Art Fair Tokyo 2007
at Tokyo International Forum
in the Ginza, Shimbashi area
This event has ended - (2007-04-10 - 2007-04-12)
50 people bookmarked this.
13 people recommend this.
4 people reviewed this.
Walking past the different galleries’ booths feels like a market bazaar in a small town, albeit a town housed in the cavernous glass and steel belly of the Tokyo International Forum.
Somehow, something doesn’t feel quite right about Art Fair Tokyo. The visitors I spoke with felt dissatisfied, with most saying that they had yet to find any work that really stood out; one likened the whole experience to bad sex.
AFT’s fundamental problem is a lack of visual and conceptual coherence. These days, art fairs seem to have become synonymous with contemporary art and its affluent cosmopolitan patrons, so it may be surprising that Tokyo’s biggest art fair devotes so much space to older forms of art. There is something bizarre about looking at 18th century Japanese pottery and turning the corner to be confronted with the bold, flat graphics of Julian Opie’s paintings. However Tokyo is notoriously defined by these bizarre juxtapositions of old and new, and there is some honesty in the way Art Fair Tokyo presents an overview of Tokyo’s commercial art world, as it is – regardless of genre.
The reality is that the contemporary art market in Tokyo is dwarfed by the traditional art market, which sells more conservative, primarily Japanese collectors the aesthetic safety of classical Japanese art, early 20th century European painting, and contemporary Japanese painting done in the style of early 20th century European painting. Unfortunately, much of the latter is painfully bland: dull landscapes and portraits that show neither technical prowess nor conceptual innovation. This problem is specifically Japanese: a 150 year old legacy of the Meiji Era, when there emerged a schism between painters who tried to imitate Western styles (Yoga) and those who tried to formalize a Japanese style (Nihonga). Over the course of the 20th century, the two styles gradually merged until they became an indistinguishable mish-mash that is neither Yoga nor Nihonga in its approach – spawning generation after generation of complacent painters who continue to churn out works of unrivalled mediocrity.
By pandering to this uninspired but profitable domestic market, AFT risks losing its credibility in the eyes of the internationally-minded audience. In theory there should be no problem with mixing the old and the new in the same space: museums all over the world are able to house, and even juxtapose, works of all genres and periods from the ancient past to the present day and still maintain a coherence and relevance that is stimulating to visitors. However, regardless of whether it is a museum that aims to illustrate the history of art, or an art fair that aims to sell artwork, both have a responsibility to produce exciting exhibits, and measured against this simple criteria, AFT fails to inspire.
Much of this failure to captivate is beyond the organisers’ control, and it is a problem common to all art fairs. While any art fair can claim to have put all participating galleries through a rigorous selection process, there is nothing to stop those galleries from putting on unappealing shows. The majority of those participating in AFT have not put enough thought into their presentations; every gallery is displaying in a booth that is considerably smaller than its own exhibition space, yet many of them have crammed in every artist they represent. Many of the galleries handling older art look like cluttered little antique shops, and the contemporary galleries that have over-hung their spaces have produced some jarring clashes between otherwise individually strong artworks. This may not matter much to a one off buy-and-run collector, as a good rummage around for something that will look good on the living room wall will no doubt turn up something to everyone’s taste, but these slightly desperate displays do not convey any care for the artists, a discouraging first impression to collectors looking to build lasting relationships with galleries.
Of course, there are some exceptions: Kadomatsu Seishindo’s booth is a little crowded but the boldness of the gold Edo Period screen in the centre stays with you. Gallery Kouzome Bijutsu’s display sends out the clear message that they are fully supportive of Yang Xiaomin’s unusual ‘Cubist graphic’ work, while Gallery Koyanagi and SCAI the Bathhouse have understood the ‘less is more’ aesthetic and have produced cool and collected, but striking displays. Taking the opportunity to make a more inventive use of the limited booth space, Gallery Han and neighbouring Gallery Kogure have come up with bizarre but cohesive exhibition environments that are almost installations in their own right.
One of the underlying problems affecting AFT is the lack of clear definition of how an art fair should present itself. As a forum for the gathering of art galleries and the sale of artwork, in what way does an art fair differ from each gallery’s activity within its own space? Principally it is about taking part in an intense period of self-promotion. For all but the most jaded collector, the exclusivity of the gallery space is itself a key source of consumer satisfaction, and this is reduced in the supermarket-like environment of an art fair.
At the risk of sounding like a script-writer for Sex and the City, maybe an art fair should aspire to be like a good department store with striking and memorable window displays; a place where Louis Vuitton and Giorgio Armani can sit side by side in smaller spaces than their respective flagship stores, with neither brand attempting to show their entire collection in the reduced space, and the department store managers cultivating expectations of aesthetic discretion from its tenants.
Despite its limitations, AFT is nevertheless doing its best to resurrect and support the infrastructure of the art market that has been so stagnant for so long; the art industry is always one of the first to suffer during an economic downturn, and so it is understandable that there has been a loss of confidence since the early 1990s. However, there is a growing optimism among gallery owners and members of the press that Japan’s art market is coming close to a renewed period of growth, in part a predictable knock-on effect of the renewed interest in Asia fuelled by China’s contemporary art boom. People who visited AFT when it started two years ago say that there is a little more of a buzz to this year’s atmosphere, and that it has come a long way from the stuffy image it projected in its pre-2005 incarnation as NICAF. Despite being flooded with third-rate artists, the Japanese art scene has a hard core of first-class talent that deserves the best representation there is, so we can only hope that over the next few years AFT matures into an international art fair that really makes the rest of the world sit up and take notice.
