Recommended Exhibition in Japan for November 2022

NPO Aoyama Design Forum presents the recommended Art Gallery and Museum Exhibitions for November 2022. In addition to the calendar of events, we provide detailed information like outline of exhibited works. Up-to-date information on opening hours can be found on each museum’s websites. Please make sure to check it before you visit  the  exhibition.

Into the Unknown World — GUTAI: Differentiation and Integration

The Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka and the National Museum of Art, Osaka are holding a joint exhibition entitled “Into the Unknown World — GUTAI: Differentiation and Integration". The Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, which opened in February 2022, is located across the street from the National Museum of Art, Osaka. In 2022, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Dissolution of the Gutai Art Association (Gutai), the exhibition will be held simultaneously in two museums under the theme of "differentiation and integration". The Gutai Art Association is an artist collective founded in 1954 in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, centered on the painter Jiro Yoshihara (1905-72). This group attempted through a variety of artistic practices to“provide concrete evidence there for delivering that our spirit is free" with a variety of artistic practices, including painting. Under the guidance of Yoshihara, the 18-year trajectory of quest for originality has now attracted much attention both in Japan and abroad, and has become partly mythical as one of the origins of post-war Japanese art.

Dates: October 22, 2022 (Sat) to January 9, 2023 (Mon/Vacation) Please check the website of the respective museum for details such as closing days and opening times.

Venues: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka/The National Museum of Art, Osaka

Ueno Artist Project 2022 “The Tale of Genji Weaves Beauty – The Encounter is Deep”

The "Ueno Artist Project" is a series that began in 2017 with the aim of continuing and developing into the future of the history of Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, also known as the "hometown of public exhibitions," and developing it into the future. The theme of this sixth exhibition is “The Tale of Genji”. The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu in the Heian period, features beautiful scenes of the four seasons and a large number of characters. The interpersonal relationship centered on the main character Hikaru Genji has something in common with us today. The readers can identify with the characters and put themselves in the story, which is why it has probably been read unchanged for about 1000 years. And because it has long been popular, it has influenced other genres such as crafts and performing arts, and the Tale of Genji has fascinated people across time and cultures. This exhibition features artists from a variety of genres, including painting, calligraphy, dyeing, and glasscraft. This exhibition will be an opportunity to rethink our lives during the corona crisis that is changing the way we connect with people and society.

Exhibiting Artist

Hisae Aoki, Stone Dance Tatsuya Atsuto Takagi (Rinchikai), Riyoshi Takano (Japan Calligraphy Art Institute), Kyoko Tamada (Japan Glass Art Crafts Association), Tadashi Moriya (Japan Art Institute) and Hiroko Watanabe (Kofukai).

Dates: November 19, 2022 (Sat) to January 6, 2023 (Fri)

Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Gallery A/C

Closed: November 21, 2022 (Monday), December 5 (Monday), 19 (Monday), 29 (Thursday) to January 3, 2023 (Tuesday )

Opening hours: 9:30-17:30 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)

※Open at night on 25 November (Fri), 2 December (Fri), 9 (Fri), 16 (Fri), 23 (Fri). ) from 9:30 to 20:00 (entrance closes 30 minutes beforehand)

"Toru Nakazaki Fiction Traveler"

This exhibition is the first large-scale solo exhibition at an art museum by artist Toru Nakazaki, who creates a variety of works with a gentle method on the theme of misalignment. Focusing on Nakazaki's literary installations based on interviews that he has developed in recent years, the exhibition presents the latest works that provide an understanding of Mito and Art Tower Mito, as well as the old works including his representative works, to introduce the whole picture of Toru Nakazaki.

Using Nakazaki's hometown of Mito and the museum, Nakazaki's closest home, as a motif, the exhibition reveals "another story" related to Mito and the museum from a unique perspective through interviews and research. In addition, by interweaving old and new works, Nakazaki's trajectory is explored, from his early work with billboards as a motif, to paintings and drawings, reconstructions of past installations, and recent three-dimensional works using colored acrylics and fluorescent lighting. 

