EXHIBITION
Exhibition
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MICHAËL BORREMANS MARK MANDERS: Double Silence
2020.9.19(Sat.) - 2021.2.28(Sun.)
Both Michaël Borremans and Mark Manders are known to the world for unique and unconventional expression grounded in the proud traditions of European art. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is now delighted to present “Double Silence,” an exhibition that will see the works of these two artists occupying the same space for the first time. The wave of globalization that gathered momentum from the end of the 20th century began in the west, and proceeded to wash up in various parts of the world, making an impact wherever it broke and simultaneously sucking up myriad things, material and otherwise, as well as people, to form a heaving swell that now covers the entire globe. What we refer to as “contemporary art” shares the same trajectory as this mighty torrent of people, things and ideas. Ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the subsequent multipolarization of art, the degree to which art possesses the unique qualities of particular regional cultures and histories has been in question. Thirty years on, the art world – caught between globalization and multipolarization – is beginning to reflect less on the importance of cultural differences grounded in locality, than on what our universal human values might actually be. There are a number of possible reasons for this shift, but it could simply be that in the modern world, where the dissemination of information at lightning speed has engendered a kind of global simultaneity, we are now noticing that exploration of universal values is not confined to any specific region. Moreover, COVID-19 has made introspection in the arts a global phenomenon. Following in the footsteps of a European art tradition that has explored universal human values over many centuries, Michaël Borremans and Mark Manders share their own such reflections with those of us inhabiting the same times. The paintings of Borremans, who mines Baroque tradition to portray the dark recesses of the human soul, and sculptures of Manders, with their striking pieces of bodies, created in accordance with the artist’s concept of “self-portrait as a building,” may employ different media, but both delve deeply into complex psychological states and relationships. In “Double Silence,” Borremans and Manders invite the viewer into a space and time in which the artists themselves engage in a dialogue through their works, as the title suggests, amid calm or silence. The word “double” means to be twice as much, twofold, but also has several other meanings, such as two together, distinctly different aspects (eg “dual personality”), and forming a pair. All of which makes the title of this exhibition eminently suitable for a show by two artists who are themselves far from straightforward. We hope you will take the opportunity to visit this exhibition of over eighty sympathetically curated works by two of the top artists in Europe today.
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Collection Exhibition: Scales
2020.10.17(Sat.) - 2021.5.9(Sun.)
When viewing an object or space, we often sense it to be smaller or larger than we thought. This occurs not simply because of the “size” of the object or space but because our perception arises, relatively, from our viewing position as well as our physical memory of a relationship with the object or space. This exhibition will look at “scale”—a variable based on our relationship with an object—as opposed to “size,” a measurable attribute. Works by the Museum’s collected artists will be displayed in seven galleries having different proportions. In every case, the world expressed by the work—that of landscape, void, resonant sound, personal memory, or the time of plants and inorganic objects—is difficult to measure and will appear different depending on our scale of measurement. This exhibition will give viewers occasion to ponder the varying scales we continually form with our senses. List of works
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SATOSHI MURAKAMI Living Migration
2020.10.17(Sat.) - 2021.3.7(Sun.)
Satoshi Murakami (b. 1988) graduated with a degree in architecture from the Musashino Art University in March 2011, the same month as the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the Tohoku region. The disaster prompted the artist to launch a project titled “Living Migration,” in which he walks around carrying on his back a house he made from styrofoam, changing location continuously. This he has done both in Japan and overseas. The project was sparked by questions Murakami had surrounding the loss of so many people’s homes to the quake and tsunami, the decline of communities after the disaster, and the fact that despite contracting to rent a house just prior to the quake, he and a group of friends were not immediately able to move in. Exploring an everyday existence in which we live to accumulate more money and possessions than we need, and the social conditions and reasons that differentiate public and private spaces, this project considers how the lifestyles of individuals impact on wider society. Joining Living Migration 2015.5–2018.9 acquired by the Museum in 2019, the exhibition will be the first-ever survey of Murakami’s “Living Migration” project in its entirety, from its launch on April 5, 2014 to the present day. The exhibition space, composed of diaries, drawings and photos detailing the people, landscapes and events Murakami met with while traveling with his portable dwelling, and a map showing the route taken by him, gives a sense of actually living the migration alongside the artist, and being right among his thoughts and dilemmas. During the exhibition, the latest work in Murakami’s “Advertising Sign House” project, based on the “Living Migration” project, will be installed in the Museum’s garden. We anticipate that these works employing unique methods to convey the doubt and unease the artist has sensed in society, and offering a place for discussion, will encourage us to confront what it means to live in Japanese society since the Tohoku quake, reawakening our own powers of thought around many related issues.
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Museum of the people, by the people, for the people
2020.7.18(Sat.) - 2021.3.21(Sun.)
In October 2019, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa celebrated its fifteenth anniversary. Located in the heart of the city of Kanazawa, over the past fifteen years the museum has pursued its activities with the goal, among others, of working with local citizens to create a participation-oriented museum that adds vitality to the community. Over time, people have perhaps grown less conscious of the presence of the museum than when it first appeared, looking so fresh and novel. The past fifteen years have also seen some dramatic changes in the museum’s setting, that is, in the city of Kanazawa. In particular, while the museum as a now-popular tourist spot attracts a large number of visitors from out of town and overseas, one suspects the pressure of this relentless tourist tide may have gradually detached it somewhat from the everyday lives of Kanazawa locals. Fifteen years on, this exhibition offers a fresh opportunity for “us” to think about “our museum.” How does a museum conceived with the aim of being created alongside citizens, and revitalizing the community, appear in the eyes of Kanazawa people today? And what vision do they expect it to paint for the future? This exhibition aims to address, from various angles, the idea of “our museum” now. “Museum of the people, by the people, for the people” will be the creation not of artists, but the voices of those same local people, and museum visitors, who take center stage at 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. A participatory exhibition, it will invite people to think about what the museum has been so far, and what it could be in the future, via interviews, and a series of seminars for Kanazawa residents. We hope it will encourage those who come to 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and those yet to make its acquaintance, to start thinking of it as “our museum,” and for the museum, for its part, to ponder its future direction by taking on board the views expressed via the exhibition.
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Aperto 13
TAKAHASHI Haruki Landscaping
10:00-18:00(until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
What do people think as they walk around a garden? Whether lingering in solitude, or enjoying the surroundings while chatting with a friend or loved one, a garden is generally a place for a change of mood. TAKAHASHI Haruki (b. 1971) creates garden-like settings in museum spaces. A devotion to making installations with a landscape or nature theme brought TAKAHASHI to the idea of the “enrin” as a way of creating a personal, individual connection between viewer and work, rather than shouting loudly at wider society. Enrin (yuanling) is a general term for Chinese gardens, whose structure offers encounters with a series of different landscapes as the viewer strolls around. Each landscape has its own philosophical element, making the garden a condensed version of different scenes from human existence. As a person walks around, their own life is mirrored in their heart, connecting them with the cosmos. The garden created in the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, will have water, mountain, light, and darkness. The numerous wild grasses are flora we live alongside. The translucent white porcelain is so fragile it may break on contact, but if handled carefully, will last forever in its current form. Landscapes both robust and fragile are sure to remind the viewer forcefully of the ephemeral nature of life, and the many memories that vanish, only to reappear. Enrin gardens use nature as their material, yet are by no means natural. They are “works” that reflect complex ideas, and are designed with the viewer in mind. TAKAHASHI will consciously move away from a Western art history context to create in the gallery space a garden that reflects the individual spirituality of all those who see it—part of his attempt to explore a more eastern approach to the idea of the installation.
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