Today marks the unveiling of Designart Tokyo, which will take place on October 21 - October 30, 2022
At DESIGNART TOKYO, one of Japan’s largest design and art festivals, leading creators in various genres (art, design, interior design, fashion, etc.) converge in Tokyo, one of the world’s most culturally diverse cities, to hold exhibitions across the city. The entire district will be turned into a museum, bridging invaluable encounters and inspirations through interaction with creators. With “TOGETHER” as this year’s theme, DESIGNART will continue to promote design and art from Tokyo to the rest of the world as an international event.
Leading creators from all genres (art, design, interior design, fashion, etc.) converge in Tokyo, one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, to hold exhibitions across the city during DESIGNART TOKYO. Through interaction with creators, the district will be transformed into a museum, connecting valuable encounters and inspirations. DESIGNART will continue to promote design and art from Tokyo to the rest of the world with "TOGETHER" as this year's theme.
NEXT CIRCULATION - Sustainable & Technology
Participating creators : Taiwan Design Research Institute, Landloop × GELCHOP / BCXSY, Orna Tamir Schestowitz, Yuma Kano, Ryuichi Kozeki, OKURAYAMA STUDIO × KAARON STUDIO, Hiroto Yoshizoe, 3710Lab × Sae Honda, Satoshi Itasaka
Manufacturing and sustainability initiatives are being proactively taken worldwide in various fields to achieve the SDGs toward a sustainable society. In addition to developing materials and technologies, building relationships with partners and educating the next generation are likely to be the keys to producing high-demand, popular products. Considering this, DESIGNAT TOKYO 2022 will present the NEXT CIRCULATION, a sustainability- and technology-themed exhibition, featuring initiatives by leading corporate brands and creators, as well as a selection of inspiring exhibits that contemplate “beyond” recycling and upcycling. Satoshi Itasaka, a designer in the fields of architecture, product, and art, who also works on upcycling, will take charge of the spatial design.
COOPERATION:
NOMURA MEDIAS Co.,Ltd. PANECO® (WORKSTUDIO Corporation), Musashi Paint Holdings Co.,Ltd.（Bio Based Paint）, GLORY CO., LTD., remare,inc.
The “Printed Sculpture” art project of LAND LOOP, a brand known for its naturally derived plastics developed by Toyoshima & Co. Ltd., will feature work by GELCHOP and BCXSY. The Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI), Taiwan’s design promoter, will present a special edition of “the SP!RAL” for DESIGNART TOKYO. Israeli designer Orna Tamir Schestowitz designed organically shaped ceramic vessels, and superimposed on the manmade object photographic images of the bounty of the Israeli earth. She has transformed the age-old medium of ceramics by an inspired application of modern techniques. Spatial designer Hiroto Yoshizoe will exhibit “Orbit,” a new lighting work first presented in Milan, which features shades made from 100% recycled glass of waste CRTs and fluorescent tubes.
DESIGNART GALLERY at Hz SHIBUYA : New Platform with Asian Design
Participating creators : messagingleaving（UNDER 30）, Karyn Lim（UNDER 30）, SDANLEY DESIGN WORKS, quantum × Stratasys Japan, ADAM from SOZAI CENTER（ KOMORU Ltd. ・M&T）
DESIGNART believes that the time has come for Asia, with its strong economic growth rate and emerging cultural center, to take the lead in terms of creativity as well as technology. To this end, this year we will present DESIGNART GALLERY, a collective exhibition focusing on Asian creators, as a steppingstone to a new platform for building more friendly and progressive relationships with other Asian countries. The exhibition will be held at the newly established Hz, an event space with an eye-catching glass facade in the cultural hub of Shibuya.
The Taipei-based creative practice messagingleaving, led by Chialing Chang (UNDER 30), will present the lighting and mirror collections that uncover diverse expressions of brass and stainless steel. Karyn Lim (UNDER30) will be exhibiting Transformation Bags, a play on geometry to create sculptural forms that can transform into a flat object. In "mitate" project by quantum × Stratasys Japan, images of unique bowls were generated by seeing everything as a bowl with an AI, we then designed 3D data of bowls based on the images and 3D printed. Interior products made by new material “ADAM”, established by KOMORU Ltd. and M&T, a product design studio, utilizing apple pomace from the apple juice and cider.
Designer SDANLEY SHEN, will be exhibited the "The Bender", made in collaboration with the warp of wood, which is the wood's natural state and people can feel more warmth of this work.