From his upbringing to his encounters with contemporary art and his current career as an artist, it is a monumental solo exhibition tinged with an autobiographical tone that is unique to his hometown.

Dates: Saturday, November 5, 2022 to Sunday, January 29, 2023

Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 (entrance until 17:30)

Closed: Mondays, New Year holidays (December 27, 2022 (Tuesday) - January 3, 2023 (Tuesday)) *Open on Monday, January 9, and closed on January 10 (Tuesday)

Venue: Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito

"Lautrec and Mucha in his 10 years in Paris"

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Salon de Saints, Female Passenger in Room 54 (3rd State), 1895, Suntory Poster Collection, Deposited at Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

At the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, from October 15, 2022 (Sat) to January 9, 2023 (Mon/holiday), "Lautrec and Mucha: 10 Years in Paris" is held. This exhibition focuses on the 10 years from 1891 to 1900 when Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha were active in Paris, the city of art, and focuses on the lithograph posters they worked on in common.

Lautrec created his first poster, Moulin Rouge, La Goulue, in 1891. Then about three years later, Mucha also released his first poster, Gismonda.

Taking this opportunity, both will play an active role as darlings of the times. This exhibition approachs the real image of the two poster artists who make up the two great poster artists of the "Good Times (Belle Epoque)". In addition to introducing all 31 of Lautrec's poster works that were sent out to the world in just 10 years in one place, the Suntory Poster Collection entrusted to the museum has a rich variety of state differences and trial printing stages.

Dates: Saturday, October 15, 2022 to Monday, January 9, 2023

Opening hours: 10:00 - 17:00

*Admission until 16:30. Closed on Mondays, 12/31, 1/1 (Open on 1/2 and 1/9).

*The museum may be temporarily closed due to disasters, etc.

Venue: Osaka Nakanoshima Museum 4th Floor Exhibition Room

"Rika Noguchi Mysterious Power" Exhibition

photo：《きゅうり 8月21日》2017年 作家蔵 ©︎Noguchi Rika, Courtesy of Taka Ishii Gallery

The Tokyo Photographic Art Museum presents the exhibition "Rika Noguchi Mysterious Power". Rika Noguchi won the Grand Prixs at several competitions. To date, Noguchi has worked on her pieces on the theme of the relationship between humans and unknown realms such as underwater, high altitude, and outer space. In recent years, she has pursued expressions that unleash the senses and imagination of what she sees through her exploration of countless little mysteries that fill everyday life. Composed of photographs, videos, and drawings, this exhibition includes works from her early work (1995) to her latest work (2022), photographs that transcend time and place. As if guided by the "mysterious power" of Noguchi, various phenomena and scenes that Noguchi has encountered so far are depicted. Experiencing her unique artistic expressions will help viewers reconsider the meaning of each existence living in this world, and what is the "mysterious power" of her photographs and videos.

Dates: October 7, 2022 (Friday) to January 22, 2023 (Sunday)

Venue: Tokyo Photographic Art Museum 2F Exhibition Room

Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 (until 20:00 on Thursdays and Fridays) Last admission 30 minutes before closing

Closed days: Every Monday (if Monday is a public holiday, the museum will be open and closed on the following weekday), New Year holidays (December 29 to January 1, January 4)

* Temporary opening on December 28, January 2 and January 3

"MOMAT Collection" Exhibition 

Saburo Hasegawa "Abstract and Illusion" exhibition panel (part) 1953

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, which celebrates its 70th anniversary in December 2022, is holding an exhibition of works from its collection." The MOMAT Collection is looking back on an important early exhibition, "Abstract and Fantasy: How to Understand Non-Realistic Paintings" (December 1, 1953 - January 20, 1954).

