Golden Week tends to be a quiet time, with many galleries closed and people often away on trips. If you are searching for entertainment but are having no luck with regular exhibitions, then two major public art events happening in Tokyo this GW should give you plenty to mull over.
ArtGigTokyo
Following similar events abroad, the first in a new series of semi-guerilla, informal public art ‘exhibitions’ lands in Shinjuku’s ni-chome on Sunday May 8th. “ArtGigTokyo” will be taking place at Bar Exit, transformed into a makeshift ‘gallery’, and hosting fifteen artists, including Chim↑Pom, Nogi Sumiko and Yoko Ono.
The “event” is set to last twelve hours from three o’clock, with the main music and performances starting from around eight in the evening with Lauren Levitt. Along the way there are installations and contributions from Benjamin Skepper, Makoto Aida, Elmgreen & Dragset and more, though visitors should expect to explore the venue’s cracks and corners, as well as the crowd itself.
In the words of organizer and curator Shai Ohayon: “Artworks will include pieces of many disciplines and site-specific installations, using the walls, the actual bar, toilets, lockers, changing room and stage.”
The list of artists is eclectic to say the least and that’s the point. Major names are there alongside people almost obscure in comparison: the event aims to creating a non-hierarchical and accessible platform for presenting and interacting with art.
Chim Pom’s performance art piece is set to start at midnight, following Louise Bak at eleven o’clock and a fetisch performance by Mistress Maya at eleven thirty, and then with DJ sets by Vivienne Sato and others until the early hours. For the non-night owls among you, there will be un-staged performance art from the likes of Jake McLean in the afternoon.
Attendance is free and there is a raffle during the night, as well as a silent auction in aid of the victims of the Tohoku-Kanto earthquake and tsunami. It might just be a big bang to end Golden Week for the capital. Expect TABlog to be there and to report back at a later date.
Art Re-Public Tokyo
Another public art event is happening earlier in the week, on May 5th, and is more of a daytime and kids’ affair.
“Art Re-Public Tokyo” will see the streets of Shibuya converted into a fun and family-friendly art matsuri. We reported on the music and exhibits last year and this second edition likewise presents workshops, food stalls, performances and installations, including Ichiro Endo’s “To the Future”.
However, the tone is now emphasizing more the workshops and activities for kids, and the location has shifted from the heart of Shibuya over towards NHK and Yoyogi Park, so there probably won’t be as many surprised shoppers as before.
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