「KAISU」 Furniture by featured Creators
Participating creators : Ishinomaki Laboratory（Keiji Ashizawa, Kenji Ito, Wataru Kumano, Koichi Suzuno, Naoki Terada, Nicolaj Friis Nøddesbo, Shigeki Fujishiro）、Shinnosuke Harada/ Junichi Ishigaki/ Ryo Suzuki、NAMAIKI / Mai Suzuki
The exhibition will feature a collection of furniture works with innovative and adventurous designs at KAISU, a former Japanese-style restaurant in Akasaka, which has been renovated as a new space. In the last 11 years, Ishinomaki Laboratory, founded by architect Keiji Ashizawa, has gained recognition and its concept has spread throughout the world. This time, returning to its roots, seven architects and designers held a workshop with craftspeople in Ishinomaki, and designed unique pieces under the theme of Ishinomaki Home Base. The results of the workshop will be presented in the form an exhitibition of furnitures and products under the title “7 designers, 2 days at Ishinomaki Laboratory”.
Three tables, explored by three designers, Shinnosuke Harada/ Junichi Ishigaki/ Ryo Suzuki, are exhibited under the theme of an easily portable "ibasho". Mai Suzuki will exhibit innovative works that create undiscovered(MICHI) possibilities for the traditional craft of "Kumiko". Through a fusion of craftsmanship and technology, she transformed kumiko flats into a hemispherical. The café and bar at the venue will be a lively spot for creators to gather during the exhibition.
Venue : KAISU 6-13-5, Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo
ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO: 「Regeneration and circulation」
Participating creators : Konel、Ao. 、Studio POETIC CURIOSITY
ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO will serve as a space which various NGOs, NPOs and other organizations involved with the SDGs can use to communicate information about their activities and as a space where individuals have the opportunity to engage with the SDGs in their own way, allowing various plans to unfurl and take shape.
This time, the artworks of three creators will be exhibited which are born from the concept of “Regeneration and circulation”. Konel will exhibit clogs made from discarded clothing. Even if the teeth wear out, they can be replaced and continue to regenerate semi-permanently. “Ao.” sustainable indigo-dyed furniture project will present “Ao.Re:,” furniture upcycled from discarded wooden furniture and solid wood lumber. With the theme of “regenerating touch and feel,” Studio POETIC CURIOSITY will showcase “Fabric Record,” a phonograph record made from used and discarded textiles to enjoy sounds made from fabric.
Venue：ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO
2-3-1, Itochu Garden B1F, Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hibiya OKUROJI: Diverse works, from interior goods to cutting-edge art, under the 100-year-old viaduct
Participating creators：Takaya Mic Mitsunaga (UNDER 30) , Nina Nomura (UNDER 30) , Sohma Furutate (UNDER 30), nooca, Maruhei Timber × tossanaigh
Hibiya OKUROJI is located between Hibiya and Ginza, where the impressive brick bridge arches are still in use after more than 100 years. The 300-meter-long space will host a variety of artworks, from interior design to works by cutting-edge artists. In a large space of approx. 130 square meters, the Berlin Wall online project, organized by DESIGNART TOKYO’s UNDER 30 artist Takaya Mic Mitsunaga, will appear under the title BERLIN WALL TOKYO. Another UNDER 30 artist, Nina Nomura, will exhibit Life Through Holes, a work that questions the true richness of the relationship between objects and people by filling the surface of objects with tiny holes. Sohma Furutate (UNDER 30), will exhibit the interior elements "MASS -2022-", seems to have an irregular appearance, but the forms that emerge by capturing all the elements of surface transitions , depth and shading are a more "human" way of seeing things as a sensual perspective.
Other exhibitions include new flower vases and objects from the “form” collection of nooca, a brand launched this year. Maruhei Timber, which recovered from the 2011 earthquake with the help of many supporters, will display its Miyagi Terroir Kitchen created with the design unit tossanaigh to promote resource recycling, a pressing challenge faced by Japan‘s forestry industry. Visitors can also enjoy sales and events during the exhibition.
Perrier-Jouët & Garance Vallée - “Planted Air,” a collaboration artwork, will be exhibited in Japan ahead of the world
Perrier-Jouët, the French prestige Champagne house, releases the world premiere in Japan of a collaborative artwork, “Planted Air,” created for Perrier-Jouët with French artist, architect, and designer Garance Vallée.
This work expresses the dialogue between the two pillars that support the Maison Perrier-Jouët: art and nature. Reinterpreting the ecology of the Perrier-Jouët vineyard, the work's extensive use of curves and arabesques represents Art Nouveau from a contemporary perspective. The materials chosen are unique and artisanal, and the solid, hand-carved limestone blocks evoke the terroir of Champagne. The wrought iron, which was painstakingly forged by craftsmen, is reminiscent of the main gate of the Maison Belle Epoque in Epernay.
