Sent from my iPhone
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
FREE FALL: Exhibition by Xavier Veilhan
Xavier Veilhan's exhibition at the newly refurbished Espace Louis Vuitton in Omotesando is on the opposite end of the art establishment spectrum from the Tokyo Wonder Site WAKUWAKU show with its young crowd and lively but haphazard artwork. Veilhan is showing four new sculptures: the Tokyo Statue, Regulator, Free Fall nos. 1-3 and Stabile n1 (all 2011). Aside from the Warhol-influenced Free Fall, (that made a perfect background for the champagne opening reception), the three other sculptures are in an anachronistic dialogue with Russian Constructivist sculpture. Yet, the show is definitely worth seeing because of the way it accommodates the light and airy space of the gallery, punctuated by the white steel beams that frame its wall-sized windows.
WAKUWAKU SHIBUYA presented by Ichiro Endo
This TWS exhibition, curated by Endo Ichiro, opened January 13th with a series of performances (see pictures below). It will be on through February 13th. Click here for official press release. 
Friday, January 28, 2011
Ai Weiwei "Cube Light" exhibition extended through February 19th
Installation view, image courtesy of the gallery.
Misa Shin Gallery just announced the extension of Ai Weiwei "Cube Light" show through February 19.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuazon & Einarsson exhibition review
For your reading pleasure: here is a link to the new Tokyo Weekender review of the latest Rat Hole gallery exhibition.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Julia Friedman, Informal Book Talk + BYOB Reception, Friday, January 21, 2011 + 6:00 p.m.
Julia Friedman Ph.D.
Informal Book Talk + BYOB Reception
Friday, January 21, 2011 + 6:00 p.m.
Beyond Symbolism and Surrealism:
Alexei Remizov's Synthetic Art
Northwestern University Press
SHIBUHOUSE
東3-18-5 T&Tビル2F
Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, 157-0041
More Information: www.JuliaFriedman.net
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
ARTFORUM Critics' Picks: "Aki Sasamoto"
My review of Aki Sasamoto's performance/installation "Strange Attractors" at Take Ninagawa gallery has been posted on Artforum.com page.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Shirokane Art Complex Openings
The first shows of the New Year in the Shirokane art complex were a bit underwhelming. Kodama gallery held a group show "ignore your perspective 11" featuring the works of Sunao Horikawa, Masahiro Sekiguchi, Keisuke Sugimoto, Hidekazu Tanaka, Mayuko Wada and Shuhei Yagi. Some of the artists represented were moved up in the ranks from the second floor (young artist) space in the gallery's Kyoto space to the gallery's Tokyo space.
Another group show, at Nanzuka Underground, combined the works of the Tokyo-based Hiroki Tsukuda and Tomoo Gokita and a young Belgian artist Rinus van de Velde. The exhibition was loosely based on the theme of graphic representation, showcasing the ability of the three artists to handle the subtleties of gray scale.
Yamamoto Gendai, who is currently having one of their artists as the subject of a spectacularly produced solo show at the Mori museum, started the 2011 with a solo show of Tiger Tateishi's work. Online Radar presented three large canvases that have been held in a corporate collection from 1994 (the time of their production) until now.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Tokyo Metro Manners Posters
The new Tokyo Metro manners poster is out. This one is about helping an old lady to get her parcel off the luggage shelf. It might now be as entertaining as a 2009 poster of a hammered salaryman surrounded by beer cans, or a 2010 one with an obliging dude sporting an afro, a hawaiian shirt and a pair of getas, he getting ready to haul a heavy suitcase for a grandma with a newborn; but, all the usual tropes are in place: gawking (approving/disapproving) bystander, vaguely foreign-looking woman who is learning her good manners, a local in need of help or consideration. The inscriptions vary between "Please do it again" (approved behaviors) and "Please do it at home" (disapproved behaviors). This series, that has been running since 2008 trumps multiple other manner posters with its bold graphics golden yellow background, Ben-day dots, and laconic yet contrived subject matter . You can browse older posters here. Follow the link to the Japanese language site and click on 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Emilia and Ilya Kabakov: Artists' Talk
Just saw the old interview with the Kabakovs, available as a podcast on the Tate Museum webpage. See my comment above.
