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State of the art

Exploring Roppongi and Tennozu, two of Tokyo'due south artsiest neighbourhoods

We know it's 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 letter'south about famous entertainment district, once known as 'Loftier Affect Town', prides itself on an impressive array of modest galleries and large museums – the cultural legacy of gentrification efforts over the last decade.

Further southeast, Tennozu Island is no stranger to the fine art, or artifice, of transformation from the bottom upwards either. In fact, the bogus island was literally dredged up from the depths of Tokyo Bay during the 1920s and '30s. Recently, extensive waterfront planning has seen the hitherto quiet warehouse commune re-emerge as a exist-muraled boondocks dotted with canalside cafés, high-rise office buildings, hip hotels and art galleries.

Roppongi

This year, Roppongi's fine art cred was raised to new heights with the opening of the Complex665 edifice (half-dozen-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 away from the hustle and bustle of Roppongi, but is hard to miss thanks to what appears to be 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 piece of work'.

A major thespian in Tokyo's contemporary art scene, Tomio Koyama Gallery moved into the second flooring of the building from their previous location in Sendagaya, employing immature architects Toru Murayama and Ayako Kato to design their new two-room exhibition space. They represent an impressive roster of artists in Japan, including wunderkind photographer Ryan McGinley, American post-minimalist Richard Tuttle and Yoko Ono.

Also on the second floor is ShugoArts, who take championed the avant-garde of Japanese art since the mid-'80s. Their gallery was designed past architect Jun Aoki, besides responsible for facelifting the façade of the Louis Vuitton building in Ginza. Unlike their flatmates, ShugoArts keep the store open on Sundays.

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

If yous've enjoyed killing a whole flock of birds with 1 stone, and then head over to the Piramide Building (vi-vi-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku), which is another great instance of the tried-and-tested 'power in numbers' model of art collectives. Leading galleries Ota Fine Arts and Wako Works of Art are among its famous tenants.

Rising above the residue both in height and, arguably, in might, the 238-metre Roppongi Hills Mori Tower is home to the Mori Art Museum, which holds some of Tokyo's most ambitious and influential exhibitions. A retrospective defended to the Indian artist N South Harsha will be unveiled in February 2017.

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

The National Art Center (NACT), designed past Kisho Kurokawa of Nakagin Capsule Tower fame, boasts the largest exhibition infinite of whatever museum in Nihon. Unlike near of its counterparts, NACT is an 'empty museum', which ways it does not have a permanent collection, instead choosing to commission one-off exhibitions – their Monet show was the second most visited exhibition in the world in 2007.

Located in Tokyo Midtown and designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma, the Suntory Museum of Fine art possesses the biggest collection of Japanese arts and crafts in the country, comprised of a whopping 3,000-plus objects. Their tea ceremonies, staged on the sixth flooring every second Thursday, are a must do.

And for the 'Peanuts' fans out there, Roppongi has a Snoopy Museum, showcasing Charles One thousand Schulz's original drawings and art for the beloved series. A number of the cartoonist'due south early works, vintage collectibles and other materials are besides on display.

Tennozu Isle

Backed past the Terrada warehouse company, which does far more but stock Tokyoites' leftover belongings, Tennozu's 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 similar miniature cabinets of curiosities. Later on paying a visit to Archi-Depot, you're certain to walk away with a renewed appreciation for Tokyo's cute buildings, often overlooked in the relentless hustle and bustle of our dear city.

Simply a stone'southward throw away from Archi-Depot lies the striking art supplies 'laboratory' Pigment, designed past Kuma and inspired past the await and feel of bamboo. It stocks more than four,500 colour pigments, fifty kinds of animal 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, iv contemporary art galleries recently decided to nestle confronting each other on the third floor of the Terrada Fine art Complex. The quartet is comprised of Kodama Gallery, who are getting ready for a solo show by Japanese artist Gaëtan Kubo opening January 14; Urano, representing domestic talents such as Takahiro Iwasaki, who will exist flying the flag for Japan at the 2017 Venice Biennale; Yamamoto Gendai, who count the legendary luminary Richard Serra amid 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 within a fully operating warehouse and are only attainable by a service elevator.

As the former and electric current residents of neighbourhoods like London's Shoreditch and New York'south Brooklyn will tell you, gentrification is a double-edged sword that tears through the old to make manner for the new. Whichever side of the 3rd moving ridge café/local caff divide you're on, the number and density of art galleries is oftentimes a good litmus examination for how far a neighbourhood has come downwards the line. Less than half an hour apart, Roppongi and Tennozu Island offer two dissimilar cases to study for those interested in the sociocultural effects of Tokyo'south urban planning. Or you could just wait at the fine art.

Terrada'due south chief warehouse (ii-half-dozen-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku) is holding an exhibition on David Bowie from January 8 to April 9 – be sure to go your tickets in accelerate.

Detect more galleries in Roppongi

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

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