The Tale of Genji, a Japanese classic of world literature, was based on the observations recorded in Lady Shikibu Murasaki's diary, and read at the imperial court of the 5th year of the Kanko era (1008). 2008 marks the 1000 year anniversary of this historical work, and the museum is holding a special exhibition to commemorate the millenary of the Tale of Genji. Related events are also scheduled. See website for details.

At the age of 11, John Everett Millais (1829-1896) became the youngest pupil ever to be admitted to the School of Royal Academy of Arts. However, he got soon tired of the classes and the outdated customs of the Academy, and in 1848 he founded the "Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood" with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt. Millais played a central role in this group, which caused a veritable artistic revolution in Britain. This exhibition brings together some of his most representative works, such as Ophelia and Christ in the House of His Parents, borrowed from Tate Britain and other important collections in and outside the United Kingdom. Ranging from oil paintings to sketches and from work he produced in his teens to paintings from the end of his life, it presents a full and comprehensive view of the artist's career, making this event the first real retrospective Millais exhibition in Japan. [Image: "Ophelia" (1851-2), oil on canvas, from the Tate Collection]

Born in 1981, Tomoko Shioyasu majored in sculpture at the Kyoto City University of Arts. In 2005, the year after graduating, she won the Grand Prix at the 6th Spiral Independent Creators Festival (SICF). She then exhibited in the Fukutake House at the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006, and was selected for the 2007 VOCA exhibition. As the range of her work expands, it is met by great acclaim, including this year's Most Promising Young Talent Prize in the Fine Art Division of the Gotoh Memorial Cultural Award. Next year, she plans to use the grant associated with the Gotoh Memorial Cultural Award to conduct research and work in China and Europe, which promises to bring additional depth to her work. The upcoming exhibition will be Tomoko Shioyasu's much-awaited first solo exhibition at SCAI The Bathhouse. As a student, Shioyasu was fascinated by the veins in the leaves of Rumex japonicus found all over campus. The veins were so delicate, yet had such dynamic forms, and she once tried cutting them out one by one with a utility knife. She describes this as the inspiration behind her current works, created on the theme of "nature," and falling into three categories: cutting works, which she creates with fine, overlapping cuts in large, wide sheets of paper using utility knives, soldering-iron works, in which she creates images by melting holes in special synthetic paper, and drawings, using acrylics or charcoal. Common to each of these approaches is a significant amount of delicate and repetitive work performed by hand. As if in unison with the rhythm of nature as it repeats over time, she makes little cuts over and over again. The little cuts accumulate to create works on a very large scale, producing installations which take in the flow of air and light of their location, becoming one with it so that the exhibition space becomes an abstraction of nature itself, and the installation becomes a sign of nature with presence and depth. Through nature, Shioyasu is expressing a world-view of pursuing the truth of the universe, an approach that is shared with Zen and other forms of Buddhism. In the installation space, the spirit of nature flows through her work, giving the impression of a vivid dance by the air and the particles of light. In a sense, in cutting pieces out of two-dimensional paper, Shioyasu is using thin air as a material and chiseling a new form of sculpture out of the space itself, gaining insights into what things are really like. For her first solo exhibition at SCAI, "Cutting Insights," the centerpiece is a broad sheet of paper, 3.5 meters across and stretching to a height of 6 meters, that she has finely cut and overlapped, installed so as to produce gentle waves. She also presents new soldering-iron works, and drawings in acrylics or charcoal. Tomoko Shioyasu is attempting to create a new space through a strong and energetic image of life―life that wells up with enough energy to be heard, life that is sublimating and recycling― conveying insights about something that seems to be truly important. It is a great pleasure for SCAI to present this exhibition and provide the opportunity for a wide range of people to see her work. [Image: "Blessing Wall" (2006) paper, 240×750cm]

