Gallery Building Opens in Shirokane

Relocating from their ex-warehouse spaces in Kagurazaka to a renovated apartment building in this high-class residential area of Tokyo, the Kodama Gallery, Yamamoto Gendai and Takahashi Collection have now put Shirokane on the art map.

poster for Zon Ito

Zon Ito "Bi-Bi-X"

at Kodama Gallery Tokyo
in the Roppongi, Akasaka area
This event has ended - (2008-01-19 - 2008-03-01)

23 people bookmarked this.
8 people recommend this.

poster for Tomoko Konoike

Tomoko Konoike "Mine is Yours"

at Takahashi Collection Hibiya
in the Ginza, Shimbashi area
This event has ended - (2008-01-19 - 2008-03-01)

39 people bookmarked this.
9 people recommend this.

poster for

"Dream of the Skull" Exhibition

at Yamamoto Gendai
in the Roppongi, Akasaka area
This event has ended - (2008-01-19 - 2008-03-01)

10 people bookmarked this.
6 people recommend this.

In Photo Reports by Ashley Rawlings 2008-01-21 print

As is often the case in Tokyo, these galleries are hidden away in a nondescript building in a residential area. Only the crowds gathered for the opening gave away the location to first time visitors.

The first floor is taken up by Kodama Gallery, which now has three or four times the amount of exhibition space it had before.

The inaugural exhibition was a solo show of work by Zon Ito...... a young artist who works with thread on canvas, as well as video and installation.

The second floor belongs to Takahashi Collection, which has kept its space in Kagurazaka but opened up a second one here in Shirokane. They have celebrated with a dazzling solo exhibition of Tomoko Konoike.

Tomoko Konoike poses for a photo of her inside her installation.A close-up on her trademark six-legged wolves, exhaling daggers.

According to the gallery's website, the Kagurazaka space will display works from Dr Takahashi's collection, while the Shirokane space will be used for curated exhibitions.

The third floor is occupied Yamamoto Gendai, which has also significantly enlarged its exhibition space with this move.

Their inaugural exhibition is a group show titled 'Dream of the Skull'.

Shoko Matsumiya (right) talking to a guest about her work.With a small alcove around the corner, the new Yamamoto Gendai now has an intimate side space in which to show delicate works like these.

Ashley Rawlings

Ashley Rawlings. Ashley is an editor, writer and translator, and was based in Tokyo from 2005 to 2008, where he conducted research into the history of Japanese postwar art at Sophia University. He was the editor of TABlog from 2006 to 2008. More information about his work can be found at www.ashleyrawlings.com » See other writings

Comments

  1. aneta
    2008-01-21

    It’s really good to see a photo report from the new building. I wish I could see the outside of it in daylight, to compare with the cool ex-warehouse Kagurazaka. I guess, it’s all about more space.

  2. Ashley Rawlings
    2008-01-21

    I have to go back soon and photograph the outside during daytime anyway so as to replace the picture for these galleries’ TAB pages, but basically it is a very ordinary looking building.

    What I like about these galleries having moved is that it doesn’t just signal the closure of the Kagurazaka building; Mori Yu Gallery has taken over Kodama Gallery’s former space and Yuka Sasahara has moved into where Yamamoto Gendai used to be. The gallery map in Tokyo just got a little bit more diverse.

  3. walead ramirez
    2008-01-22

    now if they only use some ART and not merely derivative pictures then we might be set. check out Ghada Amer a Gagosian artist and Uber famous,

    http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=ghada+amer&spell=1

    Gagosian artist and Uber famous, then there is gibli and giblets for kids who still manages out does the 2nd floor, she gets a plus for critical mass, but the mass has no critique, kind of looks good, but no meaning ending up a pleasing string of pleading cliches, but to what point, and then on the 3rd floor more weak-kneed David Altmejd, a venice bienielle artist from Andrea Rosen and LFL see or google him

    http://www.andrearosengallery.com/artists/david-altmejd/

    it kind of reminded me of chicago ephermeral arts in the late 80′s before the big fire which cleaned up a lot of the art world. HOw about asking for a little responsibility from the galleries before promoting them. If the artists are plug dummies at least expect the gallerists to show a little mettle and control over the its all good attitudes which are clearly not all good. people are waking up to the micropoop attitudes are even worse than chinese nonsense. It is why no one is very interested in young Japanese art because it is cliches of itself with out the parody or irony. sad sad and leaves us wanting…

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