Venue：ISETAN SALONE TOKYO MIDTOWN, Galleria
1F Promotion Space 9-7-4, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Period：10/19（Wed.）～11/1（Tue.）2022
SANLORENZO JAPAN meets Kazuto Imura
Pre-launch of SANLORENZO JAPAN, the world’s leading Italian yacht brand by internationally renowned designers including Piero Lissoni
Coinciding with the pre-launch of SANLORENZO JAPAN, artist Kazuto Imura’s solo exhibition “Æ/æ” will be held at MA5 GALLERY, which will serve as a platform for SANLORENZO JAPAN’s Art & Design. For the first exhibition there, Imura has created mirrors that “do not reflect yourself.” Through examining materials and techniques that have been used in mirror production, he relives the history of the human-mirror association. The title “Æ/æ” was inspired by the technique he used with a focus on the mirror construction, where he superimposes the phenomenon caused by the materials’ composite nature during the mirror-making process onto a reflected image. Please enjoy this fantastic space formed by mirrors.
Material and technical cooperation : UNOU JUKU by AGC Inc. Makership Inc.
Venue：MA5GALLERY by SANLORENZO JAPAN
5-10-17, Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo Curated by DESIGNART
Period：10/21（Fri.）～11/28（Mon.） Closed on Wednesdays
teamLab, Continuous Life and Death at the Now of Eternity at VOLVO STUDIO AOYAMA
Volvo Studio Aoyama will display Continuous Life and Death at the Now of Eternity by the art collective teamLab. This will be exhibited in conjunction with another art exhibition by teamLab and sponsored by Volvo Car Japan, VOLVO teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live. It is held at Mifuneyama Rakuen in Kyushu, where the vast forest, megaliths, caves, and other natural features of Mt. Mifuneyama, become art in themselves. The exhibition will allow visitors who are unable to travel to Kyushu to see this installation at Volvo Studio Aoyama, where flowers continuously bloom and perish, to experience the continuity of life seen over a long span of time.
Venue： VOLVO STUDIO AOYAMA 3-3-11, Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo.
Period：7/15（Fri.）～11/6（Sun.）2022
teamLab, Continuous Life and Death at the Now of Eternity © teamLab
A space where fashion and art blend with each other
Prada presents the exhibition “Who the Bær”
Period：10/15（Sat.）2022 ～1/30（Mon.）2023
Venue：Prada Aoyama 5-2-6 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 5th floor
Prada presents the exhibition “Who the Bær” by Simon Fujiwara, organized with the support of Fondazione Prada, at Prada Aoyama. “Who the Bær” is a cartoon character created by the artist that takes inspiration from fairy tales, fantasy literature, animation and the exhibition explores a plurality of topics belonging to different realms: from the climate collapse to cultural appropriation, from plastic surgery to Pop-art through the coming-of-age story of ''Who the Bær".
“Visitors" by Chrisitan Hidaka & Takeshi Murata
Christian Hidaka (b. 1977, Chiba, Japan, lives and works in London, UK) and Takeshi Murata (b. 1974, USA, lives and works in Los Angeles) will hold the co-exhibition Visitors at Maison Hermes Forum in Ginza. Through the worlds of these two artists, who continue to create works that interrogate the space between reality and fiction, the exhibition will highlight the fictional structure seen in contemporary art through two narratives.
Period：10/21（Fri.）2022～1/31（Tue.）2023
Venue： GINZA MAISON HERMÈS Le Forum 5-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Ayame Ono at PERVERZE THE EMBODIMENT STORE
Established in Tokyo in 2016 by an anonymous collective of young creatives, PERVERZE is both a fashion brand and a project, will have a collaborative exhibition with artist Ayame Ono at PERVERZE THE EMBODIMENT STORE, which opened in March 2022. While utilizing thestructure of the store, this exhibition will incorporate PERVERZE's archive of textile patterns and materials created up until now, forming a collage of works where various layers intersect.
Venue：PERVERZE THE EMBODIMENT STORE 5-5-1, Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Experience of Technology x Art
Metaverse Boundary
The metaverse, such as digital twins, is a recent hot topic. What would people do if a metaverse city is shrouded in darkness? What is it like if a mirror exists physically at the boundary of the virtual and real? This is an experimental artwork by ExMetaClub x TV Asahi, which considers the viewer’s (avatar’s) experience and behavior in the metaverse space itself as the artwork. “The gorgeous and light-filled METAVERSE ROPPONGI” will be turned into the “Black METAVERSE ROPPONGI” for a limited time. This interactive artwork is simultaneously exhibited physically and virtually. *The exhibit will tour different locations.
