Tokyo art event: ‘SEED’ by ASF – a leap forward

Art and architecture inspire new ways of seeing and thinking about the world. I’ve commented on this before in this blog, whether it’s the Metabolists, Japanese crafts, or the cities many art galleries such as the inviting 3331 Arts Chiyoda, housed in a former school building. ‘SEED’, an upcoming art exhibition (held both online and in-person) is using art to explore the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Such a theme could become didactic, but the show’s diverse group of artists bring a body of work and collection of sensibilities that appear well suited to the exhibit’s goals.

Details:

Exhibit: “SEED”

Presented by: ASF_a leap forward (art for the sustainable future) (defunct link: asf-tokyo com/)

Location: R-Startupstudio 〒106-0041 東京都港区麻布台１丁目８−10 (1-chōme-8-10 Azabudai) (map) – across the street from the Russian embassy

Dates:

Online exhibition will run from July 15 – October 15, 2020
Physical exhibition will run from September 4-6, 2020

The artists:

Izumi Sakamoto 坂本泉 (Japan) (website)

Several of Sakamoto’s works deal with concepts of place and environment. In ‘Searching for Oasis’, she immersed paper in various forms of water (rivers, puddles, the ocean), then left them to dry, thereby “collecting” the water in a dry form. ‘Plastic World‘ – included in this show – draws parallels between the way packaging forms a skin around our food by forming an outfit of food packaging (skin) around the artist’s entire body.

Of interest: Sakamoto is Artist & Director of Artist in Residence Yamanashi [AIRY] アーティスト・イン・レジデンスへ, a former OBGYN office in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture that houses visiting artists.

Artist In Residence Yamanashi [AIRY] (website)
2-37-2 Marunouchi, Kofu city, Yamanashi 400-0031 JAPAN
400-0031 山梨県甲府市丸の内2-37-2
Google Maps

Roy Andres Hofer (Switzerland) (website, broken link: royglobalized net)

Hofer, the show’s curator, frequently collaborates with other artists and is the founder of the a-space*, a gallery and artist collective. Hofer’s work often emphasizes the physicality of the act of shopping – an act that become as invisible as the act of reading, yet one that cannot be accomplished without the creation, accumulation, and eventual disposal of physical objects.

_{* Broken link: a-spacegallery com}

Weiyun Chang (Taiwan) (website) (Facebook)

Chang, who describes herself as a “visual storytelling”, works as a curator and artist in a variety of materials. The works on her website combine a delicate touch with a confident, consistent aesthetic.

Thomas C. Chung トーマス C. チュン (Australia) (website)

Chung’s work allows us to view the natural world differently through acts of re-creation.

Jasmin Glaab ジャスミン・グラーブ (Switzerland) (website)

Glaab’s arts is mostly in the form of performance and painting. In addition to being a curator and educator, she is also the director of the artist run space kunsthallekleinbasel. Glaab’s works are more immediately personal than the other artists in the show, such as in the work “ART OF APPROPRIATION”, a performance of creating lipstick marks repeatedly on a variety of surfaces.

Koharu Kawakatsu 川勝小遥 (Japan) (website)

Kawakatsu’s works have forged a connection between artist and the “average person” (my term). Her works incorporate ready-made objects and she organized the exhibit “Omotesando convenience store” 『表参道コンビ二』, which included 69 artists and was visited by 4000 people. Kawakatsu notes that her goal is “to present art in the Japanese society and to surprise the people .”

Susi Kramer スーシー・クレイマー (Switzerland)

Kramer is trained painter work who also creates acrylic glass sculptures. The acrylic works re-frame the objects inside, making it possible to view the inner objects from multiple angles simultaneously.

Satoru Takahashi 高橋達(Japan) (website)

Takahashi is a photographer with a crisp, colorful style who specializes in landscapaes and the theme of “Japan” . His images of nature are so clean and precise that they make me aware of the artificiality of ‘nature photography’.