MOON Kyungwon and JEON Joonho: News from Nowhere

2022.5.3(Tue.) - 2022.9.4(Sun.)

Since leading contemporary Korean artist unit Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho was formed in 2009, they have developed their project “News from Nowhere”(the title of which was inspired by William Morris’ novel), which asks the question, “what are the social functions and roles of art in the contemporary world?” At the same time, they have also been advocating for practical platforms for collaboration through dialogue and the exchange of ideas with professionals in various fields. Based on this approach, Moon and Jeon identify various issues in contemporary society, extracting the issues facing contemporary society and posing messages for us who live in the present to ponder through their works. Today, we are forced to recognize that the calamities that have afflicted mankind since ancient times, such as epidemics and wars, continue to exist as powerful threats. In this unsettled time, their works enable the audience to appreciate how Moon and Jeon, as artists living in the present, perceive a world fraught with threats, distortions, contradictions, and oppression, and what kind of change they are aiming for. Each of the works exhibited in the architectural space of the museum stands alone while being somehow interconnected, creating a multilayered world of artworks. We hope you will enjoy their first large-scale solo exhibition in Japan.

Kacchu Anatomy: The aesthetics of design and engineering

2022.5.3(Tue.) - 2022.7.10(Sun.)

From the Sengoku through Edo periods, Japanese armor “Kacchu” developed and evolved as a symbol of a samurai’s pride and strength in battle in a unique way. This development occurred in terms of both the aesthetic that deployed these craft skills and innovative designs seen in lacquering, metalwork, and braiding, as well as the functionality and engineering of these items as protective gear. These fascinating aspects will be exhibited in a space designed by contemporary artists. Through a video installation by Rhizomatiks, which digitally analyzes the details and structure of these items, and the spatial design by Nile Koetting, which connects armor to the reality of the modern human body in a flexible way, armor “Kacchu” begins to speak to us in the present tense.

A collaborative exhibition of works from the collection of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa and the National Crafts Museum

Forms of Hitogata

2022.7.23(Sat.) - 2022.9.11(Sun.)

Hitogata is a three-dimensional art depicting the human form that has long existed in Japan since ancient times. This figure, which is a rich reflection of its creator’s thoughts and feelings, has been regarded as a “doll” in the field of craft and as a “sculpture” in the domain of fine art. Today, however, a new world is being created through the artistic expression of the human body in a variety of ways that transcend the boundaries of any single field. This exhibition introduces forms of hitogata by contemporary artists from the collections of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa and the National Crafts Museum, and explores their newness.

Special Exhibition : Olafur Eliasson

2022.7.23(Sat.) - 2022.9.11(Sun.)

The exploration of the center of the sun emerges from Olafur Eliasson’s interest in ecology and renewable energy. The work consists of a glass-covered polyhedron and a photovoltaic unit (solar panels and storage batteries), immersing the viewer in the world of the work through its glittering polarizing filters. These movements of light, which trace the relationship between the sun and the planets, make up Eliasson’s fascinating installation that proposes how a stable and sustainable world through art might be realized.

Collection Exhibition 1 Vessels

2022.5.21(Sat.) - 2022.10.16(Sun.)

This exhibition will focus on the theme of utsuwa (vessels) in contemporary art, drawing mainly on works from the museum’s collection including those newly acquired in fiscal 2021. The word utsuwa has a wide range of implications, from containers with specific functions, to utensils of various kinds, to people’s tolerance and generosity, indicating the importance of the concept in both practical and conceptual terms. Looking back over the history of vessels, Japan’s prehistoric Jōmon pottery was highly prized especially in collective living environments such as villages, and was used for everyday purposes such as storing gathered nuts, plants, and animals and cooking food. At the same time, many of these pieces of pottery feature vibrant ornamentation and patterns that seem to represent the ancient rhythms of life, and they are recognized not only for their practicality but also for their extraordinary decorative qualities. It is easy to see that vessels, which have served people in daily life and religious faith since ancient times, have played vital roles in connecting the human and the natural world, both as everyday items and as sacred implements indispensable for rituals and ceremonies. The human body, too, is sometimes referred to as the vessel of the soul, based on the idea that in the cycle of reincarnation, the soul endures and is repeatedly transferred into a new body-as-vessel with each rebirth. If we think of the body as a vessel, we can see an image of the soul residing in that vessel connecting with the natural world and the realm of the sacred through the body’s five senses, and the body as the vehicle for sensations that awaken memories from long ago. By examining utsuwa, so central to our lives, from various angles, this exhibition seeks to provide an opportunity to ponder their meaning and value.

Special Exhibition : Matthew Barney

2022.5.21(Sat.) - 2022.9.11(Sun.)

Matthew Barney is one of the world’s leading artists, embodying the 21st century with his endeavors to fuse physical and virtual-data sensation through intimately related sculpture and film practices. He has fascinated the contemporary art world since the 1980s with sculptures, films, performances, and works that integrate these media. This exhibition primarily focuses on Drawing Restraint 9, the ninth work in the Drawing Restraint series which Barney launched in the late 1980s and which consists of films, drawings, and sculptures, along with related works that introduce the narrative, motifs, and characters of the series. As a new installment in the Drawing Restraint series, Drawing Restraint 9 had its world premiere at Barney’s first major solo exhibition in Japan, held at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in 2005. The work, which conveys Japanese cultural themes from whaling to the tea ceremony, unfolds in a variety of media including film, sculptural installation, and photography. Shot mainly in Japan, the film presents a distinct visual interpretation of Japanese culture. Icelandic musician Björk composed music for the film and the exhibition installation, and subsequent international tour. As the title suggests, Drawing Restraint constrains the body during the act of drawing, and grapples with the unpredictable markmaking and forms that emerge from such restraints. Even 17 years after its release, the message contained in the work, which addresses issues of the human body and the world around it, the activity inside and outside the body, resonates as powerfully as ever with viewers today.