A Noh theater transformed into an art museum! A world of art that will make you grin and ponder profound themes

A world of art to visit, see and feel
File.10 Yokohama Noh Theater Special Exhibition: Akira Yamaguchi "Daytime Shura"
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)

Akira Yamaguchi, who has been creating a series of works that combine traditional Japanese painting styles with modern motifs, will be exhibiting an installation at the Yokohama Noh Theatre - you have to go! That's because Yamaguchi is a handsome contemporary artist who is popular with artsy girls for his relaxed and cool style, in addition to his humorous style. What is he planning to do at the Noh Theatre, which could be called the temple of Japanese classics? I was intrigued and headed over to see it.

This exhibition is held in conjunction with the Yokohama Noh Theatre's planned performance "Elegance and Impermanence - The World of Shura Noh." In other words, it depicts the characters and battles of "The Tale of the Heike," while also depicting a world of impermanence.
We pass through the usual lobby and head to the first floor auditorium. Each seat is decorated with a bow, creating a "seigaiha" (waves of the blue ocean) pattern. The faint sound of flowing water can be heard from backstage, evoking the underwater world where the Heike clan drowned at Dannoura.

I heard there was an exhibition in the lobby on the first floor, so I went back and found an old grandfather clock hanging in the corner. Is this also an installation?
On stage, you can feel the passage of time through "water," and in the lobby, you can feel the passage of time through the sound of ticking. Perhaps this is an attempt to experience different timelines. Incidentally, the time on the grandfather clock can sometimes differ significantly, but this is apparently connected to the world of Noh, where time flows in parallel—the past and present exist side by side.

When you go up to the second floor, you will see chairs and tables stacked up in front of the rest room. This is also, of course, part of the installation.
The party-style table setting in the back room is said to be an image of the "phantom banquet" where "Earless Hoichi" was taken by the ghosts of the Heike clan. Does this mean that the chairs and tables piled up in the foreground are from the real world, in other words, a cemetery?

A world that is visible to those who can see, but invisible to those who cannot.

In the glass cases where Noh related materials are usually displayed, various tools pulled from the Noh theatre's storage room are displayed as "artworks" alongside Yamaguchi's paintings. Noh masks, wig buckets used on stage, clothes racks for displaying costumes, water jugs from the dressing room, and even screws and nails found in a toolbox. Yamaguchi walked all over the Noh theatre, selecting items and combining them with his own paintings to create the whole exhibition.
Some of the paintings will be unfinished at the time of the opening, but according to the artist, "I plan to complete them during the museum's closed days." If you visit several times, you may be able to enjoy the "evolution" of the works.

A panel is casually propped up in front of a glass case. It makes you wonder if it's still under construction, but of course it's part of the installation. The way the information board is displayed in the glass case with a smug look on its face is also typical of modern art.
The theme that runs throughout the film is "the sea" or "waves," which overlaps with the rise and fall of the Taira clan and the tragedy that struck the Tohoku region.

Do you understand? Don't you understand?

Rather than thinking too hard about it, I guess it's better to just feel free and enjoy it.

In the video corner, a video in which Yamaguchi himself (?) acts out a scene plays endlessly.
The title of the work is "Hoksha Noh."
I felt that there were messages that artists should convey, and that there were things that could only be achieved through art.

This event has ended.
Yokohama Noh Theatre Special Exhibition: Akira Yamaguchi "Daytime Shura"
[Event period] Until Saturday, March 23rd, 9:00-20:00
*Closed on Tuesday, February 26th, Monday, March 4th, Tuesday, March 5th, and Wednesday, March 6th
[Venue] Yokohama Noh Theatre
[Admission fee] Free *If there is a paid event, those without a ticket will not be able to enter.
[Inquiries] Yokohama Noh Theatre Tel. 045-263-3055