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State of the art

Exploring Roppongi and Tennozu, two of Tokyo's artsiest neighbourhoods

Nosotros know information technology'due south hard to believe, but Roppongi, Tokyo's glitzy underbelly of pricey alcohol, sleazy clubs and boutique shopping, lives a double life equally the city's art hub. The capital'due south most famous entertainment district, once known as 'High Bear upon Town', prides itself on an impressive assortment of pocket-size galleries and big museums – the cultural legacy of gentrification efforts over the final decade.

Farther southeast, Tennozu Isle is no stranger to the fine art, or artifice, of transformation from the bottom upwardly either. In fact, the artificial island was literally dredged upward from the depths of Tokyo Bay during the 1920s and '30s. Recently, extensive waterfront planning has seen the hitherto quiet warehouse district re-emerge as a be-muraled town dotted with canalside cafés, loftier-rise office buildings, hip hotels and art galleries.

Roppongi

This year, Roppongi's art cred was raised to new heights with the opening of the Complex665 edifice (6-5-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku), which houses a trifecta of influential galleries: Tomio Koyama, ShugoArts and Taka Ishii. The building sits on a residential back street tucked abroad from the hustle and bustle of Roppongi, but is difficult to miss thanks to what appears to exist a squiggle painted on its side. This symbol is the logo designed for Complex665 by artist Yoshihisa Tanaka, who imagined how a 'fictional artist named 665 might sign their ain work'.

A major player in Tokyo's contemporary art scene, Tomio Koyama Gallery moved into the 2nd floor of the building from their previous location in Sendagaya, employing young architects Toru Murayama and Ayako Kato to design their new two-room exhibition infinite. They represent an impressive roster of artists in Nihon, including wunderkind photographer Ryan McGinley, American mail-minimalist Richard Tuttle and Yoko Ono.

Also on the second flooring is ShugoArts, who accept championed the avant-garde of Japanese art since the mid-'80s. Their gallery was designed by architect Jun Aoki, also responsible for facelifting the façade of the Louis Vuitton building in Ginza. Unlike their flatmates, ShugoArts go on the shop open up on Sundays.

Calling dibs on the summit bunk are Taka Ishii Gallery, who represent heavy-hitters like Elmgreen & Dragset, Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama and Thomas Demand. Furniture and interior pattern gurus Broadbean, whose offices occupy the footing floor, were enlisted to design the sleek gallery space on the third floor, which wonderfully feeds off natural light coming in from the plant terrace.

If y'all've enjoyed killing a whole flock of birds with one rock, then head over to the Piramide Building (half-dozen-6-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku), which is another corking example of the tried-and-tested 'power in numbers' model of art collectives. Leading galleries Ota Fine Arts and Wako Works of Fine art are among its famous tenants.

Ascent above the rest both in acme and, arguably, in might, the 238-metre Roppongi Hills Mori Belfry is habitation to the Mori Art Museum, which holds some of Tokyo'south most ambitious and influential exhibitions. A retrospective dedicated to the Indian artist North South Harsha will be unveiled in February 2017.

The brainchild of fashion (and fragrance) designer Issey Miyake and boyfriend pattern greats Taku Satoh and Naoto Fukasawa, 21_21 Pattern Sight more than than underscores Roppongi's role equally the focal point of Tokyo'due south art scene. The common focus of their ever-changing lineup of exhibitions is interdisciplinary design.

The National Art Center (NACT), designed by Kisho Kurokawa of Nakagin Capsule Belfry fame, boasts the largest exhibition space of any museum in Nippon. Unlike most of its counterparts, NACT is an 'empty museum', which means it does not have a permanent collection, instead choosing to commission one-off exhibitions – their Monet evidence was the second most visited exhibition in the world in 2007.

Located in Tokyo Midtown and designed by renowned builder Kengo Kuma, the Suntory Museum of Fine art possesses the biggest collection of Japanese craft in the state, comprised of a whopping 3,000-plus objects. Their tea ceremonies, staged on the sixth floor every 2nd Thursday, are a must practise.

And for the 'Peanuts' fans out in that location, Roppongi has a Snoopy Museum, showcasing Charles M Schulz'southward original drawings and art for the beloved series. A number of the cartoonist's early on works, vintage collectibles and other materials are too on display.

Tennozu Isle

Backed past the Terrada warehouse company, which does far more than just stock Tokyoites' leftover belongings, Tennozu'due south new Archi-Depot museum displays a whopping 116 architectural models by Japanese starchitects, including works by Kengo Kuma, Shigeru Ban and Riken Yamamoto. While the exhibition warehouse isn't exactly a sight to behold, the architectural models – depicting both real buildings and unrealised projects – gleam like miniature cabinets of curiosities. After paying a visit to Archi-Depot, you're sure to walk abroad with a renewed appreciation for Tokyo'southward beautiful buildings, oftentimes overlooked in the relentless hustle and bustle of our dear urban center.

Only a rock'south throw abroad from Archi-Depot lies the hit art supplies 'laboratory' Paint, designed by Kuma and inspired by the look and feel of bamboo. It stocks more than than 4,500 colour pigments, 50 kinds of fauna glues, and a number of top-quality traditional painting tools including over 200 antique ink sticks. The staff are all well-versed in the intricacies of the products and are happy to show you how to use them.

Taking a cue from their comrades over in Roppongi, four contemporary fine art galleries recently decided to nestle confronting each other on the tertiary floor of the Terrada Art Complex. The quartet is comprised of Kodama Gallery, who are getting ready for a solo testify by Japanese artist Gaëtan Kubo opening Jan 14; Urano, representing domestic talents such as Takahiro Iwasaki, who will be flying the flag for Japan at the 2017 Venice Biennale; Yamamoto Gendai, who count the legendary luminary Richard Serra among their artists; and Yuka Tsuruno Gallery, known for their collaborations with renowned artists Candida Höfer and José Parlá. Lest you forget your surrounds, the galleries are located inside a fully operating warehouse and are only attainable past a service elevator.

Equally the former and electric current residents of neighbourhoods like London's Shoreditch and New York's Brooklyn will tell you, gentrification is a double-edged sword that tears through the old to brand manner for the new. Whichever side of the third moving ridge café/local caff separate yous're on, the number and density of art galleries is often a good litmus examination for how far a neighbourhood has come down the line. Less than one-half an hour apart, Roppongi and Tennozu Island offer 2 dissimilar cases to written report for those interested in the sociocultural effects of Tokyo's urban planning. Or you could simply look at the art.

Terrada's principal warehouse (2-half dozen-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku) is holding an exhibition on David Bowie from Jan eight to April nine – be sure to get your tickets in advance.

Find more galleries in Roppongi

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Source: https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/art/state-of-the-art

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