The guest for this TAB talk is Tomoki Sakuda, founder of the non-profit organization Arts and Law. Since founding the organization in 2004, Sakuda has helped to tackle the particular problems faced by artists and creators working both individually and as part of a group. As he explains, "laws should not impose limitations on creativity, but ought instead to facilitate it." Sakuda will conduct a workshop session on the rights and regulations provided for under the law that ought to be mandatory knowledge for all artists and creators hoping to pursue their craft freely. Taking real-life examples from the cases that Arts and Law has thus far handled - such as tensions between collaborating artists, and the repeat use of characters from product designs - this talk hopes to dispel some of the myths surrounding laws affecting the production of creative work, and consequently to foster free expression in as wide a domain of creative fields as possible. Case 1: Running an auction house. Artist has requested that images of the artwork not be freely used. What would be the appropriate path to take? Case 2: A work that you produced was initially undertaken without a contract, but suddenly becomes a hit, and gets used and reproduced in images. What about royalties owed to you? Case 3: A scenario you came up with gets turned into a performance, but you are not credited. Case 4: Photos of your own work get taken and included on a flyer, which also contains copied images of other artists' work. What sort of problems could this lead to? Case 5: Is there a way to assert one's copyright over a work without spending money to do so? Everyone is invited to attend this talk and to consider these thorny issues together. Was Andy Warhol's "Campbell Soup" series an imitation, a homage or a (stolen) inspiration? We hope artists and designers, as well as those interested in arts management, will take this opportunity to scrutinize the more minute, legal details of their profession. Right after, we'll have a short segment called The 30-second Pitch. Five members of the audience will be invited to introduce themselves to the audience, promote a recent project, or announce a new product, website or company in under 30 seconds. If interested, please give your name and contact info at the reception table. Then for another hour, we'll have drinks, chatting, and networking among guests and audience. Light meal is also available. TAB Talks are bilingual Japanese-English and start at 8:30pm, late enough for overworked designers like us. Drinks are available at the venue. Limited seating of 90, come early.

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

Seiko Omori presents her two dimensional works combining illustrations that she used to use for women's magazine works and images of flowers and plants. Small craft items are also on display. Opening Party: May 9th (Fri) 18:00-20:00

-"Food Art Life" Workshops May 12th (Mon): Mixed Media by Marion Zoboski May 14th (Wed): Calligraphy & Doodling by Joei Lau May 15th (Thu): Creative Writing by Lauren Shannon May 16th (Fri): Journal making by Yuiko Akutsu Time: 10:00-12:30 Fee: RBD/VJ club members ¥4000/session (includes cost of materials), Non-members ¥6000/session (includes cost of materials) -Potluck Party Date & Time: May 17th (Sat) 11:00-14:00

Asa no Kai Ningyocho exhibition made up mainly of artists from the painting department of Asagaya Art College. Opening Party: May 12th (Mon) 17:00

The human figures depicted in the works of Tai Ogawa are far from what we could conceivably call human beings - rather, they are mere motifs that are often imbued with animalistic qualities. The use of vivid colors in these images of "human beings" emphasizes their monstrous quality, suggesting the cruel, possibly barbaric side of humanity. Ogawa renders abnormality into visible form, undermining what could be behind what we see, and how we appear. This is Ogawa's first solo exhibition at this gallery, presenting a series of works consisting of cutout faces. Opening Party: April 5th from 20:00

Second Bunako exhibition, featuring popular tableware series, in addition to footbath buckets and kitchen accessories. These will be on display and for sale. In addition, the Yauatcha Tea Set, designed by Shin Azumi, which was awarded the Homes and Gardens Classic Design Award (UK), as well as selected to be part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's permanent collection, will be on display. Reception party: May 9th 19:00-21:00

Curated by anthropologist Tomo Nakajima, this exhibition features three artists who were thrown the challenge of considering what sort of trace artworks leave behind them. What sort of response did the artists emerge with? Reception: May 17th (Sat) 18:00-20:00