What was the content of the exhibition, which was composed around the two major trends of modern art, "abstraction" and "surrealism (fantasy)"? In Room 7, a reproduction VR created based on the remaining materials and records are projected. In Room 8, works from the 1950s are displayed, centering on the works exhibited in the "Abstract and Illusions" exhibition. Also, please enjoy the second highlight "Dismantle and Rebuild" and the third highlight "New Faces of the 80's".

Dates: October 12, 2021 (Wednesday) to February 5, 2023 (Sunday)

Opening hours: 10:00-17:00 (10:00-20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays) *Admission until 30 minutes before closing

Closed: Mondays (open on January 2nd and January 9th), New Year holidays (December 28th to January 1st), January 10th (Tuesday)

Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo Collection Gallery 4F to 2F

Simultaneous event: Special Exhibition | "Shinro Ohtake Exhibition" November 1st (Tue) - February 5th (Sun), 2022　

Special Exhibition "Man Ray and Women" and "Special Feature: Man Ray and Japan"

Lee Miller (Solarization), circa 1929, gelatin silver print (later printing), private collection. limage courtesy, Photothèque Man Ray, Paris/ ©MAN RAY 2015 TRUST/ ADAGP, Paris & JASPAR, Tokyo, 2021 G2698

The Museum of Modern Art Hayama shows a special exhibition “Man Ray and Women” from Saturday, October 22, 2022. Man Ray (1890-1976), a representative artist of the 20th century. Crossing genres such as painting, object and film, the artist dealt with the possibilities of the new medium of photography, which reached maturity in the 1920s and 30s. This exhibition explores the "women" captured by Man Ray's gaze and traces his creative journey through more than 240 works. In connection with the special exhibition "Man Ray and the Women", the exhibition features "Man Ray and Japan" as a small museum exhibition. Man Ray's wide-ranging activities were introduced to Japan in the late 1920s when he moved from New York to Paris and influenced pre-war avant-garde artists. In addition to Man Ray's reception in Japan, the host also introduces the sculptor Aiko Miyawaki (1929-2014), who served as a model for Man Ray after the war.

Dates: Saturday, October 22, 2022 to Sunday, January 22, 2023

Venue: The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura Hayama (Exhibition Room 1, 2, 3a) Exhibition Room 4

Hours: 9:30am – 5:00pm (admission until 4:30pm)

Closed: Mondays (except January 9), December 29, 2022 - January 3, 2023

Organizer: The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura

Mobile Museum 2022 Mojimoemoemo at Aichi Prefecture

The Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum hold "traveling museums," in which the collections of both museums are transported to various parts of the prefecture for exhibition, in order to make more people familiar with art.This year's exhibition is held at Iwase Bunko in Nishio City and features works related to letters and books under the title "Mojimoemoemo", as the library is a book museum with books from a variety of fields and eras. The two museums feature ceramic works such as bunbo pottery, carved pottery, paintings by Narashige Koide and Kurt Schwitters, prints by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, and Japanese paintings by Nobutada Konoe and Reika Yoshikawa. Three-dimensional works by Takako Araki, Yohei Nishimura and Naoyo Fukuda. Visitors can also enjoy classic books from the city of Nishio Iwase Bunko corresponding to these works.

Dates: September 17th (Sat) to November 27th (Sun), 2022

Venue: Special Exhibition Room, Iwase Bunko, Nishio City Time 9:00-17:00

Closed: Every Monday (October 20th (Thursday), November 17th (Thursday)

Admission fee: Free

Organizer: Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, Nishio City Iwase Bunko

"NACT View 01 Takuro Tamayama Museum Static Lights"

Takuro Tamayama, Museum Static Lights: The National Art Center, Tokyo, 2022, Installation view at The National Art Center, Tokyo. Photo: Kohei Omachi

The National Art Center Tokyo hosts a new project, “NACT View”, a series of small projects that make use of the museum's public space. The architecture designed by Mr. Kisho Kurokawa is a spectacle, but the details are intricately designed. The exhibition invites young to mid-level artists, designers, architects and filmmakers to present a variety of contemporary expressions so that visitors can enjoy a public space that is like a place where many people can relax and pass by. For the first edition, the entrance hall features a new installation by Takuro Tamayama, who specializes in transforming existing spaces into unknown landscapes. Up to now, Tamayama has created works that make you feel the space yourself by combining ready-made items such as daily necessities and furniture with fluorescent light that emits vivid colors. The exhibition focuses on two concrete cones, 16m high and 8m high, which have a central presence in the museum lobby. Using the shape of this cone as a motif, Tamayama creates works of light that have an awareness-raising effect throughout the museum space.

