Contemporary Art Gallery

  • GALLERY

Tatsuo Miyajima | Art in You

February 16 (Sat.),2008,to May 11 (Sun.),2008

Installation view at Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito
Photo:Daici Ano

The year 2008 marks the 25th anniversary since the contemporary artist, Tatsuo Miyajima, opened his first solo exhibition at a gallery in Tokyo. He has won high plaudits since then for exhibitions held both in Japan and abroad, including the Venice Biennale, and he continues to be quite active on the international art scene. During the past decade, he has been a proponent of the "Art in You" movement, saying, "Art works are nothing more than devices to let people encounter, notice and be impressed by something. Artistic experiences and impressions rest inside the imagination of each human being." Most of his activities now revolve around that theme.

The upcoming exhibition at Art Tower Mito (ATM) introduces Miyajima's thoughts, and offers proposals about the possibilities inherent in art. The works featured in the exhibition include "Counter Skin" and "Death Clock," developed in 2007 at workshop caravans held in four spots around Japan, including Teuri Island off Hokkaido, Iwafune in Nara Prefecture, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park. The second work contains a clock counting down to the date and time of death, input by the participants in the workshop caravans. Another featured work is "HOTO," a giant LED-laden object 5.5 meters tall and 2 meters in diameter. All of the works relay the "Art in You" message.

This is the first large-scale exhibition that Miyajima has held in the larger Tokyo metropolitan region in eight years. The idea is to provide a space for visitors to palpably feel "life, others, and oneself" through the displayed artworks, inciting their imagination about the various aspects of peace, such as history and the environment.

Outline

Venue

Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito

Dates

February 16 (Sat.),2008,to May 11 (Sun.),2008

Closing dates

Mondays (Tuesdays if Monday is a national holiday)

Opening hours

9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (no admittance after 5:30 p.m.)

Admission

Adult ¥800, Advanced purchase and Group discount(more than 20 people) ¥600, Admission Free: Child aged under 15/Senior Citizen over 65/Disabled pass holder and an attendant each/One year pass holders

Organized by

Mito Arts Foundation

Grants from

Asahi Beer Arts Foundation

Sponsored by

SHISEIDO Co., Ltd.

Supported by

Asahi Breweries,Ltd., Lisson Gallery, SCAI THE BATHHOUSE (Shiraishi Contemporary Art Inc.), SOUM Corporation, TGA Co.,Ltd.

Curated by

Tsukasa Mori (Senior Curator, Contemporary Art Center, ATM)

Curation Assistance

Mizuki Takahashi (Curator, Contemporary Art Center, ATM)

Contact

TEL 029-227-8120
Contemporary Art Center

RELATED EVENTS

1. Why "Art in You" Now?

Tatsuo Miyajima joins the main curator of the ATM exhibition, Tsukasa Mori, in a dialog about the workshop caravans that preceded the current exhibition, and the "Art in You" concept.
Date: March 22, 2008 (Sat)
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Inside the ATM Contemporary Art Gallery

2. Work shop "Counter Skin"

With the advice of Tatsuo Miyajima, participants paint numbers onto each other's bodies, and snap pictures.
Date: April 12, 2008 (Sat)
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Workshop Room, ATM Contemporary Art Gallery

3. Work shop "Let's make a Counter Skin T-shirt"

A workshop to be held on May 3 will let you produce your own silk-screened T-shirt printed with the digital numbers used in Tatsuo Miyajima's art works.
Date: May 3, 2008 (Sat)
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Workshop Room, the ATM Contemporary Art Gallery
Lecturer: Akio Nagasawa

4. "Death Clock" - Mito Version

Participants will be able to produce their own Death Clocks. The finished pieces will be displayed in the ATM exhibition this time.
Date: During High School Students' Week (March 6 - April 6, 2008)
Venue: Workshop Room, ATM Contemporary Art Gallery

5. Curator Talk

Tsukasa Mori, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, will talk about the exhibition.
Date: March 8, 2008 (Sat)
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

6. Weekend Gallery Talk

CAC (Contemporary Art Center) Gallery Talkers will guide you through the exhibition.
Dates: March 1 - May 11 (Saturdays $ Sundays)
Time: 2:30 - 3:10 p.m.

7. Gallery Tour for Parents with Babies

Staff members will give a gallery tour for parents, with small children, who may normally not have the chance to visit exhibitions. This tour is made particularly for preschool children and their parents.
Dates: March 14 and 28, 2008
Time: 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m.