On Saturday, April 25, 2015, Mori Art Museum will reopen after a period of temporary closure for renovation work (January 5 - April 24, 2015).
Embracing the concepts of "contemporary" and "international," Mori Art Museum has, from the beginning, staged concurrently "major curated exhibitions" aimed at showcasing the diverse trends in global contemporary art and "MAM Projects" aimed at supporting the activities of promising young artists from around the world. Now, more than ten years after its opening, as globally expanding contemporary art becomes increasingly complex, Mori Art Museum like all contemporary art museums faces the new task of finding ways to share with as many layers of visitors as possible the cultural, social and historical background peculiar to artworks produced in various different regions.
Given this situation, Mori Art Museum is taking the occasion of renovation work to develop three new small programs - "MAM Collection," "MAM Screen" and "MAM Research" - in addition to the existing "major curated exhibitions" and "MAM Projects." By adding additional layers to our exhibition programs, we hope to provide visitors with a richer experience of contemporary art of the world in all its diversity.
After the renewal, Mori Art Museum will present "Simple Shapes" followed by "Dinh Q. Lê" exhibition.
■2015 Exhibition Schedule
"Simple Shapes"
Saturday, April 25, 2015 - Sunday, July 5, 2015
Anonymous
Birdstone
Production year unknown
Slate
4.8×10.2cm
Collection Ahrenberg, Switzerland
Anthony McCall
Line Describing a Cone 2.0
1973 / 2010
Video installation
Dimentions variable
The modern era has produced numerous artworks of simple beauty. In Europe between the 19th and 20th centuries, such "simple shapes" were rediscovered in the fields of mathematics, mechanical engineering, biology, geology and archeology, having a significant impact in such areas as industrial products and architectural design. A number of masterpieces of modern art were inspired by them also, artists having been captivated by their graceful charm.
Such simple and beautiful shapes within them are also found in nature and in many of the world' s traditional cultures. "Simple shapes" such as those found in stone implements and bird stones are seen in much of the folk art and primitive art from around the world. In Japan, a similar aesthetic takes on a physical form in crafts, the tea ceremony and Zen Buddhist paintings.
Incorporating a dynamic, cutting-edge installation of contemporary art, this exhibition will present "simple shapes," showing their geographical expansion and their historical connections and depicting the form of universal beauty they have in common, a beauty that transcends time and space.
In the increasingly complex world in which we live today, what questions do unadorned, modest and back-to-basics "simple shapes" pose about true richness in living?
* With the generous support of Fondation d'entreprise Hermès, the exhibition held at Centre Pompidou Metz (June 13, 2014 - January 5, 2015) will travel to Japan and be restructured by the Mori Art Museum.
Participating Artists (TBC) * in alphabetical order of the artists' surnames
Jean Arp, Karl Blossfeldt, Constantin Brancusi, BRASSAÏ, Marc Couturier, Marcel Duchamp, Albrecht Dürer, Olafur Eliasson, Lucio Fontana, Suzanna Fritscher, Ellsworth Kelly, Yves Klein, Kupka (Kupka Frantisek), Lee Ufan, Man Ray, Etienne-Jules Marey, Anthony McCall, John Mccracken, Patrick Neu, Barnett Newman, Nishikawa Katsuhito, Nam June Paik, Antoine Pevsner, Emmanuel Saulnier, José Maria Sicilia, Edward Steichen, Sugimoto Hiroshi, Tanaka Nobuyuki, Wolfgang Tillmans, Tsai Charwei, James Turrell, Xavier Veilhan
Website: http://www.mori.art.museum/eng/exhibition/simple_shapes.html
"Dinh Q. Le"
Saturday, July 25, 2015 - Monday, October 12, 2015
Untitled (Milano 002) (from the series Vietnam to Hollywood)
2004
Color photographs on linen tape
97×183cm
Born in 1968 in Hà Tiên, a Vietnamese town near the Cambodian border, Dinh Q. Lê immigrated with his family to the U.S. at the age of ten to escape the Khmer Rouge. After studying photography and media art, Lê attracted attention with his tapestries made by weaving together strips of photographs, a process inspired by traditional Vietnamese grass mat weaving. Woven into this series of works are images chosen from among a variety of motifs including the Vietnam War, Cambodian ruins and Hollywood movies, with different images coming to the fore, depending on the angle from which they are viewed.
Based on thorough research and interviews, Lê throws light on history as it is told through actual personal experiences. In The Farmers and the Helicopters (2006), the video installation that made Lê' s name known to the world, Lê cleverly depicts the complex relationship between the Vietnamese people and war by focusing on a Vietnamese man who attempts to develop his own helicopter. Light and Belief: Sketches of Life from the Vietnam War (2012), presented at the previous documenta in Kassel, comprises 100 drawings and watercolors by former war artists together with a video that vividly recalls the youth these artists spent in wartime.
In today' s world where globalization is continuing and values diversifying, looking again at history from the stories of individuals who have undergone events whose facts have been overshadowed by "official" national and social histories is an extremely important issue. Through the unique artwork of Dinh Q. Lê, one of the most successful artists in Asia today, this exhibition explores new, more intimate ways of looking at the world and history.
Website: http://www.mori.art.museum/eng/exhibition/dinh_q_l.html
■Relevant information
・NEWS: Mori Art Museum, Reopening in Spring 2015
(1) Exhibitions "Simple Shapes" & "Dinh Q. Lê" are to be held in 2015
(2) New Programs "MAM Collection," "MAM Screen," "MAM Research"
・Notice Regarding Temporary Closure during Renovation Work
http://www.mori.art.museum/eng/info/access.html#a05
http://www.mori.art.museum/blog/2014/03/post-235.php