Period：10/28（Fri.）～10/30（Sun.）2022 How to participate: Real Space ／ANB Tokyo 3rd floor 5-2-4, Roppongi, Minato-ku Tokyo
Virtual space ／ METAVERSE ROPPONGI
MedicalArt Turning your Health Condition into Art from Medical Data
Medical Art is produced by five creators with diverse backgrounds (designer, planner, engineer, graduate school lecturer, etc.). The data they collected themselves (e.g., facial expressions, behaviors, and health information) are combined and redefined based on modern medical data to create an artwork of the inner self. “Medical Data x Art” will offer an opportunity to learn about the unknown inner self and to improve wellbeing. At the venue within patisserie UN GRAIN shop, renowned for MIGNARDISES (bite-sized sweets), visitors can purchase sweet treats while enjoying an artistic vibe.
Venue：UN GRAIN | Premiere Building 1F, 6-8-17 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
This special venue happened to be decorated by Japanese creators, as Ambientec sponsored the adorning of the venue with 120 TURN+ lamps, designed by Nao Tamura, while plant artist Satoshi Kawamoto took charge of table-top decorations. Stemming from this, the first collaborative installation with Kawamoto will be exhibited in TOKYO. ( Directed by Nao Tamura, Venue provided by SEMPRE DESIGN)
INTERIOR
New collections and presentations by interior brands
Venue： FLEXFORM TOKYO 6-4-10, Minami-Aoyama Minato-ku, Tokyo
2022 NEW COLLECTION【AMBROEUS】
FLEXFORM 2022 NEW COLLECTION
In a relentless pursuit of the beauty that breathes in our everyday life, the 2022 NEW COLLECTION of FLEXFORM has further evolved through the refinement of its graceful sense of beauty, not being influenced by trends or self-satisfaction. The global flagship store FLEXFORM TOKYO in Minami Aoyama offers not only new products, but also sofas, armchairs, tables, chairs, cabinets, and other comfortable furniture for daily use.
FOCUS / YUJI OKITSU at ROYAL FURNITURE COLLECTION
Venue： ROYAL FURNITURE COLLECTION SHOWROOM 2-12-4 Sakamoto Bldg. 1 F Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
The lighting piece FOCUS, designed by Yuji Okitsu and commercialized by the French lighting brand DCW éditions PARIS, will be exhibited in the Tokyo showroom of the Royal Furniture Collection. The original FOCUS was exhibited by Yuji Okitsu for the first time worldwide at Milano Salone Satellite 2018 and domestically at AXIS during DESIGNART TOKYO 2018. It was presented as an interior object hung from the ceiling like a mobile, combining multiple thin and light flat lenses and LED lights. By re-focusing on and re-composing the existing elements such as light, air, and scenery, FOCUS continually creates a new scenery responding to subtle ambient changes in the space. This time, the details of "FOCUS" have been reconsidered and refined to create a new lighting work that is even more sophisticated and conceptual than the original.
ARIAKE with LE KLINT / Bang&Olufsen / BELAIR LAB
Venue： #103 4-1-15 Minami-Aoyama , Minato-ku, Tokyo
Ariake, a furniture brand founded by Legnatec and Hirata Chair, two factories from the furniture producing town of Morodomi in Saga prefecture, will present its new collection for 2022 in collaboration with LE KLINT, Bang & Olufsen and BELAIR LAB.
"DISSECT" Satoshi Kawamoto × Ambientec
Period：10/28（Fri.）～10/30（Sun.）2022
Venue：LIGHT BOX STUDIO AOYAMA 5-16-7, Minami-Aoyama Minato-ku, Tokyo
This year's The Salone del Mobile.Milano’s Gala Dinner, celebrating the 60th anniversary, was held as a private dinner on the rooftop of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the church known for its depiction of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece "The Last Supper". This special venue happened to be decorated by Japanese creators, as Ambientec sponsored the adorning of the venue with 120 TURN+ lamps, designed by Nao Tamura, while plant artist Satoshi Kawamoto took charge of table-top decorations. Stemming from this, the first collaborative installation with Kawamoto will be exhibited in TOKYO. (Directed by Nao Tamura, Venue provided by SEMPRE DESIGN)
PATIO PETITE at GINZA innit
Venue： GINZA innit 7-10-1 2F, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
A special outdoor furniture exhibition of PATIO PETITE will be held at “upstairs outdoor living,” a lifestyle store on the 2nd floor of “GINZA innit” run by Sugita Ace. On display will be the PATIO PETITE WA Series by TORAFU ARCHITECTS Inc., developed with Sugita Ace, and the PATIO PETITE MA Series by SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICE. A variety of plants from FUGA will also fill the space
ART
Enjoy art in the city in autumn, from interactive installations to established galleries
FEEL HOTEL TOGETHER at all day place shibuya
Directed by A Green’s Scenting Designer MEGUMI FUKATSU, “FEEL HOTEL TOGETHER,” an installation themed on the merging and connection of the five senses, will be held at all day place shibuya. A diverse group of next-generation designers and artists will come together to create works of art. Besides exhibits at the reception and in guest rooms, there will be exhibition rooms for visitors to stay overnight. Experience of “sensory mariage” with professionals of taste will also be provided at coffee stand, beer bar and dining in the hotel.