This is the first solo exhibition in Japan by Elisabeth Kopf, an illustrious Austrian graphic designer based in Vienna. She was selected to become a member of the prestigious AGI (International Association of Graphic Designers) in 2006. Kopf works with visual concepts that have been refined and manipulated in order to take into account the potential responses the work will arouse in the viewer. Her work is also possessed of a generous vision and full of emotional affect, reflecting her belief in the power of communication to connect people. In order to help kick her own smoking habit, she started the "Air Cigarette" series of works in 2002 as an art project. This is the Tokyo version of that project, showcasing a total of 6 related works. Opening reception: April 24th (Thu) 19:00-21:00

"Ach so" is one of the few expressions in both Japanese and German that are used in both languages to express surprise. Germans say "ach so!" when they unexpectedly learn something new, while Japanese say "ah so" when surprised at something they had not previously known. Same expression, similar situation, two different cultures. Contemporary art aims at the realization of something new, folded into a new experience or sensation, expressed through a novel medium. This is why the artists chose this title for this exhibition. They hope many visitors to the exhibition will find some sense of wonder and surprise, filling the venue space with a chorus of "ach so" and "ah, so!" Opening Party: May 10th (Sat) 17:00-19:00

Opening Reception: April 17th (Thurs) 18:00-20:00 The artist will be present at the opening.

Taka Ishii Gallery is pleased to announce Naoya Hatakeyama's 4th solo exhibition. This exhibition presents approximately 15 photographs from Hatakeyama's recent "Ciel Tombé" series, photographed in Paris, 2007. In Europe, there are cities that quarried stones directly below an urban area to construct the city itself. Among such cities, Paris was exceptional for undergoing digging on a massive scale. Due to continuous digging from the Middle Ages to modern times, Paris's underground is full of holes to such an extent as to be comparable to Gruyere cheese. In fact, catacombs (underground cemeteries), photographed by Nadar in the 19th century and now famous as tourist spots, were created by using portions of the old quarries. Hatakeyama, who once wrote in his book "Lime Works" that "Mines and cities are like the negative and positive of a single photograph", noticed that similar structures unfolded vertically in modern Paris and visited the remains of several underground quarries (mostly made of limestone) with the cooperation of Inspection Générale des Carriéres. "Ciel Tombé" is a term referring to a situation in which the ceilings of the subterranean quarry remains have tumbled down. (A direct translation is "fallen sky".) As abandoning these sites would eventually have harmful effects on construction above ground, thorough consolidation work was conducted by the Inspectorate during the 20th century. Yet some Ciel Tombés were left abandoned in a former quarry called "la Brasserie" that lies 17 meters below the Bois (Forest) de Vincennes that lies at the eastern end of Paris, because only forest - no buildings - existed above ground. No one knows exactly when the "sky fell down". Opening reception: April 30, Wed, 18:00-20:00

Gallery Strenger is delighted to present a special sculpture exhibition featuring the acclaimed Belgian artist, Myriam Eykens. This will be her first solo exhibition in Japan and will feature a recent series of representative work - female figures made of terracotta delicately colored with natural pigments and bronze, with a fair skin texture. Eykens' figures have peaceful and somehow extraordinary expressions, depicted in their graceful postures and their mellow, curvaceous bodies. The airy texture of the terracotta and the smooth surface of the bronze give them a timeless and serene appearance. The Belgian art critic Stephane Rey wrote that Eykens was an artist who had a rare and exquisite expression suffused with a calm and soft aura, as well as a dignified graciousness, marking her work as blissfully free from current fashions in art. Gallery Strenger opened last September with a four-artist exhibition which included Eykens, and is delighted to present her first solo show this time around. Vernissage: April 17th (Thu) 19:00-21:00

Opening Reception: May 12th (Mon) 17:00-19:00 [Image: "Planet with V-shaped Steel Tower" (2006) Acrylic on canvas 60 × 72.7cm ]

