Mori Art Museum's 2018 Exhibition Schedule

The Mori Art Museum will be celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2018, and is pleased to announce the three, major curated exhibitions in the fiscal year. “Japan in Architecture: Genealogies of Its Transformation” to overview the historical, as well as modern and contemporary architecture of Japan while closing in on the underlying essence will set off the fiscal year, followed by “Catastrophe and the Power of Art” exhibition to contemplate “power of art” as a driving force to help us live through whatever tomorrow may bring, against the backdrop of a seemingly-endless series of disasters all over the world. And at last, “Roppongi Crossing 2019,” the 6th of the “Roppongi Crossing” exhibition series (held once in every three years) that offers a comprehensive survey of the Japanese art scene will be on view - it aims to examine art and creations of Japan from a broader perspective a little ahead of the “Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games” scheduled the following year.

Japan in Architecture: Genealogies of Its Transformation

2018.4.25 [Wed] - 2018. 9.17 [Mon]

Traditional Japanese architecture is well-known for its high cultural value and heavy influence on such important 20th-century architects as Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruno Taut. The young Wright first came into contact with traditional Japanese spaces at the Chicago World’s Fair in I893, which led him to discover his approach to space for 20th-century architecture and establish his own original style. In Japan, the likes of Tange Kenzo,Taniguchi Yoshio and Kuma Kengo have achieved remarkable international acclaim for their work reinterpreting traditions in their search for new architectural possibilities. In fact, a number of Japanese architects have won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, often referred as the Nobel Prize of architecture. The source for this international attention on contemporary Japanese architecture is what we call the genes of Japanese architecture, which have been inherited for centuries and continue to exert a latent influence.

Through rare materials, models and interactive installations, “Japan in Architecture: Genealogies of Its Transformation” comparatively analyzes both the historical as well as modern and contemporary architecture of Japan, presenting an unprecedented array of displays exploring the nation’s architectural expression. Against a backdrop of the increasing global homogenization of architecture today, such an overview of Japanese architecture from a historical perspective provides a superb opportunity for considering the originality of cities and the future of architecture.

Catastrophe and the Power of Art

2018.10.6 [Sat] - 2019.1.20 [Mon]

The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, 9/11, the financial crisis of 2008... catastrophes continue to befall us all over the world. Many artists have taken such disastrous events as their subiect matters to inform the world of them and hand the stories down to future generations. Unlike media coverage with its emphasis on obiectivity, this documenting from a personal perspective presents to us yet another truth, one rendered virtually invisible by its concealment in the shadow of numerically overwhelming public opinion. Some of these works aim to expose social contradictions and problems that have been suppressed, while others express personal loss and grief.

Though disasters and crises may fill us with despondency, the energy to try to bounce back can simultaneously spark imagination, and boost creative output. One example is the large cohort of artists working for a better society in Japan and elsewhere since the Earthquake. These artists indeed attempt to offer new visions, depicting ideals and hopes encompassing wishes for reconstruction and rebirth.

“Catastrophe and the Power of Art” will contemplate the dynamism that takes the negative and makes it positive, through works by artists ranging from international stars of the contemporary art world to cutting-edge newcomers, as we confront catastrophe — such as wars and terrorist attacks, the refugee crisis, and destruction of the planet’s environment.

Roppongi Crossing 2018

2019.2.9 [Sat] - 2019.5.26 [Sun]

Held triennially since 2004, “Roppongi Crossing” is an exhibition series that offers a comprehensive survey of the Japanese art scene. Mori Art Museum curators join with a handfuI of guest curators to plan the exhibition, selecting 20 to 40 Japanese artists via the intersection or “crossing” of multiple viewpoints. Another feature of the series is its aspiration to be a “crossing” of creative practice, showcasing practitioners of all stripes from internationally-renowned veterans to promising, young and emerging creatives, and not only from the world of contemporary art but a plethora of other genres including architecture, fashion, design, performance, theater and street art.

“Roppongi Crossing 2019,” the sixth edition of its series, will be jointly curated by three curators from the Mori Art Museum.At a time of heightened global focus on Japan ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics the following year, the exhibition will take a fresh, wide-ranging look at contemporary art and creation in Japan.

Further information can be found here. All text and information above by Mori Art Museum.