Bringing Japanese talent to the world! Nissan Art Award 2020 Grand Prix winner decided!
(TOP image) The trophy for the Nissan Art Award 2020. It was designed by product designer Keita Suzuki and produced in collaboration with Kaikado, a Kyoto workshop that has been in business since 1875.
The Nissan Art Award was launched with the aim of supporting outstanding Japanese artists in the field of contemporary art and helping to foster the development of Japanese culture for the next generation. This year marked the fourth time the award was held, coinciding with the Yokohama Triennale.
The first round of judging took place in May 2019, and five artists were selected as finalists from 28 candidates recommended by curators, researchers, and others. The Grand Prix winner will be announced on Wednesday, August 26th!
The winner of the Grand Prize was Pan Yizhou, who was born in Shanghai in 1987, moved to Japan as a child, and is currently active in Tokyo. He is an artist who has created works based on the theme of "mobility" based on his own experiences.
The motif of the work is wave-breaking blocks, commonly known as tetrapods. This was wrapped in emergency sheets (familiar disaster prevention goods) developed by NAS, and combined with a video work to create a new installation. The wave-breaking blocks, which normally do not move from the shore, are separated from their "flock" and float in the sea, making them look like spaceships. In a situation where people's movements are restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the work gives the impression of something more than the artist intended.
*Pan Yizhou《where are you now》2020
All of the works by the finalists, including Pan, are on display at the Nissan Pavilion in Yokohama (until September 22, 2020) in the "Nissan Award 2020 Finalist New Works Exhibition." We hope you'll take this opportunity to experience cutting-edge contemporary art, so we'd like to give you a sneak peek at the atmosphere of the venue.
The first thing you see when you enter the exhibition hall is Sachiko Kazama's Dyslympics 2020. This work, released in 2018, depicts the opening ceremony of the Olympics to be held in the fictional city of Dyslympia in the year 2680 of the Imperial calendar (2020 AD). It is full of ominous elements, such as a virus-like sun, and reminds me of the words spoken at the press conference for Yokohama Triennale 2020, "Artists sometimes foresee the future."
* Kazama Sachiko "Dyslympics 2020" 2018
On the opposite wall, four new works created specifically for this exhibition are on display.
* Sachiko Kazama, "PAVILION - Earth's Fart House", "PAVILION - White Elephant House", "￥＝∞", "COUNT ZERO", 2020
Soichiro Mihara is an artist who creates works that combine natural phenomena with media technology, and this time the motif is "water." The three states of water - ice, water, and water vapor - are displayed on a plate that stretches straight out like a runway. It seems to be some kind of scientific device, but the sight of the three states of water lined up at the same time gives off a fantastical nuance.
* Soichiro Mihara “Mushumono” 2020
This is the corner for Wada Ei, who is running a participatory art project called "Electronicos Fantasticos!" that turns old household appliances into musical instruments.
* Ei Wada "Stateless Electromagnetic Orchestra: BC" 2019
The "Electromagnetic Musical Instrument Manual" was sent to five people who lived in different places and did not know each other, and a video was displayed of them assembling a CRT television, an electric fan, a radio cassette recorder, etc. into musical instruments and trying to play them. "Is this a musical instrument?" they asked, tilting their heads, but everyone seemed to be having fun.
Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, it seems that some participants did not receive their luggage as scheduled, but perhaps this is also a typical development in contemporary art that reflects the times.
The final area is occupied by Nobuko Tsuchiya, who creates "sculptures" by combining everyday items such as wool, silicon, iron fragments, cotton, and plastic, as well as scrap materials that she has picked up.
*Nobuko Tsuchiya《Mute-Echoes》2020
It looks squishy and feels nice, but you must not touch the artwork!
I wondered if it was one piece of work as a whole, but since it was impossible to capture the whole piece on camera, I tried taking pictures from various angles. (You can take pictures freely inside the museum!) As I searched for interesting angles, I started to feel like an artist, which was kind of fun.
The venue, the Nissan Pavilion, is a facility where you can experience the future of mobility as envisioned by Nissan through various content. In addition to cars, there are plenty of entertaining exhibits, including games, and admission is free!
The Nissan Pavilion will be open for a limited time until Friday, October 23, 2020, so be sure to check it out.
*The Art Award exhibition will be on display until Tuesday, September 22nd (national holiday).
What personally caught my interest the most was "CHAYA CAFE," where you can enjoy salads, sandwiches, craft beer, and other dishes made with ingredients from Kanagawa. The menu served here uses hydroponic vegetables grown using only electricity and water.
One feature worth noting is the "ProPilot Waiter," an application of Nissan's driving assistance technology. It is a robot that automatically delivers ordered food, and although it is simple, it is somehow charming, and I found myself watching it for a long time.
"Exhibition of new works by finalists of Nissan Art Award 2020"
[Period] August 1st (Saturday) - September 22nd (Tuesday/Holiday), 2020
[Time] Mon-Fri 11:00-19:00 / Sat-Sun 10:00-19:00
[Closed] Irregular holidays
[Venue] Nissan Pavilion
[Fee] Free
