Period:
2025.12.13(Sat.) - 2026.3.1(Sun.)
2025.12.13(Sat.) - 2026.3.1(Sun.)
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Gallery 13
Mondays (except January 12, February 23), December 30 - January 1, January 13, February 24
The Art for the Noto Peninsula exhibition is an initiative born from a desire to stand alongside and support the recovery of those affected by the Noto earthquake in January 2024, as well as the torrential rain disaster in the Oku-Noto region in September that same year.
A total of 86 cultural assets, including 3 National Treasures, 20 Important Cultural Properties, and 1 Important Art Object, owned by 30 cultural institutions and individuals primarily based in Tokyo, will be showcased at three venues in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Each piece is accompanied by a message of hope for recovery from its owner.
The exhibition at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, which opened on November 15 (and runs until December 21), features iconic pieces from the Tokyo National Museum, such as the National Treasure Autumn and Winter Landscapes and the Important Cultural Properties Lakeside and Beauty Looking Back, as well as works with a connection to Noto, such as Horse Training by Hasegawa Tōhaku, a painter from Nanao active during the Momoyama period. In addition, 43 works (including 2 National Treasures, 14 Important Cultural Properties, and 1 Important Art Object) selected by participating cultural and other institutions that are offering their heartfelt support to the reconstruction effort will be on display.
The showcase at the National Crafts Museum, opening on December 9, will feature renowned archaeological works like the Important Cultural Property Clay Figurine (Dogū) (collection of Tokyo National Museum), National Treasure Akikusamontsubo(Jar with autumnal flowers and grasses design)(collection of Keio University), to celadon bowls from the official kilns of China's Southern Song Dynasty, and a bamboo openwork tea set made in Sèvres, France (collection of Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum,Tokyo). These 28 works (including 1 National Treasure and 6 Important Cultural Properties) have been a part of human lives throughout their history in various cultures across the world, sometimes becoming objects of aspiration.
Opening December 13 at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is an exhibition that features Western masterpieces such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Woman with Rose (collection of National Museum of Western Art,Tokyo : donated by Umehara Ryuzaburō) and graphic works from Wolf Children by Hosoda Mamoru (Studio Chizu), who spent his student years in Kanazawa, alongside Unemi-chan the seagull with cat ears by artist Inoue Ryo, which he created after visiting Noto for research.
These cultural treasures, carefully preserved and passed down through centuries, were often created in the fervent hope for peace of mind for the inhabitants of a Japan constantly being struck by natural disasters. In order to convey these sentiments to those who were affected by these disasters, each venue will also present messages of encouragement from the some thirty institutions that loaned works, alongside the art itself.
List of Works (pdf)
Having once studied in Ishikawa Prefecture, I would like to offer my heartfelt encouragement and support to all of you who have persevered so diligently in Noto. I have nothing but the deepest respect for the strength you have shown in overcoming times that were never easy, two years after the disaster. I would imagine that, just as dazzling light shines through the gaps in heavy clouds, a bright future filled with smiles surely lies ahead. It is my sincere hope that Noto will be illuminated by light that leads the way to a new future.
(Hosoda Mamoru)
As a graduate of Kanazawa College of Art, I had the opportunity to participate in this exhibition. Having lived in Ishikawa Prefecture for four years, I can imagine the immense hardship of experiencing a disaster in this region. While “recovery support” encompasses a diverse range of activities, I believe the first step is to imagine the local situation in a variety of ways. As an artist who creates music and animation, I decided to make an animated work that envisions the local scene using sound. I made three trips to Noto to record sounds that can be heard locally, used these recordings to create a story and song, and completed them in the form of an animated work (and its making-of footage). The sounds I heard in Noto included the demolition sounds of buildings that have been audible since 2024, as well as the sounds of meals being prepared that have likely remained unchanged for generations. While the scope of my “recovery support” reaches a peak with the creation of this work, I intend to continue to pursue it slowly from here on.
(Inoue Ryo)
You can also view messages from other exhibitors at the venue.
Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, National Crafts Museum, Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa City, Tokyo National Museum