[Open-Submission Art Exhibition] Over 630 Participating Artists & More Than 1,000 Works! "Tokyo Independent 2019" @ The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts — Chinretsukan Gallery
We visited “Tokyo Independent 2019,” held at the Chinretsukan Gallery of Tokyo University of the Arts. Over 630 participating artists and more than 1,000 works gathered for this large-scale project. So many works overflowed inside the Chinretsukan Gallery that the situation became unmanageable, and the opening date was pushed back by five days. *A numbered list of participating artists is included at the end of this article.
The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts — Chinretsukan Gallery hosted more works than the writer has ever seen in one place.
What is “Tokyo Independent”…?
Tokyo Independent is an open-submission art exhibition.
No social distinctions — age, nationality, ethnicity, cultural beliefs, gender or sexual orientation — are taken into account, and no prior art-school training is required. Anyone with the will to be an artist is eligible to submit.
1st Floor
Before entering the floor, visitors leave their belongings at reception. Bringing bags in would risk brushing against the works.
Installation view of the 1st floorNumbers are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, but each artist chooses where to hang their work.The walls are covered densely, with no gap left uncovered.
The works are unjuried. It’s an unjuried, unruly exhibition space.
The meaning of the worn-out plastic bottle is a mystery…Mushrooms that were visibly growing, too…Someone else’s underwear?
There were also a few works I recognized right away as being by so-and-so.
Work by Yohei SugitaWork by Kohei NawaInstallation viewThe commanding presence of a work by the EmperorWorks were installed on the landing to the 2nd floor as well, of courseWork sizes vary widely.Video works were also on viewRin Ishioka, ≪Kappa Sushi≫Work by Taeko Nakahashi
2nd Floor
Entrance to the 2nd floorJART’s ≪Bag Endlessly Being Snatched≫, which we also saw at the AHO exhibitionOn the 2nd floor, works were installed all the way up to the top of the atrium ceilingWork by Emi Makita — the direction of the spray seemed to point toward the new imperial era name…Work by Yuki Koyano. A rare piece, not from his Spiral series.This may have been the largest sculptural work on view.Work by Eboshi YuasaThere were a few works that caught my eye, but with no number attached I couldn’t tell who they were by.Kotao Kotori — I remembered them because their Geisai display had made such an impact.Installation view
With this many works (over 1,000), it may be impossible to properly view them all. Only after the visit, checking the numbered list of participating artists, did I realize a number of familiar names were among them.