Dates: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 to Monday, December 26, 2022 Closed every Tuesday

Opening hours: According to the opening hours of the museum　

Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo 1st floor lobby

Free viewing

Yutaka Inagawa Solo Exhibition “Thinking of Mark｜eASY mECHANISM”

At the MOU Onomichi City University Museum of Art, a solo exhibition by Yutaka Inagawa, is held from Saturday, November 12, 2022 to Sunday, December 25, 2022. In this exhibition, Inagawa, who is an associate professor in the oil painting course of the Department of Fine Arts, uses new video works, satin prints as immaterial skins, sculptures that distort the artist's intentions, and recreated paintings to visualize a poetic conceptual development.

Dates: Saturday, November 12, 2022 to Sunday, December 25, 2022

Closed: on Wednesday and Thursday (except holidays)

Venue: Onomichi City University Art Museum

Time: 10:00-18:00

Admission fee: Free

"Hitoshi Okamoto's editing and something related to it."

The exhibition "Hitoshi Okamoto's Editing and Something Related to It" is held from Saturday, October 29, 2022 to Sunday, January 22, 2023 at the public cultural facility "Seikatsu Kobo" in Setagaya District. Through publishing magazines, writing essays, and curating exhibitions, Hitoshi Okamoto has brought his unique style of interest to a variety of fields including art, design, film, and music. It is difficult to categorize these activities under a single title, but in the sense that they connect different things in their own unique contexts, one can say that what they have in common is the act of "editing."

Dates: Saturday, October 29, 2022 to Sunday, January 22, 2023

*Closed on Mondays (excluding national holidays)

Venue: Seikatsu Kobo Gallery (Sangenjaya/Carrot Tower 3F)

Hours: 9:00-12:00

Admission fee: Free *Charged for related events

GINZA SIX "Saf Gallery" Ukrainian support project Exhibition of works by Ukrainian artists

The SynchroArt Foundation, which promotes next generation art, supports Ukrainian artists and exhibits works of Ukrainian artists in “Saf Gallery” from November 1st to 4th, 2022 as a project in support of Ukraine. The works to be exhibited during the same period were exhibited at the Ukrainian Support Art Auction on July 29-30, 2022 at the Gallery and National Art Center, Tokyo.

Dates: November 1st (Tuesday) to November 4th (Friday), 2022 Venue: GINZA SIX "Saf Gallery" (6-10-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo GINZA SIX 5F) Hours: 10:30-20:30

Recruit Creation Gallery G8 “Japanese Art Direction Exhibition 2022”

The public exhibition " Japanese Art Direction Exhibition 2022", reflecting the latest trends in Japanese advertising and graphic design, is held at Creation Gallery G8 and Ginza Graphic Gallery in Ginza, operated by Recruit. It takes place from (Tuesday) to the 30th (Wednesday). ADC (Tokyo Art Directors Club) was founded in 1952 and currently consists of 82 art directors representing Japan. The Japan Art Direction Exhibition (formerly known as ADC Exhibition) is an annual public exhibition where all members serve as judges, and the ADC awards selected here reflect the latest trends in Japanese advertising and graphic design. As an award for this, it is attracting attention both at home and abroad.

Dates: November 1st (Tue) to November 30th (Wed), 2022 *Closed on Sundays and public holidays

Venue: Recruit Creative Center Creation Gallery G8 (general works) / Ginza Graphic Gallery (member works)

Hours: 11:00-19:00

Entrance fee: Free