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EXHIBITION

HIROMURA Masaaki Junglin’ in Kanazawa Indistinct Landscapes

2015.11.21 (Sat.) -
2016.5.8 (Sun.)

HIROMURA Masaaki Junglin’ in Kanazawa Indistinct Landscapes

Information

Period :
2015.11.21 (Sat.) - 2016.5.8 (Sun.)
Venue :
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Closed:
Mondays, Nov 24, Dec 29 to Jan 1, Jan 12, Mar 22 (Open on Nov 23, Jan 11, Mar 21)
Admission:
Free
For More Information:
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Phone: +81-76-220-2800
Facsimile: +81-76-220-2802
E-Mail: info@kanazawa21.jp

About the Exhibition

“Beauty” and “contemplation” are qualities that design implies and they both offer ideas in solving various problems. Now the role of design is expanding together with the field of design itself. The future becomes visible by looking at the essence of things from the periphery¬—the designer Masaaki Hiromura reinterprets the landscape of Kanazawa through design thinking.
“Junglin’” is a series of video installations which originally began in 2010. This year, we present “Junglin’ in Kanazawa/Indistinct Landscapes”. A familiar scene can be easily obscured into an unexpected image by a slight shift of perspective. What appears in front of you is a fresh form, transporting you away from conventional symbols of everyday life to a somewhat primitive perception of your surrounding. How do we usually perceive landscapes and what is overlooked?

What is “Junglin’”?

“Junglin’” is a coined word combining the Japanese jun-guri (“in sequence”) with the progressive suffix, “ing.” When we display actions and scenes normally overlooked in our repetitious daily routine from a different perspective, we notice new things. Past exhibitions include Masaaki Hiromura solo exhibition “Junglin’ (2011) at SEIBU GALLERY and Masaaki Hiromura solo exhibition “Junglin’ 2” (2014) at Axis Gallery.

Artist Profile

HIROMURA Masaaki

Born in Aichi prefecture in 1954. Along with his primary focus on graphic design, has undertaken numerous signage systems for commercial facilities and art museums, and many projects of CI / VI development. Major projects include the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), Yokosuka Museum of Art, 9h ninehours, Sumida Aquarium, ABENO HARUKAS, Sogo & Seibu, and LOFT. Major awards include the Mainichi Design Award, KU/KAN Award, SDA Award, and Good Design Award (Gold Prize). On the occasion of this exhibition, a collection of recent works, From Design to Design (ADP), will be published.

Artist Statement

Every morning on awakening, I slowly stretch my legs and feet and then climb out of bed. Without fail, I start brushing from my upper left teeth, and I always put on my right shoe first. When I stop and look at my daily routine, I realize that I am repeating the same actions every day without really being aware of it. People find a comfortable pattern of actions for their routine each day, and following this routine helps them reduce their stress.
What happens, then, when we step back from that pattern to see it from a slightly different perspective? This experiment will reveal unexpected discoveries. A designer’s work is to discover new perceptions within the unconscious, sequential flow of daily life and society. Our unconscious actions also have meaning. Or rather, by giving meaning to meaningless actions, I want to show how new value can be born.

Artwork “O-bo-ro-ge”Indistinct Landscapes process of production (September 5-7, 2015)

Kenroku-en

At 7am when the park opens, many tour buses arrive and great numbers of people stream into the park. Although quite large, the park becomes filled with tourists on holidays, and the park and the tourists merge to create a single landscape. When we consciously observe the contrast between the rich beauty of the lush, many-layered greenery and the tourists moving slowly before it, a different face of Kenroku-en appears.

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

People walk in a leisurely way around the museum along its outer wall. Enjoying contact with the artworks outside, they sit on the grass and talk. We can think of this as a new flow of people appearing in Kanazawa due to the museum’s contemporary art theme and its building’s distinctive round design. From this perspective, we glimpse how this world-renowned art museum has become a Kanazawa landscape.

Higashi Chaya District

When rains falls in the Higashi Chaya district, the buildings and ground darken in color and the district takes on even greater beauty. Through this traditional landscape, people pass carrying colorful umbrellas. The old townscapes and the brightly colored umbrellas look like a mismatch at first, but along with the falling rain and the streetlights that glow in the evening, they strangely blend in harmony and become symbolic of the Higashi Chaya district’s contemporary character.

Images

    glasses 2014 ©HDO

    shopping bag 2011 ©HDO

    book clock 2014 ©HDO

Organizers

Organized by:
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Kanazawa Art Promotion and Development Foundation) / Hiromura Design Office
Sponsored by:
Sogo & Seibu Co.,Ltd. / THE LOFT Co.,Ltd.
Supported by:
AT-AROMA Co.,Ltd / amana Co.,Ltd / SuperFactory / Tokushu Tokai Paper Co.,Ltd / Nakagawa Chemical Co.,Ltd / YAMADA PHOTO PROCESS Co.,Ltd