NPO Aoyama Design Forum presents the recommended exhibitions of art galleries and museums in August 2024. In addition to the schedule of events, we will provide you with detailed information such as the works on display. Please check the website of each museum for current opening hours before visiting.

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画像：塩田千春 《台風の目》 2022年
画像提供:バンコクアートビエンナーレ
©JASPAR, Tokyo, 2023 and Chiharu Shiota

 "CHIHARU SHIOTA, I to EYE" at Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

Chiharu Shiota's upcoming exhibition in Osaka, her first large solo show in her birthplace in 16 years, will feature five or six of her signature thread-based installations, including new works and pieces never before shown in Japan. The exhibition space spans 1,700 square meters with a six-meter-high ceiling, providing a grand setting for these installations. Additionally, the exhibition will incorporate written texts from the public on the theme of "connections," which the artist will use in one of her installations, adding a unique, participatory element to the show.

Trio: Modern Art Collections from Paris, Tokyo and Osaka at Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

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This exhibition brings together collections from three major museums: the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, and the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka. These museums have each developed rich modern art collections, and this unprecedented exhibition uniquely combines their works. It features 34 trios of over 150 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, and more by 110 artists. The trios are curated based on commonalities such as subject matter, color, and context, transcending eras and cultural backgrounds. Organized into seven thematic chapters, the exhibition offers a fresh perspective on modern art from the early 20th century to today, emphasizing its diverse appeal.

"Louise Bourgeois: I have been to hell and back. And let me tell you, it was wonderful." at Mori Art Museum

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画像：Louise Bourgeois
Maman
1999/2002
Bronze, stainless steel, marble
9.27 x 8.91 x 10.23 m
Collection: Mori Building Co., Ltd, Tokyo

Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) was a pivotal artist of the last century, known for exploring tensions within binary oppositions—such as male and female, and conscious and unconscious—through diverse media like installation, sculpture, and drawing. Her work was deeply influenced by the traumatic events of her early childhood, allowing her to transform personal memories into universal motifs that express complex emotional states. Bourgeois's art, particularly her focus on sexuality and gender, has been highly influential and continues to resonate globally. Her upcoming exhibition in Japan, the first in 27 years, will be her largest solo show in the country, featuring approximately 100 works across three chapters. The exhibition's subtitle, "I have been to hell and back. And let me tell you, it was wonderful," reflects her resilience, dark humor, and the transformative power of art.

  • Dates: September 25, 2024 to January 19, 2025
  • Venue: Mori Art Museum
  • Hours: 10:00-22:00 (Until 17:00 on Tuesdays) *Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.
  • Fee: [Weekdays] General: 2,000 / [Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays] General: 2,200
  • URL: https://tinyurl.com/yc5uhnz7

"pooploop" at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT

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21_21 DESIGN SIGHT will present the exhibition "pooploop" from September 27, 2024, directed by Taku Satoh and Shinichi Takemura. The exhibition explores the concept of circulation in nature, where nothing remains unchanged, and waste and excrement are integral parts of the cycle. However, in modern society, these elements are marginalized and treated as problems to be ignored. "pooploop" challenges this perspective by examining waste and excrement from various angles, including environmental and cultural contexts. The exhibition encourages viewers to reconsider these often-avoided topics, highlighting their significance and potential in redefining artifact design and understanding the world’s constant circulation.

  • Dates: September 27, 2024 to February 16, 2025
  • Venue: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Galleries 1 & 2
  • Hours: 10:00-19:00 (Last admission at 18:30)
  • Closed: Tuesdays (Open on February 11), year-end and New Year holidays (December 27 – January 3)
  • Fee: General: 1,400, University Students: 800, High School Students: 500, Junior High School Students and younger: Free
  • URL: https://tinyurl.com/yzvfsuk5

"Collection Exhibition 1" at 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

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画像：藤浩志 《Happy Paradies（ハッピー・パラダイズ）》 2015
© FUJI Hiroshi
photo: KIOKU Keizo
金沢21世紀美術館蔵

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa will hold a year-long collection exhibition highlighting its core function—the collection itself. Since its inception in 2000, the museum's collection has expanded from around 200 to approximately 4,200 items, reflecting both the museum's history and identity. The collection focuses on works created since 1980 that propose new values, influential works in art history since 1900, and pieces with strong local connections to Kanazawa. This exhibition will explore the evolving nature of art and the museum's role, providing a platform for reflection on the past, present, and future of artistic expression.

