Reinterpreting “Distance” in Coexistence with COVID-19, Japan Foundation Presenting Online Exhibition, March 30 to May 5

The Japan Foundation is holding an online exhibition, “11 Stories on Distanced Relationships: Contemporary Art from Japan,” from March 30 to May 5. Organized by the Japan Foundation, this emerged from the question of how people might go about building connections with the world adapted to reality with the coronavirus.

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106555/202103313118/_prw_PI1fl_aXMCigbn.jpg

The exhibition introduces the works of 11 Japanese and Japan-based contemporary artists, centered on new pieces commissioned on the theme of “translating distance.” Psychological or physical distances have never been easy to reach across, or reduce. Nowadays distance has emerged as something people must learn to live with. This exhibition has been created to deliver works that earnestly address this kind of distance--from Japan to people everywhere in the world.

The 11 participating artists are ARAKI Yu, HAN Ishu, IIYAMA Yuki, KOIZUMI Meiro, MOHRI Yuko, NOGUCHI Rika, OKUMURA Yuki, SATO Masaharu, SAWA Hiraki, YANAI Shino, and YOSHIDA Shinya. They take experimental approaches to explore the possibilities of online presentation with various media, including video, sound, animation, and livestreaming (*).

(*) An artwork by MOHRI Yuko will be livestreamed from 9:00 to 18:00 (JST) every day during the exhibition period.

NOGUCHI Rika, “Lucent Sea,” 2021, video (silent), 18'00". (C) Noguchi Rika:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106555/202103313118/_prw_PI2fl_6XfZKsT5.jpg

SATO Masaharu

“I touch Dream #1,” video (silent), 3'34", private collection. (C) Estate of Masaharu Sato: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106555/202103313118/_prw_PI3fl_U4KA0Xa6.jpg

“I want to be a wolf,” video(silent), private collection. (C) Estate of Masaharu Sato: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106555/202103313118/_prw_PI4fl_IHJ17514.jpg

NOTES TO EDITORS

Title: (Online Exhibition) 11 Stories on Distanced Relationships: Contemporary Art from Japan

Period: March 30-May 5, 2021

URL: https://11stories.jpf.go.jp/en/

Organizer: The Japan Foundation

Curators:

KIMURA Eriko, Curator, Yokohama Museum of Art and Curatorial Head of Yokohama Triennale 2020

KONDO Kenichi, Senior Curator, Mori Art Museum

MASUDA Tomohiro, Curator, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

NOMURA Shino, Senior Curator, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery

About the Japan Foundation:

The Japan Foundation is Japan's only institution dedicated to carrying out comprehensive international cultural exchange programs throughout the world. To cultivate friendship and ties between Japan and the world, the Japan Foundation creates global opportunities to foster friendship, trust, and mutual understanding through culture, language, and dialogue.

Publicity images can be obtained from:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hBfZ_DgDQLDiKKby8dg4mRpnUM6_lmeQ?usp=sharing