Recent years have seen a number of new museums established by living Japanese artists to showcase their lesser known works and secure their legacy. Among these are the Tadanori Yokoo Museum of Contemporary Art, occupying a former wing of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art in Kobe, and the Yayoi Kusama Museum, housed in a sleek five-story building in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward. This select group is now joined by Yasumasa Morimura (b. 1951), whose Morimura@Museum (M@M) opened in Osaka in early November. more...
Mutsuko Yawatagaki and the Izumo Museum of Quilt Art
Alice Gordenker
Tucked away amid rice fields in a quiet corner of western Honshu is the only museum in Japan -- and indeed all of Asia -- dedicated to the art of quilting. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, the Izumo Museum of Quilt Art doesn't present the history of the craft or examples of quilts from different countries. Nor does it offer the work of a changing roster of artists. Rather, it is the very personal creation of Mutsuko Yawatagaki, one of Japan's leading quilters. more...
The Foggiest Notions: Fujiko Nakaya at Art Tower Mito
Alan Gleason
As a special effect, artificial fog is practically a cliché, used in everything from rock concerts to outdoor installations like the one at Tokyo Midtown this past summer. It never occurred to me to wonder how fog became such a common element of installation and performance art, but now I know: it's all thanks to Fujiko Nakaya, who created the world's first "fog sculpture" in 1970, for the Osaka Expo. Until 20 January 2019, a very misty show at Art Tower Mito's Contemporary Art Gallery tells the tale of Nakaya's remarkable life and artistic exploits. more...
