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State of the fine art

Exploring Roppongi and Tennozu, two of Tokyo's artsiest neighbourhoods

We know it's hard to believe, but Roppongi, Tokyo'southward glitzy underbelly of pricey booze, sleazy clubs and boutique shopping, lives a double life as the metropolis's art hub. The capital's most famous entertainment commune, once known as 'High Touch Town', prides itself on an impressive array of pocket-sized galleries and large museums – the cultural legacy of gentrification efforts over the terminal decade.

Further southeast, Tennozu Island is no stranger to the art, or bamboozlement, of transformation from the bottom up either. In fact, the artificial island was literally dredged up from the depths of Tokyo Bay during the 1920s and '30s. Recently, extensive waterfront planning has seen the hitherto quiet warehouse district re-sally equally a exist-muraled town dotted with canalside cafés, high-ascension office buildings, hip hotels and art galleries.

Roppongi

This year, Roppongi'due south art cred was raised to new heights with the opening of the Complex665 building (6-five-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku), which houses a trifecta of influential galleries: Tomio Koyama, ShugoArts and Taka Ishii. The edifice sits on a residential back street tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Roppongi, but is difficult to miss thanks to what appears to be a squiggle painted on its side. This symbol is the logo designed for Complex665 by artist Yoshihisa Tanaka, who imagined how a 'fictional creative person named 665 might sign their own work'.

A major player in Tokyo's contemporary art scene, Tomio Koyama Gallery moved into the 2nd floor of the building from their previous location in Sendagaya, employing young architects Toru Murayama and Ayako Kato to design their new two-room exhibition infinite. They represent an impressive roster of artists in Japan, including wunderkind photographer Ryan McGinley, American mail-minimalist Richard Tuttle and Yoko Ono.

Likewise on the second flooring is ShugoArts, who have championed the advanced of Japanese art since the mid-'80s. Their gallery was designed past builder Jun Aoki, likewise responsible for facelifting the façade of the Louis Vuitton edifice in Ginza. Dissimilar their flatmates, ShugoArts keep the shop open on Sundays.

Calling dibs on the tiptop bunk are Taka Ishii Gallery, who represent heavy-hitters like Elmgreen & Dragset, Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama and Thomas Demand. Piece of furniture and interior design gurus Broadbean, whose offices occupy the ground floor, were enlisted to pattern the sleek gallery infinite on the third flooring, which wonderfully feeds off natural light coming in from the constitute terrace.

If you've enjoyed killing a whole flock of birds with 1 rock, then head over to the Piramide Edifice (half-dozen-6-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku), which is another peachy example of the tried-and-tested 'power in numbers' model of art collectives. Leading galleries Ota Fine Arts and Wako Works of Art are amongst its famous tenants.

Rising in a higher place the rest both in superlative and, arguably, in might, the 238-metre Roppongi Hills Mori Tower is home to the Mori Fine art Museum, which holds some of Tokyo's most aggressive and influential exhibitions. A retrospective dedicated to the Indian artist Due north S Harsha will be unveiled in February 2017.

The abstraction of style (and fragrance) designer Issey Miyake and beau design greats Taku Satoh and Naoto Fukasawa, 21_21 Blueprint Sight more than than underscores Roppongi'due south part every bit the focal point of Tokyo'due south art scene. The mutual focus of their ever-changing lineup of exhibitions is interdisciplinary design.

The National Fine art Center (NACT), designed past Kisho Kurokawa of Nakagin Sheathing Tower fame, boasts the largest exhibition space of whatever museum in Japan. Unlike nearly of its counterparts, NACT is an 'empty museum', which means information technology does not have a permanent drove, instead choosing to committee i-off exhibitions – their Monet show was the second virtually visited exhibition in the earth in 2007.

Located in Tokyo Midtown and designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma, the Suntory Museum of Fine art possesses the biggest drove of Japanese arts and crafts in the land, comprised of a whopping 3,000-plus objects. Their tea ceremonies, staged on the sixth floor every 2nd Thursday, are a must exercise.

And for the 'Peanuts' fans out there, Roppongi has a Snoopy Museum, showcasing Charles M Schulz'southward original drawings and art for the dearest series. A number of the cartoonist'southward early works, vintage collectibles and other materials are as well on display.

Tennozu Isle

Backed by the Terrada warehouse visitor, which does far more than just stock Tokyoites' leftover belongings, Tennozu's new Archi-Depot museum displays a whopping 116 architectural models by Japanese starchitects, including works past Kengo Kuma, Shigeru Ban and Riken Yamamoto. While the exhibition warehouse isn't exactly a sight to behold, the architectural models – depicting both real buildings and unrealised projects – gleam like miniature cabinets of curiosities. Afterward paying a visit to Archi-Depot, y'all're sure to walk abroad with a renewed appreciation for Tokyo's beautiful buildings, frequently overlooked in the relentless hustle and bustle of our dear city.

Just a stone'due south throw away from Archi-Depot lies the striking art supplies 'laboratory' Pigment, designed by Kuma and inspired by the expect and feel of bamboo. It stocks more than than four,500 colour pigments, l kinds of fauna glues, and a number of top-quality traditional painting tools including over 200 antique ink sticks. The staff are all well-versed in the intricacies of the products and are happy to show y'all how to utilize them.

Taking a cue from their comrades over in Roppongi, 4 gimmicky art galleries recently decided to nestle against each other on the third flooring of the Terrada Fine art Complex. The quartet is comprised of Kodama Gallery, who are getting ready for a solo bear witness past Japanese artist Gaëtan Kubo opening Jan xiv; Urano, representing domestic talents such as Takahiro Iwasaki, who will be flying the flag for Japan at the 2017 Venice Biennale; Yamamoto Gendai, who count the legendary luminary Richard Serra amid their artists; and Yuka Tsuruno Gallery, known for their collaborations with renowned artists Candida Höfer and José Parlá. Lest you forget your surrounds, the galleries are located inside a fully operating warehouse and are only accessible past a service elevator.

As the erstwhile and current residents of neighbourhoods similar London's Shoreditch and New York's Brooklyn will tell yous, gentrification is a double-edged sword that tears through the old to brand way for the new. Whichever side of the third wave café/local caff carve up you're on, the number and density of fine art galleries is often a good litmus test for how far a neighbourhood has come downwards the line. Less than half an 60 minutes apart, Roppongi and Tennozu Isle offer two different cases to study for those interested in the sociocultural furnishings of Tokyo's urban planning. Or you could just look at the art.

Terrada's chief warehouse (ii-6-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku) is holding an exhibition on David Bowie from January 8 to Apr 9 – be sure to get your tickets in advance.

Find more than galleries in Roppongi

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Source: https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/art/state-of-the-art

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