Venue：all day place shibuya 1-17-1, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku Tokyo
Rooms for exhibiting artworks (Open to the public): 1 room （12:00～19:00）
Rooms for exhibiting artworks (overnight stay possible, reservation required). ：3rooms
Other exhibitions: hotel reception on 2F, café on 1F, restaurant on 2F. Accommodation reservations and other enquiries：https://www.uds-hotels.com/all-day-place/
Julian Opie at MAHO KUBOTA GALLERY
MAHO KUBOTA GALLERY, located in Jingumae, an area of cultural crossover where Harajuku and Aoyama in Central Tokyo, will hold a solo exhibition of new paintings and new animations featuring “Dance", by Julian Opie, one of the UK’s leading contemporary artists today. Opie uses pictograms and simple drawings and coloring reminiscent of anime to simplify the main artistic motifs of ancient times, such as landscapes and the human figure. This style of expression that employs minimal detail is continuing to garner support in both the art world and the broader cultural scene. Julian Opie will be visiting Japan for this exhibition.
Venue：2-4-7 Jingumae Shibuya-ku Tokyo Japan Period：10/21（Fri.）～11/26（Sat.）2022
Julian Opie. Dance 1 figure 1 step 2. 2022.
Vinyl on aluminium stretcher. 210 x 100 cm
The Future Eternal
A Lighthouse called Kanata, a contemporary art gallery that introduces Japanese artists to the world, is bringing together works by up-and-coming artists in The Future Eternal exhibition. Rather than following the transient trends of contemporary art, the highlight of the exhibition is the universal yet progressive abstract works that connect the past and the future. The exhibition will feature ambitious three-dimensional and two-dimensional works that combine materials and outstanding techniques to embellish contemporary spaces.
Venue：A LIGHTHOUSE CALLED KANATA Kasumicho Terrace 6F, 3-24-20, Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku Tokyo Period：10/21（Fri.）～10/29（Sat.）2022
emergence by Osamu Yokoyama (2022)
OMOTESANDO REPLICA
松田優と谷雄一郎によるデザインスタジオ「UO」が、2022年8月10日AM10：48に、表参道ヒルズ前の歩道の植込み(35°39‘59.6“N 139°42’35.6”E)で拾った枝を、2000本に複製し連結したアート作品。無限の空間のほんの一点と、刻々と変化し続ける時間の一点との唯一性を極大化しているこのオブジェクトが、表参道ヒルズの本館 吹抜け大階段に出現する。
会場：表参道ヒルズ 東京都渋谷区神宮前4-12-10 本館 吹抜け大階段
Tokyo Midtown will exhibit works of two creator groups featuring
“Design for Sustainable Future”
Venue: TOKYO MIDTOWN, Galleria 2F
in front of Aēsop store
9-7-1, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
The series sea is an effort by ambi to realize the charm of STUDIO RELIGHT's activities through design, using recycled glass from waste fluorescent lamps that have been properly processed by STUDIO RELIGHT's parent company, Sawaya Co. The glass is molded from a lump of glass to maximize the uniqueness of color and bubbles of recycled glass. For some of the works, sand molds were used as casting molds, for texture, and to easily recycle after use. Each work represents different scenes of the “sea.”
“FLOW”- Fluid material cycle - by DAISUKE YAMAMOTO
Venue: TOKYO MIDTOWN, Galleria 2F in front of lucien pellat-finet, 9-7-1, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
This project began with the awareness that everyday recyclable construction materials are disposed then new construction begins, so-called “scrap and build”. In this situation, he shed light on the most used and at the same time disposed material, LGS( Lightweight Gauge Steel ).This product series “FLOW” came to life from this process, challenging in realizing fluid material cycle that prevents any kind of industrial waste disposal.
DESIGNART TOKYO 2022 OFFICIAL PARTNERS
Perrier-Jouët is the Official Champagne of DESIGNART TOKYO 2022
Pernod Ricard Japan K.K.’s prestige Champagne house, Perrier-Jouët, will be sponsoring DESIGNART TOKYO 2022 again as the official champagne. Planted Air, a commissioned artwork by Garance Vallée, a French artist who has attracted attention for her mysterious worldview, will be exhibited at ISETAN SALONE (Tokyo Midtown, 1st floor) during the event. The world premiere of the artwork will be accompanied by a limited-edition collaboration product, Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs by Garance Vallée, which will be on sale at the venue. Union Square Tokyo (Tokyo Midtown B1F) will also host a by-the-glass fair for Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs.
BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE 5 stores become Official Cafes of DESIGNART TOKYO 2022
The five BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE cafes in Aoyama, Roppongi, Ginza, Hiroo, and Shibuya, become official cafes where you can stop by during your stroll of exhibitions, of DESIGNART TOKYO 2022. If you show the official DESIGNART Instagram account at the cashier during the exhibition, you will receive a piece of "Blue Bottle Yokan," (Japanese traditional sweets by bean paste shop in Horikawa Sanjo, Kyoto for over 60 years) that goes well with coffee, for every drink ordered. You can take it home or enjoy it at the cafe while enjoying design and art exhibitions.
"Taroma," an aroma brand from Toyama Prefecture, and designer Ryuya Yamada will present a glass aroma diffuser at AOYAMA cafe. The exhibition Wind Whisperer: Confiding the Wind by Studio POETIC CURIOSITY will be held at Shibuya Cafe and Kitaya Park. Viewers can experience that the words of their thoughts and feelings whispered into this interactive work, will be transformed into bubbles and blown away. Roppongi Cafe will exhibit DIG-DUG, a new work by Atsushi Shindo, who is engaged in the design of commercial facilities as an interior designer while also presenting interior objects and artworks from his personal projects.
Studio POETIC CURIOSITY photo by Mina Asaba
※Please note that all other cafes are not eligible for this offer.
For more information about Designart Tokyo, please visit: https://designart.jp/
NEW NORMAL, NEW STANDARD exhibition - Meal Time at Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan
Arakawa & Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President Hajime Arakawa) aim to support designer who is eager to create designed products suitable for beautiful scenes such as restaurants and hotel rooms. To reduce an infection risk caused by the global pandemic. An exhibition will be held with Japanese designers to showing beautiful products to reduce an infection risk -The 2nd exhibition of "NEW NORMAL, NEW STANDARD 2 - Meal Time" in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, in June and July 2021.
Arakawa & Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President Hajime Arakawa) aim to support designer who is eager to create designed products suitable for beautiful scenes such as restaurants and hotel rooms. To reduce an infection risk caused by the global pandemic.
EXHIBITION CONCEPT:
Since last year of Fall, the "NEW NORMAL, NEW STANDARD" exhibition will go to the second phase this June.
The first phase of the exhibition was received a significant impact under the theme "Beautiful Countermeasures against Infectious Diseases."
Countermeasures against COVID 19 during dining are often undertaken with social distance and partitions. However, they can be cumbersome and inconvenient in many cases.
We hope to use the power of design to remedy this difficult time, albeit only slightly. For this year's exhibition, six selected designers developed products to make mealtime a pleasant and peaceful experience.
MASHILO by Kaori Akiyama
MASHILO by Kaori Akiyama
The MASHILO chair is constructed exclusively from Japanese cypress trees sourced in Hiroshima Prefecture. In addition to being used as an anti-infection measure, the chair was designed to provide a place where people can enjoy a meal alone, quietly and peacefully, as if they were spending time in a forest, thereby allowing them to appreciate the feast itself more intimately. With these thoughts in mind, MASHILO comes into being as a place to savour a moment with a clear conscience.
BREATHE SCREEN by Takanori Urata
BREATHE SCREEN by Takanori Urata
Developed to enhance mealtime experience, BREATHE SCREEN has a three-dimensional shape, with transparent silicone placed on both sides where it meets the cheeks and is worn with the face in between. This mask will reduce the inconvenience of attaching and detaching masks during "masked dinners," thereby making the precious limited mealtime of today more enjoyable.
Takanori Urata, after worked for Tokujin Yoshioka Design, established TAKANORI URATA DESIGN INC. in 2010. In 2014, he started sunsetclimax inc. for outdoor gears industry. He received some awards, such as GOOD DESIGN AWARD, iF DESIGN AWARD, DFA Design for Asia Awards, German Design Awards and so on.
CAMERIERE by Kairi Eguchi
CAMERIERE by Kairi Eguchi
CAMERIERE is an ideal mask stand for storing masks in restaurants, hotels, or at home. The vertically elongated structure stores mask efficiently and aesthetically in the minimum space required. The simple and soft lines found in cutlery are applied to create a visually harmonious design.
Kairi Eguchi Established KED, Japanese industrial design studio, based in Osaka in 2008. With the studio philosophy - “Discover the unknowns.”, KED not only provide standard design service, but also continue expanding its services such as product planning, design strategy, etc. to provide elegant and new approach for a better user experience.
Object Ⅱby Akira Nakagomi
Object Ⅱby Akira Nakagomi
Object Ⅱis a splash-proof set of partitions that enhance the enjoyment and vitality of dining. The vibrantly hued acrylics add flavour to space instead of just functioning as tasteless partitions. Moreover, the pillar weights can be used as flower vases to add a touch of colour to meals. It is hoped that the presence of the partitions will be forgotten while dining and that the atmosphere will become a little more like it was before the COVID-19 disaster.