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum is pleased to present “Summer Villa: The Sculptures, Drawings, and Prints of Katsura Funakoshi in Art Deco Space.” Katsura Funakoshi was born in Morioka, Japan in 1951. He studied sculpture at Tokyo Zokei University and graduate school at Tokyo University of the Arts (the former name: Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music). In the 1980s he began carving human figures out of camphor wood and partially coloring them. After many domestic shows, his work appeared in major international exhibitions, including the 1988 Venice Biennale and Documenta IX in 1992, establishing a reputation both here and abroad for his fresh approach to figurative sculpture. Funakoshi went on to cultivate new territories of sculptural expression, partially deforming his figures in a solo exhibition of 2003-2004 and further developing these forms to create the enigmatic, androgynous Sphinx series, begun in 2006. This exhibition introduces the challenging Sphinx series, including new pieces, as well as a selection of the best work from each previous period of the artist’s career. To Funakoshi, drawings and prints are important modes of creative expression in their own right on the same level as his sculpture. His drawings are not just studies for sculpture but comprise a world that is complete in itself. In his prints, which he began making as a student in England in 1987, he employs a variety of techniques, including drypoint, aquatint, lithography, and woodcut, to produce freely expressive artworks that are not subordinate to the sculpture. This exhibition gives equal attention to all three forms of expression to provide a fuller understanding of the artist. A particular point of interest on this occasion is the encounter between the Art Deco space of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum and the work of Funakoshi. The distinctively decorated rooms of the museum, quite different from the “white cube” galleries of most museums, will come together with Funakoshi’s sculptures, drawings, and prints to create a rich tapestry, a rare space and time that cannot be experienced anywhere else. The museum will be transformed into a summer villa filled with magical surprises.

Kano Hogai (1828-1888), born as the legitimate child to a painter in Chofu (now Shimonoseki City) under the Tokugawa shogunate, is recognized as a renowned artist who laid the foundations of modern nihonga painting. Hogai, who along with Fenellosa and Tenshin Okukura, sought reform and experimental approaches in Japanese art through the adoption of Western painting techniques, made a lasting contribution to the development of nihonga. Hogai's last work, "Avalokitesvara" (designated an Important Cultural Property), occupies a monumental place as the work that heralded the approach of modernism in nihonga and greatly influenced subsequent younger generations of artists. This year, 2008, marks the 180th anniversary of the birth of Kano Hogai and the 120th anniversary of his death. This exhibition not only features works from the late period of nihonga's period of reform and innovation, but also encompasses works from Kano's younger period-in-training in his hometown that traces the path of his art up until "Avalokitesvara".

This show presents works in which artists' emotions seem to have been teased out by embracing the fragile quality intrinsic to drawing. Featured are sixteen artists from Asia, Europe and the Middle East including Nalini Malani, Leiko Ikemura, Yoshitomo Nara, Manuel Ocampo, Avish Khebrehzadeh, Ugo Untro, Mitsu-Sen, Naoyuki Tsuji, Amal Kenawy, and Chiyuki Sakagami. Exhibits include installations and animations. Artist Talk -Manuel Ocampo + Pinaree Sanpitak + Mitsu-Sen Gallery Talk August 26th (Tue), 14:00-16:00 Location: exhibition space No reservation needed, admission ticket required to enter. -Naoyuki Tsuji September 13th (Sat), 14:00-16:00 Location: Auditorium (basement level) No reservation needed (capacity 150 people), admission ticket required to enter. Symposium "Considering Drawing, between Techne and Art" September 27th (Sat) 13:00-16:00 Location: Auditorium (basement level) No reservation needed (capacity 150 people), free. [Image: Nara Yoshitomo "Untitled" (2008) Photo: Kei Okano (c) the artist]

Kimsooja was born in 1957 in Taegu, South Korea. After she studied painting at Hong-Ik University in Seoul, she went to Paris on a French government scholarship to attend the Lithography Studio at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts. In 1992, she went to New York as an artist-in-residence with P.S.1's International Studio Program. Since then, she has been working internationally, taking part in the Istanbul Biennale in 1997, the "Cities on the Move" exhibition from 1997-2000, the Venice Biennale in 1999, 2001, 2005, and 2007. Her solo exhibition traveled through various venues from 2003 to 2004, starting with the Lyon Contemporary Art Museum. She also held a solo exhibition at the Reina Sophia Museum in Madrid in 2006. Kimsooja uses photography, installation, performance and video as her chosen media. In her installations, she often uses colorful traditional Korean fabrics used as bedsheets for newlywed couples in Korea. The act of “sewing” has a very important meaning to her. Especially in Korea, "sewing" is seen as a women's job and referred to as a symbol of femininity. Now, as an itinerant artist, she considers herself a sort of needle attempting to stitch through, and together, different people, societies, and the world. "Bottari" is one of Kimsooja's representative works. It was made out of a Korean bedsheet which is used to wrap old pieces of cloth. In Korea, wrapping things when people move or rearrange their personal belongings is a traditional custom. Another important idea underlying her work is the relation between yin and yang. The two do not necessarily oppose, but rather complement each other. Her works use Korean fabrics to express many different manifestations of yin and yang - such as man and woman, life and death, joy and sadness, and prosperity and decline. Kimsooja's newest work entitled "A Mirror Woman : The Sun & The Moon" is a video work in which she shot the sun, the moon and the ocean in Goa, India. The sun and the moon, as well as the high and low tide, are perfect examples of yin and yang relationships. Also, the sun, moon and ocean control in some way all lives on Earth. This work is a dynamic piece that deals with nature. We also plan to show her "bottari" installation.