Clint Taniguchi
2007-04-11
An amazingly quick & extensive review to AFT’s preview night!
WoW!
keep onward thus
greg.org
2007-04-12
It’s amazing how lame it sounds. As a longtime and regular art fair attendee in other parts of the world, I would say the organizers absolutely DO control the content and context of the show, #1 by choosing who to let in and who to kick out. They can also give guidelines for showing single-artist installations, for example [the both Art Basel fairs have these type of booths], and for letting in younger galleries who deal in contemporary art or emerging artists.
I think you’re already too polite to say that AFT risks losing credibility in the international art world; nihonga is almost entirely domestic and really has no dialogue with what goes on outside Japan, and there’s little-to-no interest in it from non-Japanese that I’ve ever heard. So it’s too late.
It surprises me that there’s not more attempt to get non-JP galleries to participate. That’s the benefit of the Armory Show in NYC; it brings together a bunch of galleries you can’t get to regularly. If there’s not a collector base, though, and they don’t sell anything, what can you do? it’s chicken-egg.
But as you point out, a fair of Tokyo galleries in Tokyo makes little sense. The only other option is for AFT to do nothing and let Murakami, Nara, and Koyanagi continue to represent the entirety of Japanese contemporary art to the rest of the world.
fabio
2007-04-13
I have also been at ATF.
After reading the somewhat positive comments of the Japan Times, and not been such an expert in the field, I thought that my feeling of dissatisfaction was probably misplaced.
Well , it seems I am not alone.
Even if my primary purpose was contemporary art, I don’t mind at all nihonga or traditional art.
What was disappointing was the wide differences in quality and the lack of focus of many galleries, which chose to display works from many different artists, of different inspiration.
As somebody who was considering buying something, I found that too few galleries were displaying prices of the works displayed.
olivier
2007-04-13
Long, tedious, mostly lacking imagination, yet somehow you feel like you’re supposed to enjoy it (because it’s such an important art event). Likened to bad sex, you say?
I entered with enthusiasm, exited with a splitting headache, as others warned me would be the case. Why? I would not blame it so much on the works (some of them are very good), but on the setup and awfully harsh light, certainly.
Not being a fan of the four-white-walls, strong-spotlights model anyway, it was unlikely that I would love this, especially when my last fair was the more (crowded and) playful art @ Agnes a few months ago.
Some might be able to appreciate the idea of gastronomy while cruising a bleak supermarket. Some might be able to appreciate Art at such a massive art fair. I can’t. Call me snob: I like my food prepared with love, my art presented in an interesting context, and my sex good, thankyouverymuch.
karl
2007-04-13
I usually tried to avoid art fair as large. As olivier said, Art Fair is a kind of big supermarket. It’s the last step in the big chain of events which slowly moved art from an act of creation to a daily paid job.
Is a worker producing art to sell in an art fair still an artist? Do massive distributions, high commercializations (numbers or contexts) change artists in “artisan” (craft makers)?
Topics discussed a lot of time already and not necessary interesting.
I usually avoid art fairs.
If we stretch the metaphor “why do we go to supermarkets?” cheaper food, convenient, practical. Very rarely because of the quality. We all have this notion of the small shop or restaurants which have good fresh products when it comes to be a food lover.
fooling ourselves, or art fairs are a way to achieve our daily need for cheap and practical art?
kathleen
2007-04-13
i go to many types of fairs at both Tokyo Forum & Big Site. basically they are all held with the same approach; merchandise to be viewed & hopefully bought or ordered. art is very much a commodity in Japan & often handled like any other item that is made & can be sold. if you look deeper into the relation between galleries & the artists that they manage, it is very business-like with little or no real support of the artist’s career. in many cases artists just rent gallery space & split the money percentage-wise on any sales.
as was pointed out, a supermarket of Tokyo galleries does not make much sense. it is basically a venue to show a hodge-podge of works to a few more people in hopes of a sale. i have a friend whose work is displayed by a gallery at AFT every year & who has always been able to sell something small. but so what? does it really make the artist & his vision more accessible? does it help to create interest in his work & entice more galleries to represent him? i think not, looking at the hundreds of paintings in his studio & he is one of the better represented artists who creates art only.
the last paragraph of Mr. Rawlings review is quite correct in assessing the efforts of the AFT. and it is a great improvement over the former NICAF. but with all the trendy buzz that surrounds media darlings like Murakami & Nara, who mainly work & sell outside Japan, along with the wave of impact-filled Chinese comtemporary art, i wonder if any of the first rate talent of Japan will ever be noticed & appreciated.
Clint Taniguchi
2007-04-23
Ashley’s review has incited quite a response in the blog’s sphere. The interesting ripples can be seen on Jeansnow’s coverage and ensuing comments.
http://jeansnow.net/2007/04/22/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-of-art-fair-tokyo/#comments
Let the conversation of truth begin.
john Sebben
2007-11-24
to clint yes lets let the conversation of truth begin, Shall i start the ball rolling with Takashi Murakami is a warhol/Jeff Koons wannabe but with all of the talent and marketing strategies lifted DIRECTLY from MARK KOSTABI
Hence forth Murakami will be Takeshi MURAKOSTABI! and his Neo-Orientalism Needs to be questioned more rigorously!
Adyor
2008-01-18
mmmm love it all!!