10 Things in Tokyo: December 2017

Keiko Kiyohara was a gifted printmaker who passed away at the young age of 32. The Hachioji Yume Art Museum presents all 30 of her copperplate etchings detailing her elaborate, fantastical worlds informed by literary influences. Ends December 14.
The contemporary art space Waitingroom has moved from Ebisu to Bunkyo Ward with an inaugural show featuring eleven artists. Look for the red linear stylings of painting and installation artist Rikako Kawauchi, Saori Miyake’s media-bending blends of photography and painting, and Nobuaki Ito’s video installations cheekily contemplating corporality. Until December 17.

The artist collective Everyday Holiday Squad (EHS) takes a skeptical approach to changes in the urban landscape as Tokyo readies itself for the 2020 Olympics. Based out of Snow Contemporary with installations around Shibuya, Open/Close City No. 1: Room in Shibuya observes the loss of a culture of “youth and freedom” through works targeting developments such as the walling off of Miyashita Park and crackdowns on bicycle parking, parodied with bicycles converted into public art. By drawing attention to what is rendered visible and invisible in public spaces, EHS hopes to carve out a new kind of street culture for the years to come. Through December 22.

Tekiya are itinerant street merchants who run food and amusement booths at shrine festivals. In the late 1960s, photographer Hitomi Watanabe embarked on a four-year project following a group of rough-and-tumble tekiya from fair to fair. She has now revived the series, displaying 30 black and white images at Zen Foto through December 22. Yoshiyuki Okuyama is one of the fastest-rising stars of Japanese photography. Active in commercial fields and making a splash with last year’s delectably fresh Bacon Ice Cream, Okuyama now releases 70 new photographs in “As the Call, So the Echo” at Gallery 916. These images of a friend’s family living in a Nagano village tap into the intangible forces through which people to find resonance with each other. Ends December 24.

Lee Ufan headlines Rhythm in Monochrome – Korean Abstract Painting, a gorgeous and intriguing exploration of the Dansaekhwa movement that emerged in South Korea in the 1970s. Combining Eastern painting traditions with Western modernism and Monoha’s interest in materiality, these artists created works in which bases of canvas and Korean paper are integrated wholly into their abstract compositions. Until December 24. Receive ¥200 off admission with the MuPon app.

Marimekko Spirit delves into the ethos of this Finnish textile brand loved around the world for its vivid colors and playful patterns. Video interviews and displays of some of the brand’s most notable works spotlight three leading Marimekko designers, each of whom has created a new pattern on the theme of Japan for this show at Ginza Graphic Gallery. Through January 13. Chihiro Art Museum, a charming site in Nerima Ward equipped with a library, café, and playroom, tours a century of Japanese children’s books. Spanning the pre-war Taisho era golden age of picture book publishing through the present day, it exhibits illustrations by acclaimed artists including Takehisa Yumeji, Mitsumasa Anno, and Makoto Wada. Ends January 31.

Decoration Never Dies, Anyway at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, a palatial Art Deco residence in the heart of Tokyo, reflects on the enduring and evolving nature of ornamentation used in everything from ancient funeral rites to high fashion. The show beautifully integrates the works of seven contemporary artists, including conceptual sculptor Wim Delvoye and fashion designer Yoshikazu Yamagata, into the museum’s interior. Through February 25. Leandro Erlich: Seeing and Believing at Mori Art Museum offers new ways of perceiving and experiencing the world with immersive installations bringing together highlights from the Argentinian artist’s career. Lose yourself in a maze of mirrors, meet yourself as a “ghost,” and dangle from a building (safely!) in these works created with Erlich’s special gift for optical and spatial illusions. Until April 1. Both of these exhibitions are eligible for discounts with the MuPon app.