Events Gone
Things are a bit quiet with Golden Week approaching, but Claska held a huge party on April 28, and hundreds of guests descended on the Nakameguro venue to enjoy the free drinks, club music and performances by the likes of Watanababy (formerly of Hoff Dylan). Artists such as Norio Nishihara were also in attendance.
Actually, April 28 was a big night. Over in Kiyosumi Shirakawa there was also an electronic music event called “Sound Gardening” featuring Go Taneda and Philippe Chatelain, held in the teahouse of Kiyosumi Garden. TAB was unable to attend the event due to the difficulty of splitting one’s body into two; any readers who made it to Kiyosumi please let us know how it was.
And the nominees are…
The Daiwa Foundation Art Prize nominees have been announced. The award aims to introduce British art to Japanese audiences. The shortlisted artists are Marcus Coates, Adam Dant and Bedwyr Williams, and the judging panel included Mami Kataoka and Tomio Koyama. The winner receives a cheque for £5,000 and a chance to have a solo show at Koyama’s gallery. Check out the official website for more.
What’s more, arguably the event of the Britist art calendar: the Turner Prize nominations! This year’s candidates include Richard Wright, Enrico David, Roger Hiorns and Lucy Skaer. Right, tabloid hacks get your pens ready! Now’s your annual chance to make jokes about contemporary art! See the Guardian for a good intro to the shortlisted artists.
More bad news
Christies announced that they are cutting jobs and departments in the face of the global economy. Sotheby’s is also making further job cuts and reducing shareholder dividends from 60 cents to 20 cents. See Art Review for more.
Name Dropping
Following on from Craig Mod’s appearance in Esquire (as reported on Jean Snow’s blog), TAB’s very own Paul Baron is featured in the May edition of Brutus! In the issue he introduces his swanky designer pad and generally looks very homely.
Viktorija
2009-05-04
For me Kiyosumi Garden event was really worth paying a visit. In overcrowded Tokyo to get to a place where only 35 people will gather meant more than luxury. And it was so individualised, listener oriented – starting with the ticket with your own name on it, ending with the headphones dedicated just for you. And I was completely blown up by the glass of champagne which left the trace in my mouth for a long while – all through the concert.
Certainly, the music by Go Taneda, Philippe Chatelain and Olivier Pasquet was the reason to come here and it was an apropriate follow-up for bonjour/konbanwa notes. It felt as if you were in quiet Japanese garden and things just started to change, develope into unbelievable plants, spaces, narratives etc. It featured lots of Japanese sounds – city, people, maybe machines talking. Still, I‘m not sure, I think I was teleported to France during this event.