  • Dates: June 22 to September 29, 2024
  • Venue: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
  • Hours: 10:00-18:00(Open until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
  • Closed: Mondays, July 16, August 13, September 17, and September 24
  • Fee: General: 450yen, University Students: 310yen, Elementary, Junior High, and High School Students: Free, Seniors (65 and over): 360yen
  • URL: https://tinyurl.com/48r3j438

"Giorgio de Chirico: Metaphysical Journey" at Kobe City Museum

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Giorgio de Chirico (1888–1978) was born in Greece to Italian parents. From around 1910, he began creating paintings that depicted squares and interiors using distorted perspectives and surreal motifs to express the extraordinary within the everyday. This style, known as "metaphysical painting," had a significant impact on Surrealist artists. After 1919, de Chirico developed an interest in classical painting techniques, though he continued to create works in his earlier metaphysical style. This exhibition, showcasing about 70 years of his artistic career, includes paintings from his early to late periods, as well as sculptures and stage designs, offering a rare opportunity to experience the full scope of de Chirico's art.

  • Dates: September 14 to December 8, 2024
  • Venue: Kobe City Museum
  • Hours: 9:30-17:30  (Open until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays) *Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.
  • Closed: Mondays, September 17, 24, October 15, November 5
  • URL: https://dechirico.exhibit.jp/

"Tintin Wulia: Things-in-Common" at Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art

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Tintin Wulia's artistic practice is deeply influenced by her Chinese-Balinese heritage and the traumatic disappearance of her grandfather during the 1965-66 Indonesian mass killings. Her work, shaped by childhood discrimination and an interest in boundaries and conflict, is expressed through multidisciplinary installations and video art. Wulia explores how personal experiences can connect with others through aesthetic elements, evolving into projects that link art with social and political change. Her first solo exhibition in Japan will showcase her works from early to present, highlighting her journey from personal memory to collective action and social connection through art.

  • Dates: September 21, 2024 to January 5, 2025
  • Venue: Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Exhibition Room B-1
  • Hours: 10:00-17:00
  • Closed: Mondays, September 24, October 15, November 5, year-end and New Year holidays (December 27 – January 1, 2025)
  • Fee: General: 1,100yen, University Students: 800yen, High School Students and Seniors (65 and over): 550yen, Elementary School Students and younger: Free
  • URL: https://tinyurl.com/72zzpv5b

Art Brut 2024 Touring Exhibition "Abstract Labyrinths: Dreaming Color and Form"

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The fifth iteration of the traveling Art Brut exhibition will be held across Tokyo, showcasing the allure of this unique art form. Marking this milestone, the exhibition will feature Edward M. Gomez, a globally renowned Art Brut scholar, as guest curator. The focus will be on "abstraction" in Art Brut, with the exhibition touring three venues in Tokyo and presenting the dynamic artistic worlds of seven Japanese Art Brut artists. Attendees will explore the bold, mystical expressiveness of these artists and their dreamlike abstract works. Much like dreams, the abstract pieces present enigmatic imagery and narratives, creating a labyrinth of abstraction for viewers to navigate.

Lotta's new solo exhibition “ANIMA” at GALLERY ROOM・A

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Artist Lotta's solo exhibition ANIMA will be held at GALLERY ROOM A from September 7, 2024 (Sat) to October 6, 2024 (Sun). Born in 1993, Lotta learned painting through self-study and began her professional career as an artist in Tokyo in 2017. Initially working with ink painting techniques, she now primarily creates line drawings and acrylic paintings.