Schedule

‘Modernology’, a school of thought founded by Wajiro Kon (1888–1973) and others, was a unique study consisting of the research and contemplation of the city of Tokyo and the lifestyles and manners of its citizens from various perspectives. In later years, the practice of reexamining the lifestyles and creations of the people and focusing on the layperson’s creative faculty has developed in a multitude of fields, such as the Rojo Kansatsu Gakkai, formed in 1986. This exhibition introduces the creations that such observers found in the streets, and examines how the act of observing/discovering can become a mode of expression in itself through many different approaches.

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The period around 1968 through the early 70s in Japan was filled with the heated atmosphere marked by intensification of the student struggles, rage over Expo ’70, and similar developments. Out of distrust for representation, many attempts were made in search of origins, and numerous distinctive, avant-garde magazines appeared that sensitively captured the current trends. In the late 70s the period atmosphere changed dramatically into an era colored by spectacular designs emanating primarily from Parco and the Seibu Museum of Art, as painting was reinstated and aimed for new departures from origins. This exhibition looks back at the spirit of this period centering on the 70s - from the end of the 60s to the beginning of the 80s - by means of works and documents from a wide diversity of fields - art, design, architecture, photography, theater, music, comics, and others.

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One of the works by Isamu Noguchi – who had close ties to Hiroshima – is a 1952 plan for a cenotaph for the atomic bomb victims. Kenzo Tange requested him to produce a cenotaph for the Peace Memorial Park but he did not have the opportunity to realize it. This visionary work will be foremost among a series of artistic representations triggered by memory of sites and works visualizing stories associated with sites, which we will be presenting through the endeavors mainly of contemporary artists.
This exhibition is part of “Art Arch Hiroshima 2013”, the first art program to be organized jointly by the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum and the Hiroshima Museum of Art. These three museums in Hiroshima City will be synchronizing their theme schedules for this program.

[artists]

Mexico-based Francis Alÿs (born 1959 in Belgium) walks the streets to cast his eye on social problems ubiquitous to everyday life, which he allegorizes so as to bring them to the surface. Trained in architecture, he is an artist who builds worlds of poetical works through a diverse range of expression including video, painting and photography. Via the not-at-all-special act of walking, he reflects people’s lives and the political issues that are inseparable from them. This exhibition presents a broad selection from his oeuvre, ranging from representative early works created in Mexico to recent ones themed on the Strait of Gibraltar, which links two continents and their differing cultures.

Since it was founded in 1992 by Yoshiharu Tsukamoto (1965–) and Momoyo Kaijima (1969–), Atelier Bow-Wow has engaged in wide-ranging activities comprising, besides architectural design, also exhibitions, books, workshops, urban research, and more. The exhibition we introduces these many-faceted activities not only through presentations of their architectural works and fieldworks, but also through exhibits including the installations that they call “micro public spaces”, which employ small structures or furniture with unique functions.

This exhibition presents works selected from the museum’s collection based on the keyword "layers." Each selected work embodies a stratified form of expression, be it the ideas at the core of the work or its medium or technique. By focusing on the manifold layers of these works’ composition and extracting the different meanings and roles of these layers, this exhibition encourages viewers to contemplate various forms of contemporary artistic expression.

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This project consists of a long-term workshop scheduled over the course of summer break, presented in the form of an exhibition, where children and their families can become directly involved in contemporary art by not only looking at works, but also participating in the process of making them. In addition to exhibiting works and installations that allow for participation at any given time, we will also present workshops by the artists participating in this project.

Myth of Tomorrow, a painting by Taro Okamoto, depicts the nuclear threat and the vitality of those opposed to nuclear weapons. In commemoration of August 6, Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Memorial Day, Okamoto’s painting is open for a special viewing during summer.

"Open Call for Art Project Ideas 2013" is an open call exhibition applys the free public zone of the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art. The Hiroshima MOCA anticipates applications from anyone who make site-specific art works to exhibit atvarious spaces in our free public zone (Entrance Hall, Corridor, Foyer, Museum Studio, Stairwell, etc.). Any kind of artistic media including painting, sculpture, video, installation and performance art are acceptable.

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