exhibitions

Yoshinori NIWA “Why does humankind engage in economic activity?”

2023.04.15 – 05.20
Opening hour: 12.00-18.00
Closed on Sun, Mon, National holiday
*We will be closed between 04.29 – 05.08.
In this exhibition, Why does humankind engage in economic activity?, the artist Yoshinori Niwa presents videos, drawings, and neon works. These works shed light on how the human identity is shaped by capitalist society, which is premised on mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal, and its products.

As Niwa was active in performance art for many years, the titles of his works hold special significance for him. In the past, nearly all of the titles ended in “-ing.” Niwa’s videos, which document his performances, are just one more example. In essence, they are presented as a public protocol that can be used by anyone.

In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Niwa expanded his performance works by embarking on a new series of collages in which he combined supermarket fliers that were deposited in his mailbox everyday with pictures from newspapers and masking tape. Alongside images of meat, sausages, clothing, and mass-produced industrial goods, a variety of actions (i.e., titles) are specified in large Japanese and German writing, as a critique of capitalist society, against a backdrop of innocently smiling models. Niwa made the majority of these works at his studio in Vienna.

In recent years, Niwa staged the Narrating our possessions, 2022 performance, in which he randomly read legible words over the telephone in a public space in London as he crawled through the street toward the gallery. He was also invited by the Prameya Art Foundation to place an ad in a Dehli newspaper, and in a citizen-participation project called Living in someone’s possessions, 2023, he temporarily borrowed various things from ordinary people and attempted to imitate their daily lives. All of these works raise questions about the human race, which finds itself at the mercy of capitalist society with its concomitant mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal. Although we all share a hatred for capitalism, it is impossible to refrain from taking part in economic activities. It is within this sad state of affairs that our identities seep out.

Supported by the Austrian Cultural Forum Tokyo

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Art Collaboration Kyoto

We will be participating in Art Collaboration Kyoto.

Dates: Friday, November 5–Sunday, November 7, 2021
Preview: Thursday, November 4 *by invitation only
Hours: Friday, November 5　noon–7pm
Saturday, November 6　noon–7pm
Sunday, November 7　noon–5pm
*Please note that the last entrance is 1 hour before closing

more information → Art Collaboration Kyoto

Naoya HIRATA participating the exhibition “TAMPA”

Date:12-28 August, 2021
Venue: The 5th Floor
Opening Hours：13:00-19:00
Reservation requested

Yoshinori NIWA participating the exhibition “Rules?”

Date: July 2 (Fri) – November 28 (Sun), 2021
Venue: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 1&2
Opening Hours: 11:00-17:00 on Weekdays, 11:00-18:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays
Closed on Tuesdays (Except November 23)

Shigeru HASEGAWA “memento mori” at Shouonji temple

Period: 2021.04.02-18
Venue: Shouonji temple 3-23-20 Misonocho, Kodaira-city, Tokyo
Opening hour: 12：00～18：00
Closed on Tues. Wed.
Admission free
Information: TEL042-341-2935
mail:info@shouonji.jp
Cooperation: S.O.C. Satoko Oe Contemporary

SHIGERU HASEGAWA
Born in 1963. 1988 completed Aichi University of the Arts, M.A. Went over to Germany, completed Kunstakademie Dusseldorf, M.A. in 1992, then went to Netherlands, Stayed at De Ateliers in Amsterdam between 1992-1994. Came back to Japan, and energetically had many solo shows. One of the painters of the “New Figurative Painting” together with Yoshitomo NARA, Hiroshi SUGITO, Takanobu KOBAYASHI, Masahiko KUWAHARA, and O JUN in 90s. At the same time, HASEGAWA was running T&S Gallery (Meguro, Tokyo) and curated the shows, introducing the young/emerging artists there. HASEGAWA stayed and worked in Amsterdam in 2003-2004. Dynamic brush stroke of the big sized painting influenced by the medieval, indoor painting is iconic character of the Hasegawa’s painting at that time.

However HASEGAWA stopped showing his works gradually and completed stopped showing after the show “HUMOR and LEAP of THOUGHT – Far beyond our recognizable world” at Okazaki Mindscape Museum, Aichi in 2013. Restarted showing his works after the solo show of “PAINTING” at Satoko Oe Contemporary in 2019, and consistently looking for the real nature of “painting”.

NADA Miami/ TOKYO

2020.12.02 – 13
12:00 – 17:00 / Closed on Mon. Tue.
VIP Preview : 2020. 11. 29（12:00 – 17:00/ invitation only）
Participating galleries：MISAKO & ROSEN, KAYOKOYUKI, Satoko Oe Contemporary, XYZ collective, 4649, im labor

NADA Miami 2020 edition will be held in the 44 different cities all over the world. Tokyo edition will be held at MISAKO & ROSEN with 6 galleries gathered.
We will show the new works of Luca COSTA (b.1989), the imaginary Argentine artist. We look forward to seeing you at the fair! or at online!