Art Brut Then & Now Vol.2
Echoing Cityscapes
Exhibition Overview
Art Brut Then & Now is a series of exhibitions that presents, from a variety of angles, artists who have been active in the Art Brut scene in Japan and overseas for many years, alongside new artists who have been exhibited widely in recent years.
The second exhibition in the series, Echoing Cityscapes, introduces artists who reconstruct cityscapes full of buildings and houses from their own unique perspective. Each of these cityscapes has unique imagery, with compositions that seem to be looking down from the sky, works that have no set orientation, and groups of buildings in eccentric colors. All of them have a fantastical world view, where we can follow the artists as they envision somewhere new. In addition, the vast stretches of distant cityscapes are intertwined with the more familiar nearby, creating an energy that seems to continue forever.
Each cityscape is like an echo reverberating between reality and imagination, near and far, self and others, and here and there, and continuing to expand unnoticed. We hope that this exhibition will be a chance for each visitor to encounter a special cityscape that resonates with them, whether boisterously or in a quiet manner.
Plain Japanese Information2,265KB
Installation views of ”Art Brut Then ＆Now Vol.2 'Echoing Cityscapes'”
| Title | Art Brut Then & Now Vol.2 Echoing Cityscapes |
|---|---|
| Period | Saturday, 21 January – Sunday, 9 April 2023 |
| Opening Hours | 11:00am - 7:00pm |
| Closed | Mondays |
| Venue | Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery |
| Admission | Free |
| Artists | ISONO Takayuki, KOKUBO Norimitsu, GOTO Takuya, SATO Keigo, TSUJI Yuji, YOKOMIZO Sayaka |
| Designer | YANO Keiji |
| Organaized by | Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture |
| Notes | In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please follow the instructions below in the gallery.
*Please practice good etiquette by wearing a mask and sanitizing your hands. *Please refrain from visiting the gallery if you have a fever above 37.5℃ or symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, or headache. *We may ask you to wait in line if the gallery is too crowded. |
| Others | Checklist for events |
Highlights of this exhibition
TSUJI Yuji, My Town Peeped with My Imagination, 2019,
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Asuka, Service Office of Welfare for Persons with Disabilities
Compositions that seem to be looking down from the sky, works that have no set orientation, and groups of buildings in eccentric colors. The exhibiting artists create their unique works by combining images they have seen, or selected from magazines, television, and the Internet.
Installation view of the exhibition Photo: SATO Motoi
Isono Takayuki's drawing book with a total of 42,000 telegraph poles and countless electrical cables connecting them together. And Kokubo Norimitsu's drawing books with detailed neo-futuristic urban landscapes by reorganizing memories and images that flood the internet.
Visitors are not able to touch and appreciate the contents of the drawing books. But the screening of a film archive of all the pages of the drawing books gives visitors an opportunity to see the landscapes enclosed therein.
Installation view of the exhibition Photo: SATO Motoi
The exhibition venue is designed to allow outside lights to the enter. Visitors can appreciate the exhibition with feeling the connection between the venue and the outside with cityscapes, smells, sounds and mood of Shibuya. The cityscapes might looks changed after visiting.
Installation view of the reference room Photo: SATO Motoi
The interactive space become a reference space of Art Brut during “Art Brut Then＆ Now Vol.2 ‘Echoing Cityscapes’”. We will exhibit the panels which introduce the facilities of the exhibiting artists of “Echoing Cityscapes” participate in or have connection with. Furthermore visitors can read some books on Art Brut.
Artists
ISONO Takayuki, Telegraph Poles and Electrical Cables, 2012-2013, Collection of the artist
Courtesy of art npo kobo cocopelli
Born in Toyama Prefecture in 1997, ISONO fills a thick and heavy drawing book with a total of 42,000 telegraph poles and countless electrical cables connecting them together. He creates a vast, serene world using light strokes and contrasting blank spaces. Major exhibitions include KOMOREBI Art Brut Japonais (Le Lieu Unique, Nantes, 2017).
