the translations of the titles are not accurate.
“Journey”
‘What turned a trip into a journey was the time spent at the inn’
(2020)
“Early Autumn Rain” (2020)
The special feature of this collection was Yukoo Tadanori, who started out as a graphic artist but over the years also painted with acrylics.
Tadanori is a prolific artist. His work filled two rooms of the museum and was quite varied in technique.
The following painting by Tadanori caught my attention,
Before you look at it in detail, look up / recall Dalí’s “Hallucinogenic Toreador” (1969-1970)
Tadanori’s piece has quite a few similarities to Dali’s famous painting.
The insects.
The striking use of red and green.
The prominent Greek figure.
The sea being part of the composition.
Both artists depicted as children in their respective paintings.
And of course the overall arrangement of the painting itself – a narrative taking place across the canvas.
The real highpoint of the museum however was the MOT show Synergies Between Creation and Generation.
Here, I’ll share the names of four phenomenal artists.
Please look up their work – perhaps on the Museum of Contemporary Art website to learn more about them.
First, Minami Arai explores what it means to write – in this digital age it’s more pertinent than ever. She sculpts by using bent write to write works from authors.
The shadows under the sculpted characters add to the complexity of the pieces.
Next is Kotao Tomozawa, born in France in 1999, whose work is hyper realistic.
Akinori Goto creates woven nets that move, and when beams of light hit them in a certain way, figures walk, dance, perform gymnastics. It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Finally (euglena) whose tiny, absolutely incredibly delicate sculptures from dandelion fluff and cotton blossoms are a sight to behold.
Unfortunately, I’ve no images to offer. However, the museums website offers more on her and her sculptures.
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