- Luxury Apartments in Tokyo
- MORI LIVING Diary
- G-Tokyo 2011 at Mori Arts Center Gallery
MORI LIVING Diary
G-Tokyo 2011 at Mori Arts Center Gallery
February 22, 2011
"Warp Time with Warp Self No. 4" incorporates small LED numbers that count down from 9 to 1, all at different speeds, illustrating an irregular sense of time.
Large, double-sided light boxes show images from the sea near Hong Kong, where the luckiest of the boat people were taken after being rescued.
A gallery representative explained that the fabric, buttons, beads, lace and other materials used in the work were taken from old clothing and broken accessories collected from residents of Kanagawa prefecture.
For just one week, visitors to the Mori Arts Center Gallery at Roppongi Hills have the opportunity to see a fantastically diverse selection of contemporary art by both local and international artists. G-Tokyo 2011 runs through Sunday, February 27, and showcases the selections of 15 of Japan's top galleries. Each gallery has a room dedicated to it, and each room is decidedly different, with its own unique concept and feeling. During a special press preview last week, I spent some time wandering between the rooms and talking with gallery representatives.
The fourth room I arrived at was that of Tokyo's SCAI The Bathhouse. The overall theme of the gallery's contribution to the exhibit is "The Light Field," and the selected works all play with light and reflections in some way. One piece that stood out was Tatsuo Miyajima's "Warp Time with Warp Self No. 4." Miyajima is known for his use of LED counters to signify time in his works (including the huge "Counter Void" outside TV Asahi at Roppongi Hills). "Warp Time with Warp Self No. 4" incorporates small LED numbers that count down from 9 to 1, all at different speeds, illustrating an irregular sense of time. In addition to this, the numbers are mounted on a curved mirror, which shows the viewer a warped version of himself as he views the work.
Next came the Kenji Taki Gallery, where there is displayed a solo exhibition of works by Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar. Like many artists, Jaar's works often have a political theme. "Untitled (Water)" is a commentary on the plight of the Vietnamese boat people of the late 1970s. Large, double-sided light boxes show images from the sea near Hong Kong, where the luckiest of the boat people were taken after being rescued. The wall behind the light boxes holds several small mirrors, in which visitors can see images of boat people's faces, which are mounted on the back of the light boxes.
A few rooms further down is the gallery Yamamoto Gendai, displaying craft-like works by Ruriko Murayama juxtaposed with the surreal photographs of Edgar Martins. I was particularly drawn to Murayama's intricately quilted petticoat, which was laid out on the floor of the room. A gallery representative explained that the fabric, buttons, beads, lace and other materials used in the work were taken from old clothing and broken accessories collected from residents of Kanagawa prefecture. It was wonderful to see elements of so many people's lives reborn into something so beautiful.
Kelly