I visited “CONTACT — Connecting: Art of Japan and the World,” curated by Maha Harada.
The exhibition was held to commemorate the ICOM Kyoto conference, and the venue was Kiyomizu-dera. It was reportedly the first time that modern Western paintings have been shown there.
Of Kiyomizu-dera’s approximately 30 main buildings, four were used for the exhibition. In every venue, the artworks merged with the space to form wonderful settings.
The exhibition also ties in with Maha Harada’s book of the same title, “CONTACT.”
“CONTACT” is a book of short stories in which artists the author cannot meet in person appear as characters, and their transcendent “contacts” (dialogues) with the reader draw us into art’s magnetic pull. Written in Maha Harada’s characteristically warm style, the artists in this exhibition appear as charming figures within the book.
The works exhibited are introduced below.
West Gate
Izumi Kato’s work displayed at Kiyomizu-dera’s “West Gate” caught the attention of many visitors, right in the path of tourists.
The piece was made specifically for this exhibition, with Izumi Kato’s signature figures fitted to the size of the West Gate.
Joju-in
Joju-in is normally closed to the public, but its spacious tatami room housed works by many artists.
The tatami room was spacious, and natural light enveloped the works.Shiko Munakata, “Gunri-zu (Carp)” photo Nobutada OMOTEJoseph Beuys, “Blackboard used in the action ‘Coyote III’,” 1984, photo Nobutada OMOTEphoto Nobutada OMOTEHenri Matisse, “Woman in a Rose Dress,” 1942[Back] Michaël Borremans, “Gardenia (II),” 2014 [Front] Lucie Rie, “Footed Bowl with Manganese Glaze,” 1980A lovely garden. Ritsue Mishima, “Eye of Light,” 2017Giacometti’s sculpture struck a lovely balance with the light filtering through the katomado (flower-shaped window) shoji. Alberto Giacometti, “Bust of a Man,” c. 1947, cast 1980–90
Joju-in Tea Room
The tea room inside Joju-in is a small space that fits only a few people, but Kenji Miyazawa, Yasumasa Morimura, and Charlotte Perriand shared its floor.
Installation view in the tea room [Back] Yasumasa Morimura, “A Little Sunflower,” 1998 [Front] Kenji Miyazawa, “‘Ame ni mo Makezu’ Notebook,” 1931, photo Nobutada OMOTEYasumasa Morimura, “A Little Sunflower,” 1998Yasumasa Morimura’s Van Gogh video work — Yasumasa Morimura, “Ego Symposion / Van Gogh,” 2017Osamu Tezuka, “From ‘Buddha,’ Part 1, Chapter 1 ‘Brahmin’,” 1972–83
Kyodo (Sutra Repository)
In the Kyodo, an Important Cultural Property, Gerhard Richter’s video work and “8 Glass Panes” were exhibited and screened.
Kiyomizu-dera Kyodo
The interior of the Kyodo, normally closed to visitors, allowed us to sit and view Richter’s video projected onto a large screen.
Gerhard Richter / Corinna Belz / Rebecca Saunders “Moving Picture (946-3), Kyoto Version,” 2019, video (36 min) Screening view at the Kyodo of Kiyomizu-dera photo Nobutada OMOTE
It was like a slowly shifting abstract painting, and the 40-minute screening flew by.
[Front] Gerhard Richter, “8 Glass Panes,” 2012 photo Nobutada OMOTE
Umatodome (Horse Stable)
At the Umatodome, an Important Cultural Property, three sculptures by Izumi Kato were on display.
Instead of horses, they looked charmingly settled in place.
Their antique-like presence matched the space perfectly.
Izumi Kato, “Untitled,” 2008 photo Nobutada OMOTE
In closing
This was an international exhibition set within Kiyomizu-dera.
Inside historic buildings with no air conditioning or lighting, the exhibition dispensed with captions and left no ropes or other barriers between viewer and work, allowing for a leisurely dialogue with each piece.
It was a great pity that the run was only eight days long.
Maha Harada가 기획한 「CONTACT — 잇다・맺다: 일본과 세계의 아트전」에 다녀왔다.
본 전시는 ICOM 교토 대회를 기념하여 개최된 기획전으로, 회장은 기요미즈데라(청수사)에서 열렸다. 이곳에서 근대 서양 회화가 전시되는 것은 처음이라고 한다.
기요미즈데라의 주요 건물 약 30채 가운데 전시에 사용된 곳은 4곳이다. 어느 회장이든 아트 작품과 융합하여, 훌륭한 공간을 이루고 있었다.
본 전시는 Maha Harada의 동명 저서 「CONTACT」와도 연동되어 있다.
저서 「CONTACT」는 직접 만날 수 없는 작가들이 소설 속에 등장해, 시공을 초월한 미술 작가들과의 CONTACT(대화)를 통해 아트의 매력에 다가서는 단편 소설집이다. Maha Harada 특유의 따뜻한 묘사로, 본 전시의 참여 작가들이 매력 넘치는 캐릭터로 등장한다.
본 전시의 출품작을 아래에 소개한다.
West Gate (서문)
기요미즈데라 「서문」에 전시된 Izumi Kato의 작품은, 관광객의 눈에도 직접 닿는 자리에 놓여 이목을 모았다.