Akira Nakagomi founded the AKIRA NAKAGOMI DESIGN in 2012, after working at TOKUJIN YOHSIOKA DESIGN. The goal is to design beautiful products, taking into account materials and techniques.
MASK VASE by Yuma Kano
MASK VASE by Yuma Kano
MASK VASE is a paper mask case stand designed for use while eating at restaurants. While it is a product for the "new lifestyle," wearing masks has become mandatory, it can also be used to add flowers and plants after the epidemic that will eventually come to an end. This design combines a mask case stand and a flower vase to remind us to live colourfully.
Yuma Kano, founded studio yumakano after working as an assistant to artist Yasuhiro Suzuki, is bringing the old environment to life through product design, product planning, brand direction, interior planning, artwork, and other projects.
Obi by Tomoki Doi
Obi by Tomoki Doi
This is a unique freestanding handkerchief that can also be used as a cup sleeve. The shape of the handkerchief is cylindrical to make it as compact as possible when placed in a pocket, yet self-standing on a desk to help it dry naturally. The product was designed based on the manufacturing process of Hirafu Orimono's knitted Japanese belt for the Kimono called an Obi so that it can be created efficiently and would create the appearance of an Obi when attached to a coffee cup.
ANDASSOCIATES founded by Tomoki Doi is a design firm based in Tokyo that strives to design simple and flexible pieces, in hopes to add some playful elements.
Event Information:
Title: NEW NORMAL, NEW STANDARD 2 -Meal Time
Tokyo exhibition
Venue: TIERS GALLERY by arakawagrip
Dates: Tuesday, June 15 to Sunday June 20, 2021
Osaka exhibition
Venue: Page Gallery (KAIRI EGUCHI DESIGN 1F)
Dates: Saturday July 3 to Sunday, July 10, 2021
Designers: Kaori Akiyama, Kairi Eguchi, Takanori Urata, Akira Nakagomi,
Yuma Kano, Tomoki Doi
Sponsors: Arakawa & Co., Ltd., DOUBLE-H. Inc
Cooperation: Doi Furniture Mfg.Ltd., Takeda Design Project, Hiratoyo Orimono, Izuru
PR communication: Shieru Doi, Manaka Nishida
Translation: Shizuka Konishi
Website: https://newnormalnew.com/
About Arakawa & Co., Ltd.
Arakawa & Co., Ltd. invented the first wire gripper mechanism, which could be adjusted along the wire cable with one push and locked without a set of screws. This innovative system can be applied as a display tool for shop interiors and art museums by collaboration with architects and designers.
Contact: Makoto Arakawa, makoto@arakawagrip.co.jp
An Interview with the Architectural photographer Tae-ho Jeong
Architectural photographer Tae-ho Jeong graduated from Seoul Art College (Department of Photography) is acting as an expert photographer in the field of architecture and interior design. He represents Space Studio, is a regular member of KAPA (Korea Advertising Photographer Association), and works as the head of the photography department at the Interior Design Monthly. He held private exhibitions including Black and White Exhibition hosted by Yeon Art Gallery and Photo exhibition of Korea Interior Design hosted by Gwanhwoon Art Museum. He hosted a book publication ceremony <Light of Enlightenment - Vairocanna Buddha> and photo exhibition at Gallery LaMer, and held a private exhibition through the invite from Gyeongju World Culture Expo. As an active member of a diverse number of group exhibitions including the KAPA member exhibition and International Advertising Photo Exchange, he is remaining active in his work in related fields.
An Interview with Tae-ho Jeong
What are the major impressions you have in terms of differences in architectural photography and taking Buddha images?
I was committed in interior and architectural photography for the last 30 years in Korea. Then in recent 10 years, I devoted myself to showing Buddha images “as they are” with untainted documentary photography rather than through the approach of an architectural photographer. Architectural photography strongly involves capturing the beauty of artificial design and natural aspects together. Also, it is related to finding harmony between space and time.
In the contrary, reinterpreting the figures of delicately carved Buddha into conventional photographs, was challenging. In the beginning of my work, I spent several months to visit the same sites, consistently looking for the most perfect lighting from different times of the day. I eased myself as a photographer and tried to confront and reflect the nature itself as they are without artificial lighting and techniques. I made my best effort to “show them as they are” in purely documentary style photos.
What is your inspiration on showing Buddha images, and what is the message you’d like to convey?
Over 30 years of my career in architectural photography, I realized there is beauty of lines in oriental architecture, which led me to comprehend aesthetic matters from the figures of Buddhas. I personally believe Buddha himself has the most beautiful and generous smile of lines, embracing great depth of mercy. Furthermore, these thoughts guided me into a 10-year long master project.
