Once every three years, contemporary art from around the world comes to Yokohama Yokohama Triennale 2017 Islands, constellations, and Galapagos
This is a must-see work at the Yokohama Museum of Art
Ai Weiwei《Safe Passage》2016《Reframe》2016
Yokohama Triennale 2017 exhibition view (Yokohama Museum of Art) Photo: Ken Kato © Ai Weiwei Studio Photo provided by: Yokohama Triennale Organizing Committee
On the exterior wall at the entrance of the Yokohama Museum of Art, a large-scale installation related to the refugee issue is displayed by Ai Weiwei, a contemporary artist born in Beijing, China. Ai Weiwei is an artist who is always concerned with the social situation in which he finds himself, and who promotes activities that seem to expand the concept of art. It consists of life jackets and lifeboats that were actually worn by refugees who crossed the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle East and North Africa and washed ashore on the island of Lesvos. You can almost hear the silent screams from the crowd of life jackets worn by people in extreme conditions, deciding whether to live or die.
Joko Avianto《The boundary between good and evil is extremely curly》2017
Yokohama Triennale 2017 exhibition view Photo: Yuichiro Tanaka Photo provided by: Yokohama Triennale Organizing Committee
Immediately after passing through the entrance, you will be greeted by a huge bamboo installation that resembles a shimenawa rope, an ancient Japanese motif. This work is by Joko Avianto, born in East Java, Indonesia, who has repeatedly considered the traditional culture that is disappearing in his country and the coexistence of humans and nature. The artist himself used approximately 1,500 bamboos from his home country and woven them using his own unique method. It is quite large and has a strong presence even when viewed from the second floor.
Zhao Zhao《Project Taklamakan》2016 Image
Zhao Zhao, a young artist from China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is the first young artist to be officially introduced in Japan, and his work tackles head-on the various issues facing modern China. The work ``Project Taklamakan'' is a video of the act of transporting and wiring a huge refrigerator to the middle of the Taklamakan Desert, the artist's hometown and the second largest desert in the world, and drinking cold beer. . The 100km of electrical wires that were used will also be on display, making you think about the current state of isolation in the vast desert.
Olafur Eliasson “Green light─Artistic Workshop” 2016 Co-produced by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Photo: Sandro EE Zanzinger / TBA21, 2016 ©Olafur Eliasson
Don't miss the works of Olafur Eliasson, a Copenhagen-born artist who is renowned as one of the most important figures in the contemporary art scene. "Green Light Artistic Workshop" is a workshop that was launched with the aim of supporting refugees and immigrants, which has been held in Vienna, Houston, and Venice. Through the act of refugees and people stranded returning home working together with staff to assemble a green light that will be a ray of hope, this event aims to help a wider range of people think about and share the meaning of connecting to society and the meaning of coexistence. will be done.
New works related to “Yokohama” unveiled at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1
Christian Jankowski《History of the Heavyweights》2013 Photographer: Szymon Rogynski Courtesy: the artist, Lisson Gallery
Christian Jankowski, who was born in Göttingen, Germany and is known for his humorous works, is exhibiting a trilogy that addresses the relationship between the body and public sculpture. Current members of the Polish national weightlifting team tried to lift sculptures of historical figures in Warsaw, and rubbed public sculptures in Yokohama to improve the "flow of energy" in Japan ahead of the Olympics. While lying or sitting on a treatment bed or chair, you can watch videos of the masseuse trying to provide relief.
Also of interest are the video works by Tokyo-born Muneteru Ujino, in which home appliances and modified electric guitars emit movement and sound, creating a theatrical space. The setting is post-war, post-war, industrialized Japan in the 20th century, and the artist attempts to explore how individuals should face, connect with, and reconfigure material society through the artist's own English narration. The straightforward depiction of the situation in the flowing video highlights the current Japan we live in and the existence of an increasingly homogenized world.
Works will be displayed in the basement of the Yokohama City Port Opening Memorial Hall, which is normally not accessible.
The Yokohama City Port Opening Memorial Hall celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and is currently designated as a national important cultural property. You can go underground and admire the works, which you cannot normally go inside. In the musty, dark basement, a Godzilla made from scrap wood by Shizuoka-born Yukinori Yanagi awaits you. Godzilla, glaring at us with big eyes from the rubble, is very impressive. In addition, there are works that question Japan's ``now'', such as an LED representation of Article 9 of the Constitution and a piece that appears to be collapsing with a motif of the Japanese national flag. For those who don't want to walk too much, it might be a good idea to start viewing from the museum, which is located right next to Nihon-Odori Station on the Minato Mirai Line. I think it would be a good idea to walk a few minutes from here to BankART Studio NYK and then use the bus to go to other venues.
Free bus service between venues also available
A free bus decorated by artists runs between the Yokohama Museum of Art and the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse every 30 minutes (every 15 minutes during the day on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays). There are also buses that connect Koganecho Bazaar venue and BankART Studio NYK, so check the bus information and enjoy your art tour.
Install a free audio guide app
If you install the "Yokohama Triennale 2017 Audio Guide" app on your smartphone, you can listen to guides to the works and interviews with artists. Free Wi-Fi is available at each venue, so please download the app and take advantage of it.
Mister《Twilight in Tokyo, the city I know, like a hole in my chest》2016
©2016 Mr./Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.Courtesy Perrotin
Places where free Wi-Fi can be used
・Yokohama Museum of Art (Grand Gallery, Exhibition Room, Shop, Cafe)
・Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Building 1 (2nd and 3rd floors)
・Yokohama City Port Opening Memorial Hall (basement)
Check out the art programs that can be enjoyed along with Yokohama Triennale 2017
As a program that can be viewed with a "set ticket," let me first introduce you to "BankART Life V-Sightseeing," which will be held at BankART Studio NYK. The theme here is a group of large-scale works that make use of the venue's large space, as well as urban roads leading to the Koganecho area. Furthermore, at Koganecho Bazaar 2017 Double Façade - Multiple Ways to Meet Other Companies, which will be held at the Koganecho Bazaar venue, an art festival will be held with the theme of the relationship between art and community and exchange with Asia. In addition to exhibitions of works, a variety of content is being developed, including exhibitions of the production process and participatory programs.
In addition, the YCC Yokohama Creative City Center will hold the exhibition ``YCC Temporary'' by artist Kengo Kito, and the ``Yokohama Paratriennale 2017'' and ``Smart Illumination Yokohama 2017'' will be held around Zou-no-hana Terrace. The Yokohama Paratriennale is an art project that aims to realize a cohesive society in which diverse citizens and artists engage in artistic activities on an equal footing, regardless of whether they have disabilities or not. In addition, Smart Illumination is an international light art event that combines environmental technology and art creativity, and from this year onwards, it will be collaborating with the city's illuminations to illuminate Yokohama's nights.
In Yokohama's central waterfront area (around the Ooka River and Zou-no-hana Park), the ``Creative Waterway'' is an outdoor art exhibit that displays a variety of art works by the sea and rivers. We also hold programs.
Paola Pivi, I and I (We must stand up for art), 2014 Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli Courtesy of the Artist & Perrotin
Many people are looking forward to the Yokohama Triennale, which is held once every three years and allows visitors to tour around Yokohama throughout the city. If you don't think too hard about it, surrender yourself to contemporary art from around the world, and spend time just feeling it with the work, your values may change tomorrow. There are still many art programs that we were not able to introduce this time, so please check the official website for details.