Video technology has left a deep impact on visual culture. Video artists like Nam June Paik who came to prominence in the 1960s drew attention to the possibilities of video art that were completely dissimilar to qualities found in film, creating distinctive experimental works. In recent years, video environments that use LCD for example have seen startling technological developments. High-definition images that used to be unimaginable are now a reality. This exhibition introduces the work of 14 artists from Japan, China, Europe and America who are exploring new frontiers in video art. What these artists have in common is the rich, painterly world that materializes in their work - time intervenes in the "painting", video image and painting seem to occupy a space of similar quality, a fantastical world where temporal-based and spatially-oriented art merge together. The variety of these works is astounding: from LCD displays in the shape of a folding screen that visualize faint movements in the landscapes contained within (Hiroshi Senju), experiments in alternating between the space of a tableau and the world of the video image, taking Vermeer as the theme (Yasumasa Morimura), slow-motion works that exquisitely synchronize a painted surface to music (Brian Eno), and animation works that employ ink drawings (Qiu Anxiong). Cafe and gallery talk August 23rd (Sat) 16:00- With Dominic Layman (exhibiting artist) [interpretation included] Venue: Cafe Chambre Clair, 2F Fee: ¥1500 Limited to 35 persons. Please reserve by email or fax with your name and contact details. Talk event September 20th (Sat) 14:00- Lecturer: Akira Tatehata (director, National Museum of Art, Osaka) Limited to 50 persons (tokens will be distributed to those holding valid ticket stubs for the day) Artist/gallery talk Venue: 2F exhibition room, B1 exhibition room From 14:00- on each day September 12th (Fri) Chiyuki Kojima, Ryuta Takano September 26th (Fri) Miwa Yanagi Anyone with a valid ticket stub for the day can participate.

The Contemporary Art Center at Art Tower Mito (ATM) is delighted to announce the first large-scale solo exhibition in Asia by the British contemporary artist Julian Opie. Known especially in Japan for his series of portraits and figures with semiotic visual language ever since his early career, Opie has been creating experimental works to tackle various important issues in contemporary art, including the relationship between painting and sculpture, original and reproduction, art and design, commodity and artwork, beauty and the everyday. Absorbing important notions and formats of modern art such as conceptualism, minimalism and pop, Opie has developed his own unique style. Appropriating influences from old master's painting to street signs, Opie's style has continued to transform throughout his career. In recent years he has created works based on pictures that he himself has taken, then modifies them with his hands and by computer. As a result, the details of models and landscapes are abbreviated and simplified, with thick and round lines and vivid color; only the essence of the objects remain identifiable. Julian Opie was born in London, United Kingdom in 1958. Within three years since graduating from Goldsmiths (University of London) in 1982, he was featured in several notable exhibitions at art museums and galleries in Europe, thereby gaining international recognition. His works have also been included in the collections of major museums, including the Tate Modern in London, MoMA in New York, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. He also received a prize in 2001 from Music Week CADS for his cover jacket illustration for the British pop music group Blur in 2000. Recently, he has been busy creating many public art projects in Europe, the United States and Japan. Opie's interests are not limited to Western art, but extend to Japanese art as well. He is well known as a collector of Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyoe) by Kitagawa Utamaro and Utagawa Hiroshige. In recent years, Opie has embraced the compositions and chromatic sensations of ukiyoe, transforming them into unique portraits and landscapes using contemporary devices for representation as well as computer and LED. At the ATM Contemporary Art Center, Julian Opie will present approximately 70 recent works, covering his major motifs, including portraits, figures, animals, swimmers, dancers and landscapes. The works are made from various colors, mediums and techniques, including animated films, silkscreen and stone sculpture, animating the white cubes of the gallery spaces. Throughout his body of works, the exhibition will show the whole range of Opie's oeuvre, which was previously only introduced fragmentarily in Japan. His sculptural works and LED animations will be installed in the public space of ATM, where they will welcome passers-by. This exhibition is one of the official events of UK-Japan 2008, and is organized by the British Embassy and British Council on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce. Related Event: Special lecture "Faces talk - Julian Opie's portrait" Lecturer: Tamaki Saito (Psychiatrist) Date: August 2 (Sat), 2008 Time: 2:00-4:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.) Venue: Workshop Room in ATM Contemporary Art Gallery Capacity: 80 seats Admission: Free (Exhibition ticket is required.) More talk events are scheduled for this exhibition. Please check out the museum's website for more information.