I am a believer of Buddhism myself before I start my career as an architectural photographer and the teachings of Buddhism have encouraged my career with favorable result as a photographer. Not only just as a believer, but also as an architectural photographer, I think compiling and publishing all the images of the Buddhas scattered around Korea is one of the ways to contribute my skills to Buddhism in a meaningful way.
Over the 10 years of my project, I am strongly aware that numerous Buddhas were damaged from poor maintenance. I hope we all develop awareness of our vulnerable history. From a cultural perspective, the first Buddhist cultural book named <Light of Enlightenment - Vairocana Buddha> was published with a collection of 1,700 images of Buddhas, from the Unified Silla Period to the Chosun dynasty.
Also, I would like emphasis on the back of the Buddha statues to the world. Not a lot of people have the chance to see it and it has been misunderstood as solemn and obscure. Nonetheless, I can feel the monks have contributed significantly even on the rear part of the Buddha statues. I perceive that lines in the back of Buddha statues convey to the world great sense of energy and strength.
By taking this opportunity, I want to share the beauty of the lines of Vairocana Buddha. I hope this collection can bring more interests in Korean culture and Buddhism to everyone.
LIGHT BUILT ON A GREAT ROCK
When an event is held at a Buddhist temple, a flag called the ‘Tang’ is installed at the entrance of the temple. The pole where the flag is hung is called the ‘Tanggan’, and the two stone pillars on either side of the Tanggan’s to support the Tanggan is called the ‘Tanggan Jiju’. The Tanggan Jiju is set-up in front of the temple and is used to mark the sacred area. The biggest Tanggan Jiju in South Korea, At Gulsansa Temple, was built using one giant stone, and showcases the simple yet breathtaking beauty of sculptures. Built during the Unified Silla period, the 5.4 meter granite pillars vibrate with the power and wisdom of the Silla people. The sky was clearing after the evening rain.
A SMILE FROM THE HEAVEN
I cannot forget the moment I first saw the statue. The second it revealed itself from the dark museum storage (after requesting a viewing with much difficulty), I saw a treasured heavenly face, shining an endless smile upon me. I was lost for words for its dignified form did not succumb to flames hot enough to burn the body. The slightly imbalanced face allows mankind to realize ‘something’ deep inside their heart.
THE HEAVEN’S AND EARTH ARE ONE
The ‘Ji-kwon-in’ is a handshape which implies ‘reason and wisdom, all creatures and Buddha, and delusions and enlightenment are one by origin’. Thus, posing the Ji-kwon-in means ‘sound wisdom and rapid enlightenment can be attained through a devout disposition’. The basic form of the Ji-kwon-in holds the two hands in front of one’s chest, holds the left-hand’s forefinger up, and wraps it with the right-hand so the tip of the left-hand forefinger and bottom of the right-hand thumb touches each other. Granite may be well-known for its hardness but seems like it also cannot withstand the weight of time. This photo reflects my intention to focus on becoming one with Buddha and gaining inner peace and rest through the help of the flower blossoms on Buddha’s body.
“It was a big challenge and pleasure to seek out an untaken track. It is my honor to hold an exhibition before the important people who foretold me about the values of the challenge. It was a great pity that there was no guidebook on Buddhist images on the level of the whole country despite the fact that Buddhism had left numerous cultural heritages for us for 1700 years since the religion was introduced to this land.
But at last, it has materialized. I devoted myself to showing Buddha images “as they are” with untainted documentary photography rather than through the approach of an architectural photographer. Lastly, I would like to give big meaning to the fact that the photos collected in the book were surveyed and taken by myself without external assistance.
I would like to invite you to the photography exhibition at the Hong Kong Art Fair. It would be a great pleasure to see you at the event.
Thank you
Photographer Tae-Ho Jeong”
For more detail information, please visit: www.spacephotostudio.com or visit https://www.asiacontemporaryart.com
The Spring edition of the Asia Contemporary Art Show is held on the 40th to 43rd floors of the 5-star Conrad Hong Kong in Pacific Place.
DATES: March 29th - April 1st, 2019
UNIONPAY PRIVATE VIEW (by Invitation only)
Friday, March 29th - 3pm to 5pm
UNIONPAY VIP COLLECTORS PREVIEW (by Invitation only)
Friday, March 29th - 5pm to 9pm
GENERAL ADMISSION
Saturday, March 30th - 1pm to 8pm
Sunday, March 31st - 1 pm to 8pm
Monday, April 1st - 11am to 6pm
PARKING, MTR, TAXIS
The 5-star hotel is conveniently served by the MTR station in the basement of Pacific Place and has abundant car parking and taxi ranks outside the hotel or at Pacific Place 1 and 2.
VENUE ADDRESS
Conrad Hong Kong — Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong