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Picks is a monthly sampling of Japan's art scene, offering commentary by a variety of reviewers about exhibitions at museums and galleries in recent weeks, with an emphasis on contemporary art by young artists.
1 September 2014
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Art with Chiso Yuzen: Create a New Sense
13 June - 30 September 2014
Chiso Gallery
(Kyoto)
One of the old mainstays of Kyoto's fabled Yuzen dyeing tradition, the Chiso company initiated collaborations in 2005 (its 450th anniversary) with over 30 contemporary artists and fashion designers from seven countries. This exhibition offers a review of that project, featuring items ranging from textiles framed or mounted on scrolls, to kimono, to surfboards.

Yasukuni Chirei Emperor
19 July - 5 September 2014
Polepole Higashi Nakano
(Tokyo)
Filmmaker Nobuyuki Oura, known for his works about problems associated with modern Japan and the emperor system, finally tackles Yasukuni Shrine. The enshrinement there of 2.46 million war dead as "heroic spirits" is a deep-rooted and thorny issue. Oura's new film addresses such facets as historical perceptions of past wars, the shrine's consecration of class-A war criminals, separation of religion and state, and prime ministers visiting Yasukuni -- all fodder for a controversy that rages unabated today.
Happy Golden Years Exhibition II

9 August - 24 November 2014

Borderless Art Museum NO-MA
(Osaka)
NO-MA, which sees its mission as bringing together artists with disabilities and those without, commemorates its tenth anniversary with the second edition of an exhibition first held in 2006. As the Japanese title (literally "Fast-Moving Elders II: The Older You Are, the Wilder You Get") suggests, the emphasis is on senior artists who have not let age slow them down: Tatsumi Orimoto, Yukio Nakagawa, Sadao Shirai, Kiyoka Nishinohara, Masuo Fukuda, and Setsuo Konishi, every one of whom marches as vigorously as ever to a different drummer.
Re-Combustion

26 August - 6 September 2014

Matsuo Megumi + Voice Gallery
(Tokyo)
The title refers to the process of recovering discarded pottery, sticking it in a kiln and firing it again. The works thus produced and displayed here by ceramist Toshio Matsui and his cohorts give form to their concerns about the surfeit of mass-produced ceramics languishing in dead storage today. Proceeds from sales go to support artistic activities in the tsunami-devastated Tohoku region.
Noh Masks and Costumes: See/Know/Compare

24 July - 21 September 2014
Mitsui Memorial Museum
(Tokyo)
A vast array of Noh masks, each in its own case and affixed to a clear acrylic plate. The masks seem to float in space. Affording visitors a clear view of each visage from different angles, the show does a masterful job of displaying and illuminating the masks, bringing them to life in all their expressive richness.
Mika Kurosawa: The Rose Man / deep

27 - 28 August, 22 - 23 October, 26 - 27 December 2014

Okurayama Hall
(Kanagawa)
This is Vol. 17 of Kurosawa's solo dance series The Rose Man, and it's a must-see. With August's performance followed by iterations in October and December, this reviewer hopes to make the trek to Okurayama every time -- to every season there promises to be a different dance.
Beads of the World

18 June - 13 September 2014
Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum
(Tokyo)
In addition to displaying beads from Asia, Africa and Europe, this exhibit goes the extra mile by providing world maps that color-code the various bead trading routes that prevailed from era to era. It's a fascinating and edifying study in how the same ornamental goods acquired a different significance in different parts of the world.
Chiharu Shinoda: Kigeki -- Make an event from "description"

11 - 13 July 2014
SNAC
(Tokyo)
As part of what she calls her "It's my turn" series, Shinoda appears in her first solo performance in Japan since leaving the faifai theater company and relocating to Bangkok. The unexpected results of the process described by the title remind one that even in faifai, she was a pivotal presence who directed much of the group's work.
The Third Solo Exhibition of Issei Nishimura
28 June - 20 July 2014
Galerie Miyawaki
(Kyoto)
Self-taught artist Nishimura has been painting for his own muse since around 2000. Characterized by strong brushwork and innovative color schemes, his works contain all manner of motifs: human figures, landscapes, and apparitions from the world of the imagination (the Japanese title of the exhibition is "Phantoms' Blues"). Without exception, these paintings exude a power that grabs the viewer by the throat. Forty of his latest works feature in this show.
Hiroshi Kitao Solo Exhibition
6 - 21 July 2014

Sanmitsudo Book Store
(Kyoto)
A unique collaboration between an antiquarian bookshop and sculptor Kitao, known for his poetic work with iron. Actually, this is the second such show in as many years. Many of these compositions incorporate books into their form; bibliophiles in particular would enjoy seeing the connections Kitao draws between books and his work.
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