Opening Thursday, April 10, 2008, Wako Works of Art is very pleased to present a new solo exhibition by Wolfgang Tillmans. This will be his fourth exhibition at Wako Works of Art. Born in Germany in 1968 and based in London since 1996, Tillmans first emerged as an influential artist of his generation through his photographs featured in magazines such as i-D, Interview and The Face, and later from his exploration of the photographic medium in the traditional genres of representation, and his meticulously thought-out wall and tabletop installations and artist's books. In addition to his portraits, landscapes, still lifes and nudes, his wide-ranging subjects also include astronomical images from everyday scenes and abstract works utilizing photogram techniques. This exhibition will present the artist's latest three-dimensional "Lighter" series, large-scale photocopy prints and other new works that reveal the artist's pursuit of new possibilities in photographic expression. Wolfgang Tillmans was awarded the Turner Prize in 2000. The artist has shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions and his works are in public and private collections worldwide. He recently was the subject of a large-scale solo exhibition which traveled from Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; and Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City, Mexico. He has been selected for this year's Carnegie International and his work will be included in Mori Art Museum's "History in the Making: A Retrospective of the Turner Prize" opening April 25, 2008. His latest artist book "Wako Book 4" (edition of 1500) will be released in conjunction with this exhibition. Please join us for a reception for Wolfgang Tillmans on Thursday, April 10, 2008 from 18:00 to 20:00.

Shimon Minamikawa's present exhibition, "Pink, Black...War and Peace", is informed by the artist's recent consideration of media imagery. Television news broadcasts include information about world events together with reports on various entertainment-related social happenings. When Minamikawa views such disjointed imagery, he considers these images as being in between "meaning" and "non-meaning". Positive or negative, the television images are simply images and the subsequent emptying of meaning leaves Minamikawa in an absurd position, particularly as he relies upon such representation to gain knowledge about the world. These images comprise Minamikawa's world of facts. Consciousness of this paradoxical situation - dependence upon "non-meaning" to provide a "sense" to the world - prompted him to work on the new body of paintings to be presented at the gallery. Opening reception : April 14th, 19:00 - 20:00 [Image: "Pink Tie, Newscaster (pink), Polka-dots" (2008) Acrylic on canvas 73 x 60.5cm]

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

Opening Party: May 3rd (Sat) 18:00-

Opening: May 9th (Fri) 19:00

Kitaura's characteristic styles are his child-like stormy scribbled brushwork and physical contrast between the thickness of such a fiercely applied paint and the smooth surface of his canvas. His whimsically chosen motifs, often human faces, flowers and flames, are depicted in a seemingly unrelated way. Kitaura portrays these motifs in the corners of his canvases in a passive manner, while at times he depicts them with great boldness. However, we will feel something is wrong if we view his work as innocent or naive as that of a child. If we look at his work more carefully, we might see the paradox between his apparent cynical rejection of painting and the acceptance of itself. Kitaura always belies with a poetic sense of humor the expectations of his audience, who tries to typecast his work with their own sense of values. Please enjoy his first solo exhibition at this venue. -Opening Reception Date & Time: May 2nd (Fri) 18:00-20:00

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

Hideki Kuwajima (b.1964) has a dynamic personality which stands in contrast to his artworks. Besides being an artist, he works as a commercial photographer and started taking the series of photos "Vertical / Horizontal" in 2002. Each of the Kuwajima's works begins with carefully setting up glasses and decanters, while considering the final outcome as a photo. And then he shoots photos with a large sized camera and stores the data in digital form in order to layer the transparent images repeatedly. Finally, these layers are printed large scale. The works have strength as well as a mysterious complexity which reminds us of a Mandala, as if we are being drawn into the depth below the surface. Kuwajima's past works can be found in private collections of those who have keen eyes for art, such as David Elliott, Ryutaro Takahashi and the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group. The exhibition title "Vertical / Horizontal" indicates his faithfulness to photography. The large sized works -the minimum is 65 x 150 cm, the maximum is 100 x 300 cm - seem to release his pent-up energy. As you can imagine from this title, 7 works including both vertical and horizontal ones will cover all over the wall of Radi-um, our brand new space which opened this March. Opening reception: May 2nd (Fri) 19:00-

Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo is pleased to be hosting "Imaginary Museum of the O Collection - Magical Museum Tour Room 3 'Kozo Uchida, Hitoshi Kuriyama and Cobra - Imaginary Hotel Magical'". This exhibition, the continuation of a series launched last year, is composed of works from the Satoshi Okada Collection. Our aim is to provide a permanent venue for works by emerging Japanese contemporary artists, creating a space similar to a permanent exhibition in an art museum. Room 3 will showcase works by three artists: Kozo Uchida, Hitoshi Kuriyama and Cobra, all successful artists in both solo and group shows in Japan and abroad. The concept is "Imaginary Hotel Magical" Exhibition staged in a room at the "Hotel Magical" into which a character named Voo Doo Daddy O wanders into the year 21XX and ends up staying at. Just what exactly is this mystery-filled hotel? How will it affect the visitors? This show, taking place in a series of rooms at an imaginary museum, will run for approximately six months. Future installment in Room 4 and other rooms will feature work by Julian Schnabel, Chiezo Taro, Toshiyuki Konishi and Fumiaki Akahane. Don't miss it! -Opening Reception Date & Time: May 2nd (Fri) 17:00- [Image: Hitoshi Kuriyama "Hotel Magical" (2008) neon light, electric cables, etc.]

We are pleased to announce the exhibition “sign/kehai”, with new works of Makiko Tanaka, an artist who works actively in a variety of media, such as pencil drawing, watercolor and installation. Although the expression of her imaginative world and emotional portraits are the main concerns of her work, she avoids an easy, facile “expressive style” and any justification of her subjectivity. Her fleeting but considerably detailed drawings symbolize her attempt to seize “the sign of existence=kehai”, and it acts as a conceptual map of herself. In this exhibition, Tanaka will show prints and oil paintings as well as pencil drawings. Opening reception: May 9th (Fri) 19:00-21:00 [Image: “Brooch” (2007), pencil, watercolor and paper, 79.5×109 cm © Makiko Tanaka Courtesy of Yumiko Chiba Associates]

This year's Index exhibition themed "destruction" is the fourth in the series. The exhibition is held annually in Kyoto and Tokyo with the support of student volunteers from Kyoto University of Art and Design, Art Studies and Cultural Production department. The exhibition aims to assist young promising artists in promoting their works. In addition, the organizers' hope is that the exhibition will shed light on today's significant social issues through the perceptive eyes of rich expressions of these talented artists. The theme "destruction" refers not only to outwardly violent destruction brought on by war and to the environment, but also to the internal disintegration of systems and and frameworks. The creative process is also closely linked to destruction. These artists' works focuses on the roles and effects of destruction, an unavoidable force in today's society. Opening Reception: May 2nd (Fri), 17:30- [Image: Kazuhito Matsumoto]

Performance installation May 12th (Mon) - 15th (Thu) 11:00-19:00 Representative work by Matsushita using Bincho charcoal will be publicly shown for the first time at the venue over four days. These are all new works in charcoal that also incorporate bits of earth. Opening event: "Charcoal Art and Music" May 15th (Thu), 19:00- The end of the installation, in conjunction with a live music event by Asia Sunrise. Acoustic sounds will fill the space of the venue in complement with Matsushita's dynamic charcoal figures.

Opening Reception: March 15th (Sat) 18:00-20:00

After Singapore, Hanoi and Seoul, the "Italian Genius Now" exhibition will show in Tokyo at the Italian Cultural Institute from April 29th to June 8th, presenting about 90 works from the important collections of the Centre for Contemporary Art “Luigi Pecci” in Prato (Tuscany), as well as other Italian galleries and institutions. This exhibition was conceived as a multidisciplinary journey through Italian art and design of the last sixty years. It features some of the most famous examples of “Made in Italy” creativity through paintings, pictures, sculptures and design objects by artists and designers such as Ettore Sottsass, Gaetano Pesce, Salvatore Ferragamo, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mimmo Rotella and Massimo Vitali. Italian Genius Now is a unique chance to admire some of the most interesting creations and results of Italian contemporary trends in art, design and fashion.