Can fiction become fact? French artist Hugues Reip invites you on a “fantastic voyage” to parallel worlds. Reip will construct worlds of the imagination by means of his own, totally unexpected multi-media works and those of ten Japanese and French artists he has selected. [Image: "Eden" (2003)]

Part of the gallery, plus library, mini theater and lounge will be used as "ICC Open Space", a free communication space open to the public. ICC has consistently aimed at providing a space for the free appreciation of intersections between art and technology, developments in research, networks and archives through its "corners" and zones", as well as many works of art. Various materials, videos and recordings pertaining to the history of the ICC's activities are also available for reference purposes. A cafe, shop and rest space are also provided, allowing viewers to create their own encounters and exchanges with cutting edge technologies, means of communication and modes of culture. [Image: Hive Corner]

The wall rising upright in front of us and the horizontal expanse of the ground under our feet are the two "planes" that comprise the foundation of our perception of the world. How have these "planes" been represented in the artistic "plane" embodied in paintings, photographs and prints? This exhibition attempts to examine, from the perspective of "the wall and the ground," pieces mainly from our collection, including those by Jean Dubuffet, Yuzo Saeki and Taiji Matsue. Curator's Talk by Kenji Miwa Location: Gallery 4, 2F (no reservation needed, admission ticket required). -August 29th (Fri), 18:00-19:00 -October 4th (Sat) 11:00-12:00 [Image: Yuzo Saeki "Gas Light and Advertisement" (1927)]

Araki Tamana (born 1970) uses a number of techniques, including printmaking, sculpture, installation, and animation to create her unique art, which never fails to give the impression of being novel, despite its inherent simplicity. With solid technical skills and an ability to create exquisite combinations of shapes and colors, Araki explores themes related to everyday activities, such as habitat, travel, relationships, and growth. These themes serve to link her works with viewers, inspiring them to form their own interpretations. Araki's installations often consist of multiple parts. However, rather than those parts coming together to form a whole, their combination seems to emphasize their individual identities. Myriad phenomena are caught inside these groupings, which at first glance appear similar; but each is different, almost like individuals, each burning with the flame of life. The sight of them at times isolated and at times side by side - like people progressing along their own paths - reminds one of what it means "to live." Araki has spent time in Mexico on a number of occasions, and the influence of that culture can be seen in her choices of colors and forms. While sometimes appearing gaudy, her shapes and colors are expressed with a primal energy and toughness that makes them far more complex than their assertive appearance suggests. For this exhibition Araki applies her unique sense of materials, originality of concept and superb technique to new installations made especially for Mori Art Museum’s exhibition space. No doubt they will bring with them opportunities for more new insights into her richly imaginative world. Participating artist will talk about her work in the gallery. * Japanese-English simultaneous interpretation. Date: August 22nd (Fri) 2008, 19:00-20:00 Venue: 53F Gallery 1, Mori Art Museum Capacity: 100 (bookings not required) Admission: Free (exhibition ticket required) [Image: "Poetic Chaos" (2005), paper, cellophane, light bulb, cable. Photo: Alfredo Rosado]

Clothing to adorn the body has always drawn attention in matters of beauty. During the Edo period (1603-1968), when the kosode (the predecessor to the modern kimono) was adopted as the universal garment worn by people from all walks of life, male and female, the designs that enhanced its simple construction became the center of its interest, giving birth to a wide variety of decorative patterns. This exhibition introduces over 300 excellent works shown for the first time in a single spot. It highlights Edo-period kosode, supplemented by other textiles such as Momoyama-period tsujigahana fabrics and Noh costumes, as well as the hinagata pattern books that popularized the kosode designs, plus cosmetic utensils and furniture. The public display of this treasure trove, which for seventy years lay shrouded in secrecy, allows for a reassessment of the charm of the kosode as a uniquely Japanese expression and hopefully will provide inspiration for new creations.

The search for an individual style has unfolded and evolved with great vigor throughout the history of modern and contemporary art. Consider the Impressionist artists such as Claude Monet and Pierre-August Renoir, who looked beyond traditional painting in search of new forms of art, or Paul Cézanne, whose work was a major influence on the birth of Cubism. Explore Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, constant leaders in 20th century art. Then there came the birth and evolution of Abstract art. Rethink Western-style artists in Japan who, while mastering the techniques and themes of Western art, struggled with the challenge of establishing, as Japanese artists, their own voices and styles. This exhibition of 180 paintings and sculptures from the Bridgestone Museum of Art collection offers a delightful stroll, room by room, through these historic developments in the world of art. [Image: Claude Monet "Twilight, Venice" (c. 1908)]

Reception: June 21st (Sat) 18:00-20:00