KOKUBO Norimitsu, No Title, circa 2001-2007, Collection of the artist
Photo: ONISHI Nobuo, Courtesy of Borderless Art Museum NO-MA
Born in Shiga Prefecture in 1995, KOKUBO has been drawing detailed neo-futuristic urban landscapes since elementary school. Reorganizing memories and images that flood the internet, he repeats his dense depictions. There is a unique world that he builds in his works. In addition to Genius: The Human Gift for Creating and Living (Shiga Museum of Art, Shiga, 2022), his drawings have been exhibited and become part of collections at art museums both inside and outside Japan.
GOTO Takuya, House, 2013-2021, Collection of Fusha Tomitaka
Courtesy of Fusha Tomitaka
Born in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1987, GOTO works at “Fusha Tomitaka” in Hyuga City. He has been producing colorful three-dimensional works that mimic houses since around 2013. From the frames to the exterior walls and roofs, he assembles the paper through unique techniques to create organic and flexible buildings. Major exhibitions include Gift: Miyazaki Artist File Exhibition (Takanabe Museum of Art, Miyazaki, 2021).
SATO Keigo, Hotel, circa 1998-2005, Collection of NPO Group Sai SeikatsuKobo
Courtesy of NPO Group Sai SeikatsuKobo
Born in Chiba Prefecture in 1983, SATO works at “Seikatsu Kobo” in Narita City. Using color pens, he repeatedly draws groups of elongated buildings from a single point of view. Utilizing a variety of drawing styles, such as single colors, mosaics, and grids, he creates fantastic views that call to mind faraway lands. Major exhibitions include Shape of Houses and Towns (MOB museum of Alternative Art, Tochigi, 2014).
TSUJI Yuji, My Town Peeped with My Imagination, 2019, Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Asuka, Service Office of Welfare for Persons with Disabilities
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1977, TSUJI creates detailed drawings of fictional cities with a sense of déjà vu using only a washable black pen. Roof tiles, roads, and railroad tracks float three-dimensionally due to the bird's-eye view composition and unwavering strokes. The sceneries are full of unique flickers and dynamism. Major exhibitions include Art Brut Japonais (Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, 2010-11) and many others in Japan and overseas.
YOKOMIZO Sayaka, SHIBUYA2020, 2017, Collection of KIKI‼CREATIVE
Courtesy of KIKI‼CREATIVE
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986, YOKOMIZO belongs to “kiki CREATIVE” in Hiratsuka City. She draws festive and lively landscapes where various subjects such as humans, animals, and characters strut around the city. She also performs picture-story shows where she does several voices for the main characters in the drawings and stories she creates. Major exhibitions include First steps toward disability, sense and co-existence (The National Art Center, Tokyo, 2018).
*The images shown may differ from the actual works exhibited.
Related Events
Planned events include talks, guided tours and other events. We will inform you of details later on the below pages of each event.
Related Event
Related Event of Art Brut Then & Now Vol.2 "Echoing Cityscapes"
Picture-story Show by YOKOMIZO Sayaka
- Period
- Saturday, 21 January 2023
- Venue
- Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery
- Admission
- Free
YOKOMIZO Sayaka, one of the exhibiting artists, performed a picture-story show on the first day of the exhibition "Art Brut Then＆ Now Vol.2 'Echoing Cityscapes'".
Related event of “Echoing Cityscapes”
Reference space (from 21 January, 2023 to 9 April, 2023.)
- Period
- Saturday, 21 January 2023 - Sunday, 9 April 2023
- Venue
- Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Interactive space
- Admission
- Free
The interactive space become a reference space of Art Brut during “Art Brut Then＆ Now Vol.2 ‘Echoing Cityscapes’”.
We will exhibit the panels which introduce the facilities the exhibiting artists of “Echoing Cityscapes” participate in. Furthermore visitors can read some books on Art Brut.
The space is open to public. Please feel free to use it.
Related Events of Art Brut Then & Now Vol.2 "Echoing Cityscapes"
Curator's Gallery Talk *Japanese sign language will be provided on 11 March.
- Period
- Saturday, 11 February 2023 / Saturday, 11 March
- Venue
- Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery
- Admission
- Free
The curator of this exhibition will give commentaries on the art works. Japanese sign language will be provided on Saturday, 11 March.
