Exhibition BEST 10
Our recurring feature, “Exhibition BEST 10” — this time, the first-half edition for 2019.
The 2018 BEST 10 is summarized below.
January–June 2019
As always, these are the BEST 10 exhibitions selected purely by the biased personal preferences of this site’s caretaker.
Whether it’s a blockbuster show at a large museum, or a small-scale exhibition run out of what is essentially a one-person gallery, I believe they all exist equally within the broad realm called “art.” As always, I’ve intentionally mixed them together.
There’s the appeal of a large-scale show where you can savor monumental works in an expansive space, and there’s also the pleasure of a small show by a painter where the aroma of oil paint fills the air. This time too, I’ve picked 10 exhibitions in no particular order. Winding back six months of memory, each one was a wonderful exhibition whose lingering resonance I can still enjoy. Looking forward is good, but in an era of relentless information consumption, I think there’s plenty to be gained by looking back.
1) Leiko Ikemura Exhibition @ The National Art Center, Tokyo
The Leiko Ikemura exhibition made brilliant use of the vast space of The National Art Center, Tokyo — a truly outstanding show.
Leiko Ikemura has lived abroad for so long that her Japanese has become a little unsteady.
Precisely because of that, the exhibition conveyed her personal feelings about the Great East Japan Earthquake all the more powerfully.
2) OKETA COLLECTION @ Spiral Garden
As a fringe collector myself, being able to see the truly formidable works of the OKETA COLLECTION up close was overwhelming.
I remain a collector, but they are big-league collectors at an impossibly distant place from me.
Encountering their overwhelming display also led me to reaffirm my own position.
3) Naritaka Satoh “DUAL” @ Minna no Gallery
This one really got to me.
I wanted to collect a work, but the piece I most wanted was already sold. It just wasn’t meant to be.
I’ll definitely be checking his next exhibition.
4) Chiharu Shiota @ Mori Art Museum
When you empty your mind and surrender yourself to the space of a Chiharu Shiota exhibition, it feels as if you yourself sync up with time and space, thrown wholesale into some other world, another dimension.
It was an experience where my own soul felt affected by hers.
5) Arisa Kumagai @ Gallery Koyanagi
This was the first time I’d seen this young artist’s work.
Despite her sweet, young-lady appearance, her craft and passion are projected onto the canvas, resulting in superb works.
A young artist whose future I’m eagerly looking forward to.
6) Tabaimo @ KIDO PRESS
A fresh idea that establishes each print as a unique piece, all within a printmaking technique.
There’s the wit of the “removing the ghost” perspective, and a spine-tingling visual appeal.
7) Akira Kamo @ LOKO GALLERY
I was deeply moved by the artist’s spirit as he faced the “nuclear power” issue head-on and by the “power to capture the human” his works exude.
The packaging and handling of the works are excellent, and this is a gallery I can trust as a collector.
A wonderful connection.
8) Tokyo Independent @ Tokyo University of the Arts Chinretsukan Gallery
A daring exhibition project. If more of this kind of initiative spread, wouldn’t it be fun… on the other hand, when I think of the effort on the organizers’ side…
If there had been a donation box, I would definitely have wanted to leave something behind.
Great work, everyone involved.
9) Yukimasa Ida @ Ginza Tsutaya Books
I’ve been following this artist for a while, so seeing his growth makes me genuinely happy.
The last time I saw his work at a gallery deep in Gifu was in 2017.
Two years later, an exhibition right in the middle of Tokyo’s Ginza.
A solo show that made me feel his potential — he may become an even more distant figure from here.
10) “Vienna on the Path to Modernism: Klimt, Schiele” @ The National Art Center, Tokyo
The Klimt exhibition was good too, but I go with this one.
Klimt, Schiele, and Kokoschka all lined up together — an overwhelming lineup.
And Klimt’s sketches were surprisingly wonderful!
Wrap-up
The other day, when I visited an artist’s studio, I had the opportunity to hear “I read the BEST 10.”
As we talked more, it turned out the artist had rated the exhibitions I raved about just as highly. They even showed me a work with the exhibiting artist’s name in the title, and we had a great time.
The fact that people bring different interpretations and preferences is part of what makes art fun. And now, we head into the second half of 2019!
