Events

N. S. Harsha observes the world we live in by shifting his viewpoint from everyday happenings to the cosmos, between details and the big picture. The resulting works reference everything from traditional Indian art, the increasing presence of global corporations in India. The international contemporary art scene, to flora and fauna, and Japanese painters such as Ito Jakuchu and Katsushika Hokusai; transcending time and place to make connections in multiple directions.
Painting is the core of N. S. Harsha’s diverse practice, and for this talk session, the artist joins Yamashita Yuji, Aida Makoto, along with the curator of the exhibition to discuss paintings that offer a panoramic take on the world, and those that focus on the minutiae of day-to-day living.

Date & Time: 19:00-21:00, Saturday, February 4, 2017 (Doors open: 18:30)
Venue: Academyhills (49F, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower)
Capacity: 150 (booking required)
Admission: General ¥1,800 / MAMC members free
* Program participant will receive a complimentary exhibition ticket (of “N. S. Harsha: Charming Journey”) on site.
Organizer: Mori Art Museum
Cooperation: Academyhills
Booking: * Booked Out

Take a close look at the six panels of Come Give Us a Speech (2008) and you’ll spot characters from well-known stories, famous artists, and much more to intrigue and delight. At this event, N. S. Harsha himself will give a talk in the gallery, focusing on the stories depicted in this monumental work.

Echoing the Indian economy’s remarkable growth in recent years is the growing presence of Indian artists on the international contemporary art scene, as they appear at major exhibitions around the world. In India itself, 2012 saw the launch of the country’s first art biennial, in the city of Kochi in the southern state of Kerala, an international art show that in just a few years has garnered significant attention both at home and overseas. This discussion will cover recent developments in Indian contemporary art, focusing on the story behind this exciting biennial emerging from a provincial center, and its third staging in 2016.

“N. S. Harsha: Charming Journey” curator Kataoka Mami, who visited the artist's home of Mysuru in the southern Indian state of Karnataka to research the city's history and culture, plus India's festivals, dietary habits etc., will discuss the backdrop to Harsha's works, and what makes them so appealing.

At this workshop, elementary school-age children will be encouraged to imagine the kind of grown-up they want to be, joining N. S. Harsha to turn their imaginations to dreams of the future, and draw/write those dreams on adult-size business shirts. The shirts will be on display during the “Charming Journey” exhibition.

* The booking for this workshop has closed already (booked out).

The children participating in the “Future” workshop will wear their shirts for a parade around Roppongi Hills, where thousands of people wearing the same kind of shirts work.

Date & Time: 10:00-10:30, Monday, January 30, 2017 (* rain-or-shine, morning time)
Venue: within Roppongi Hills

What colors are the Tokyo “Night”? How does it pass? What is happening on the nighttime streets? At this workshop, junior gallery-goers will join N. S. Harsha to think about “night.” On the first day they will turn their imaginations to the hours of darkness to envisage themselves morphing into something totally different, and on the second, thus transformed, head out onto the streets of Roppongi to sketch the “Night” of the capital.

Appearing: N. S. Harsha

Venue: Mori Art Museum, within Roppongi Hills
For: Elementary School Childlen
Capacity: 15 pairs 30 persons (guardian-child pairs) (booking required, attendees chosen by lottery)
Admission: 1,000 yen (1 per guardian-child pair)
Booking: * Booked Out

* Participating child should be accompanied by a guardian, and booking should be made in guardian-child pairs.
* Before booking, please note that participants must attend both days of this 2-day program.
* Booking Period: Wednesday, February 15 - Tuesday, April 4, 2017
* Result of the lottery will be sent to each person by email during the following period: Wednesday, April 5 - Friday, April 7, 2017.

An opportunity for teenagers from third-year junior high school age up (ages 15-19) to take in the exhibition at their leisure, then discuss it in their own words. The participating teens would be viewing the exhibitions, followed by the experience of discussion (partly shared with the “Seniors’ Program” held on the very same day) on the first day. On the last two days, they are to share their views directly with artists N. S. Harsha and Agatha Gothe-Snape.

Date & Time:

Venue: Mori Art Museum
For: Teens (ages 15-19)
Capacity: Approximately 15 (booking required)
Admission: Free
Booking: * Booked Out
* Before booking, please note that participants must attend all 3 days of the program.

In this program specially designed for senior art lovers, a first for the Mori Art Museum, participants are to have the opportunity to contemplate the definition of “senior” and think about future programs at the Museum, while viewing “N. S. Harsha: Charming Journey” alongside teenagers taking part in their own program.

Date & Time: 10:00-12:30, Sunday, February 19, 2017
Venue: Mori Art Museum
For: Those considering themselves as "seniors" / those interested in making new programs utilizing the museum platforms
Capacity: Approximately 15 (booking required)
Admission: Free (exhibition ticket required)
Booking: * Booked Out
Program organized by: inVisible (Kikuchi Hiroko, Hayashi Akio)

Mysuru is a place where Ashtanga yoga has burgeoned. Come to the Museum before opening time and enjoy yoga and art appreciation rolled into one, surrounded by the works of “Charming Journey” on the 53rd floor. Stop by on your school or work commute and stretch your way into the day in a stimulating setting.

Date & Time:

* 8:00-9:15 Yoga session, 9:15-10:00 Free viewing of “N. S. Harsha: Charming Journey”

Venue: Mori Art Museum
Capacity: 20 each (booking required）
Admission: Free (exhibition ticket required)

Organizer: Mori Art Museum
Cooperation: Reebok

* Part of the Program on March 11 will run simultaneously as “Family Hour” Program held on the same day.

Talks by museum staff conducted in a gallery-tour format.

Visit the Mori Art Museum with your little ones aged up to six years, and join other families to view the Museum at your leisure before the official opening time. Pregnant women also welcome. A great opportunity to take in “N. S. Harsha” exhibition while enjoying some weekend relaxation with family, time with your children, and the chance to swap childrearing hints with other visitors.

A tour in which the visually impaired can explore the exhibition through dialogue with museum staff in essence, but open to general public.

A tour for enjoying the exhibition using the Japanese sign language and words. Open to those who don't use sign language, too.

In February 2017, Mori Art Museum will stage a solo exhibition by N. S. Harsha, one of India’s leading contemporary artists. Harsha’s works draws on the broad spectrum of Indian artistic and figurative painting traditions and popular arts as well as the western art canon. He entwines strands of personal biography, the culture and natural environment of his birthplace - the former kingdom of Mysore in southern India - with shared narratives and broader socio-political scenarios on a microcosmic and macrocosmic scale. Harsha works across a broad range of media including painting, sculpture, installation and social projects, such as his workshops for children. In a visit to Japan ahead of the exhibition, the artist will give this special talk on the topic of art and communities.

Instructors: Michael Spencer (Communication Director, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra), Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Facilitators