The genesis of “The Elements: Air/Water, Part 1” was sparked in July 2007, when Joel Meyerowitz was directing a video of Olympic divers from an underwater viewing room at a Florida pool. The repetition of dives had one thing in common; with every entry into the pool, an enormous plume of bubbles encased the diver. As each diver swam away, the bubbles coalesced into a cloud that rose to the surface and returned to the atmosphere. This small observation, about one Element's transition into another, led him to think about the individual qualities of the four Elements and their physical relationships. Meyerowitz responded immediately by beginning a study of the Elements and making a commitment to observe what these essential facts of life would look like in video and photographs. Opening Reception with Artist: March 7th (Fri) 19:00-22:00

Exhibition by five artists who create artwork for record jackets, logos and other design projects. Opening Party : April 25th 18:00-

Artist Motohiro Tomii will create sculptural works using ready-made objects. The sculptures will then become permanent collections of ARCUS Project and exhibited inside Building B. Moriya Manabi-no-sato, where ARCUS Studio is located, has a music room, cooking room, and craft shop, and the facilities are used by neighborhood residents regularly. The exhibition does not have a closing date, and all works will be exhibited until they decay naturally. Opening Reception: March 22nd (Sat), 18:30- at ARCUS Studio Please contact venue to attend by phone or fax. (0297-46-2600)

This exhibition will be held in Gallery and Studio B. D Hwang will be resident at Youkobo during the exhibition period. Opening party: May 16th (Fri), 17:00-20:00

Imazu, Iwano and Tsukamoto work with an ostensibly flat surface, creating a different space with a sense of spatial depth. Abe, Shiozu and Morimoto blend handiwork and digital effects to achieve their unique 2D work. Taking "ex-surface" (expanding interface) as their motif, these six artists work to deconstruct the surfaces of their chosen media using special techniques that reflect their personal sense of the world. Opening reception: May 17th (Sat) 18:00-

Asia's biggest international art event "Design Festa" with over 60,000 people attending! Design Festa is a freestyle International Art Event open to all artists, both professional and non-professional from all over the world to exhibit their creative talent. Design Festa started in 1994 and as of December 2006 it has successfully completed 25 events as well as 3 sub-events. This art event is held twice a year at Tokyo Big Sight, the biggest event hall in Japan. Design Festa is the ideal place for passionate artists who are looking for a great opportunity to show their artwork to a very large audience from all over the world.

Opening Party (with secret guest): May 17th (Sat) 18:00- Talk event with guest : May 24th 19:00- "Go for Future" with "future artist" Ichiro Endo, May 31st (Sat) 19:00- Closing event: June 8th (Sun), 19:00- Held concurrently with this event is the "Green Leaves - Seed" exhibition at Gallery Fall in Nishi Ogikubo from May 28th - June 8th. Open 12:00-20:00 (closed Mon and Tue). #102 Nishiogi Kita 3-18-10, Suginami-ku, Tokyo Tel/fax: 03-5856-0522

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!

This is Field's first solo exhibition in Japan, also held in conjunction with the Japan tour of his band, Little Wing. He previously garnered praise for his work for moools and Relax magazine. Live performance in the gallery: May 29th (Thu) ¥1500, one drink order Reservation required

The Embassy of the Republic of Argentina and Instituto Cervantes of Tokyo invite you to the exhibition "Quino". World renowned cartoonist exhibits for the first time in Tokyo. The collection contains drawings of the characters he is most known for, like Mafalda, along with examples of his socio-political strips. For fans of original animations there are multiple short films for viewing in the projection room during regular gallery hours. Opening: May 22nd (Thu), 19:00- To attend the opening, please make a reservation via email at info@cervantes.jp or fax at 03-5210-1811.

20x20 Pecha-Kucha Night vol.52 20 images x 20 seconds 20:20pm start Hosted by Klein Dytham architecture. Anyone in the architectural and design world can 'show' and tell. It may be a newly finished building, it may be a new project, a new piece of furniture, a new event, a new idea, something you want to share with everyone. Architects, architectural students, students who are looking for a job and want to promote their skills, any creative person - everyone is encouraged to take part. Each person has twenty images, each image will be shown for 20 seconds. You can talk along with your slides.

Tsunoda creates well-balanced abstract paintings with washed-out colors applied with light touch. This is his first solo show in Tokyo, featuring 50 pieces, including new work on canvas and older drawings. Tsunoda also works as a graphic designer for advertising, magazines, books and CD jackets, continuing his lifework of drawing in these fields as well. His "Dod" series (2006-7), with its intricately layered colors, betrays an exuberant sensibility that draws us into his unique, sensuous world. Opening reception: May 30th (Fri) 18:30-20:30