Ernesto Neto – Two Gallery Show in Tokyo.

Walking into the Tomiyo Koyama Gallery, one immediately faces the giant, organic, plant-like appendages hanging off the ceiling, the hallmarks of Neto’s art. His sculptures are generally made of elongated tubes made of stocking net, filled with tiny plastic beads and hanging off the ceiling or lying on the floor, and the work on display in this show is no exception.

Some of those large works are also on display at the other Neto show, in Ginza’s Koyanagi Gallery. The exhibit features a white tent that has the quality of a living cell. It has a tear on the side and here again one is invited to enter. Once inside, you can feel the familiar plastic beads under the floor’s surface, and couple of giant pillows are there for you to lie on.

Ernesto Neto is said to have emerged from the Brazilian Neoconcretism that in the 1950s and 60s rejected the Modernist tradition of geometric abstractions. Neto’s sculptures are soft, edge-less and often look like fun, 3D visualizations of plant cells. They are organic, but there is a an obvious artificiality in color, material and even have a distinctive smell: a flowery/bubble-gum/Japanese soft drink quality emanates from some of the works.

The opening night at the Tomiyo Koyama was a full-fledged party with a DJ. With the open roof-balcony and fireworks exploding coincidentally in the distance, the atmosphere might have come close to a Brazilian beach party. If only I knew what that looks like! The opening reception was one of the very few openings that left a better impression on me than a later visit to take a second look at the works, although that is not to say that the quiet galleries with no DJs are not worth visiting.