The popular "Mari Mokkori" character from Hokkaido is still alive and well... Taking as a motif the famed natural souvenir "Marimo" that lives by Lake Akanko in Hokkaido, the Mokkori craze continues unabated throughout Japan, with sales of CDs and animation DVDs continuing to soar... This "Mari Mokkori" exhibition at Logos Gallery commemorates the popularity of this adorable character. -Mini live performance by the much talked-about elementary school "Cori Cori" unit May 5th (Mon, national holiday) Children's Day 1st session 13:30-, 2nd session 15:30- Venue: Part 1, in front of the main entrance

The 11th photography exhibition of art group MAYX.

Handmade clothes produced by RERE using organic cotton are on display.

The title "Toukon" roughly translates into "small but motivated soul." This exhibition features a variety of works that are tiny but surely light up your heart. All the works are smaller than the size of a matchbox.

Natsunori Nakanishi (1935-) continues to question what painting means to us today. His work is highly acclaimed for its splendid brush strokes that attempt to materialize the qualities of light. This exhibition introduces the beauty of Nakanishi's work, presenting his recent paintings and drawings for the first time in public. -Lecture "A Place for a Painting, Works by Natsunori Nakanishi" April 19th (Sat) 14:00 Lecturer: Shuji Takashina (critic/ director of Ohara Art Museum) -Gallery Talk April 12th (Sat), April 23rd (Wed), May 16th (Fri), from 14:00 [Image: "Back, White Edge VI" Detail (2007)]

-Opening Reception Date & Time: May 7th (Wed) 17:00-19:30

Kang has been producing "Lighting Book" since 1999, using it for an installation called the "Digital Book Project". The "Lighting Book-Crossroads of Knowledge" show is currently underway at the Nanyodo Architecture Bookshop. Copies of the book have been scattered throughout the shelves of a real bookstore, becoming a sort of light of knowledge that radiates off the shelves. His solo show at Clear Gallery entitled "One Life, Some Books" showcases idealized visions of fantasy libraries using "Lighting Books" and silver prints. An artists talk with Kang is also planned on April 26th on the relationship between art, architecture and words. Opening reception: April 4th (Fri), 17:00-20:00 Talk event "Art, Architecture, Words" Date and time: April 26th (Sat), 15:00-16:30 (doors open 14:30) Speakers: Airan Kang (artist), Sotaro Yamamoto (architect) Moderator: Mayumi Matsubara (director, Clear Gallery) Reservations and inquiries: 03-5485-8461 contact@cleargallery.jp

-Let's Try! Let's Make! Various types of craft projects are available for children at Zokei Studio (3rd floor). Please check their calendar to find out what kind of projects they have. Programs change every two or three weeks. "Karakuri" (trick) is the overall theme until the end of August 2008. Tuesday - Friday: 12:30-17:30, Weekend/ Holiday: 10:00-17:30 -Origami Playground Origami workshop for children presented by a volunteer staff of Kodomo no Shiro. Thursday: 14:30-15:30 3F Play Hall -Tracing Art Movements of body while doing sports, cooking, cleaning, etc. Using a tablet to trace a picture, this computer workshop presents how to capture different poses. May 13th - June 8th: open anytime on weekends and holidays/ weekdays 14:00-, reception closes at 17:00 10F Computer Room They have many other programs for children at Kodomo no Shiro. Please visit their website for more information.

[Image: Digital C-print, video]

From the museum's Japanese painting collection, approximately 30 works by the representative modern Japanese painters will be on display. -Children Art Lecture "The World of Modern Japanese Paintings" Date & Time: June 8th (Sun) 14:00-15:00 (Doors close at 13:30) Location: Gotoh Museum Auditorium (50 seats in order of arrival) Fee: Free This event is intended for junior high and elementary school students only.

Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya will present a collection of works produced by artists-in-residence Matthias Schaller and Stephen Dean as the culmination of the TWS Aoyama: Creators-in-Residence program this spring. Schaller and Dean were invited to Tokyo as part of TWS's Invited Artists Program on the recommendations of international creators and curators. For this exhibition Schaller, endorsed by curator and art critic Germano Celant, will present one of his latest series, Purple Desks (2004-2007), which shows the Cardinal's office in the Roman Curia of the Vatican. Dean, endorsed by artist Vik Muniz, will present miniature videos of crowds and watercolors realized during his residency. Concurrently, TWS will hold the series exhibition "TEAM" (Tokyo Wonder Site Emerging Artists on Mezzanine). This time, Toshihiro Yashiro was selected to show his new works, "Kaitenkai" and "Time Traveler". -Opening Reception Date & Time: 4/12 (Sat) 18:00-20:00 Admission free (reservation not required) -Gallery Talk Matthias Schaller, Stephen Dean and Toshihiro Yashiro will explain their concepts and artistic processes in person while standing in front of their works at the site. With Japanese-English interpretation. Date & Time: April 13th (Sun) 16:00-17:00 Admission free (reservation not required) [Image: Matthias Schaller "Purple Desks Series: Vatican Secret Archives" (2004-2007) Photograph]

There is perhaps no more appropriate moniker for creator Tadanori Yokoo than "the king of adventure." He launched a successful career as a graphic designer in the 60s and the 70s, and later "retired" from commerical work during the 80s, turning instead to a late second career as a painter. Recently, he has also devoted himself to writing. A number of exhibitions have previously featured his work, but not many of them have focused on his "adventurous" side. This retrospective exhibition includes a total of 700 works, ranging from his graphic design period from the 60s, to his most recent works, shedding valuable light on his dramatic and varied career trajectory. Related Events: -April 26th (Sat) Opening Event: Outdoor Live Performance "From Pascals to the King of Adventure" -April 27th (Sun) Discussion 1: Tadanori Yokoo x Tadayasu Sakai -May 4th (Sun) Discussion 2: Tadanori Yokoo x Hiroshi Aramata -June 1st (Sun) Discussion 3: Tadanori Yokoo x Shohei Nakajo *Please check the website for more details. [Image: "Jules Verne's Ocean" (2006) Acrylic on canvas 227.3 x 181.3cm]

Because porcelain firing originated at the hands of Korean ceramicists, early Imari ware was produced using Korean porcelain-making techniques. However, it was the cobalt blue and white porcelain from China's Jingdezhen kilns that was in demand in Japan at the time. The gosu needed for sometsuke was imported mainly from China, and although much of early Imari ware was decorated with Chinese-style designs featuring dragons, phoenixes and motifs from ink paintings, as well as geometric patterns copied from shonzui (Ming-dynasty cobalt blue and white) ware, these latter renditions differed from the perfectly executed designs seen on Chinese porcelain; they had a certain free-spirited and serene quality that was distinct from their predecessors. This exhibition presents a body of work from the pioneering days of Imari-yaki that reveals its Korean and Chinese influences, its distinctively Japanese characteristics, its transformations accompanying advances in porcelain-making techniques, as well as its historical context. [Image: "Mizusashi, decorated with pine tree, bamboo and plum design in underglaze blue" (Edo period, Early 17th century) Imari ware Height: 13.8cm Diameter of mouth: 20.1×17.3cm]

This exhibition is organized to commemorate the worldwide premiere of the "Chronicles of Narnia: The Caspian King's Hunting Horn". The movie features rising Hollywood star Ben Burns as the Caspian King, a good-looker with the dignity and charisma needed to play a royal, as well, earning him legions of female fans around the world. This exhibition features the costumes and props used on the set during filming, as well as storyboards, sketch panels and images.

Exhibiting the artist's work on the theme of "Custom 'em All".

Photographer Jiro Omura went around the world taking photographs of the different varieties of coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco consumed by locals. Over 130 works are on display.

The Drunk Salaryman Photo Exhibition! Live music by Douglas Lee from China, DJ's Touch of Pink, Crustacean, Miki, and Photo Exhibition of Drunk Salaryman by Scott Larson. Free entry, and wear a tie around your head for a free glass of wine!