〇Rediscovering Everyday Life
The works of artists who select familiar people, ordinary landscapes, and everyday sights can alter how we perceive and understand the “everyday life” we usually take for granted. For instance, in the works of Chin Yo Mi, which capture peaceful scenes spent with her family, one can discern a unique gaze toward someone close. Under modest circumstances after moving to the US, Shinohara Ushio’s work, created using discarded materials found in the city, vividly demonstrate his approach to incorporating everyday materials into art. In the first room of this exhibition, we focus on works centered on familiar people and landscapes, and on the way that artists incorporate daily materials and motifs, inviting us to reexamine “everyday life” from a fresh perspective.
Artist *In order of appearance in the gallery
Martin Creed, Kurt Schwitters, Tanaka Koki, Shinohara Ushio, Yo Mi Chin, Dennis Oppenheim, Mikame Reina, Hidaka Rieko, Alex Katz
〇Between Life and Death
Yoshinaka Taizo, whose works are exhibited in this section, once stated: “Between life and death lies ‘illness.’ In today's highly civilized society, it is impossible to clearly define where health begins and ends.” * While suffering from depression and struggling with poor health, he adopted “Illness and Placebo” as a key concept in his production. Even today, within our rapidly changing society, amidst daily activities that continue despite physical and mental distress, there are times when we need ways to cope—even if they lack any active ingredient.
The everyday items featured in the works introduced in this room, along with the simple daily actions and human forms they depict, make us conscious of how life underlies our scattered days. We also present works that draw our attention to the social structures that sometimes define our activity of life.
*Bijutsu Techō. August 1975, Bijutsu Shuppan-sha, p.303.
Artist *In order of appearance in the gallery
Kobayashi Takanobu, Idemitsu Mako, Kusama Yayoi, Duane Hanson, Yokoo Tadanori, Yoshinaka Taizo, Ishiuchi Miyako, Arman, Isayama Genki (Including special exhibits)
〇Hiroshima/HIROSHIMA
Hiroshima is a city that suffered from the atomic bombing. When the historical characteristics are considered and discussed, the name of the city is often written in katakana as “ヒロシマ.” One of the museum’s collection policies is “Works indicating the link between contemporary art and HIROSHIMA（ヒロシマ）,” and the museum has been collecting artworks on commission with “HIROSHIMA” as a theme,
In this section introduces works created in relation to the regional characteristics of Hiroshima / HIROSHIMA.
Artist *In order of appearance in the gallery
Enzo Cucchi, Anthony Green, Suzuki Kenji, Kitayama Yoshio, Ha Chong-hyu, Oiwa Oscar, Murakami Tomoe, Montien Boonma, Tateishi Tiger, Cai Guo-Qiang
〇Emergency in Everyday Life, Everyday Life in Emergency
Wars, disasters, and pandemics trigger a transformation where “everyday life” takes on a completely different form. This section introduces works where such “emergency” appears within everyday scenes and motifs. For example, in Takamine Tadasu's God Bless America, the process of a man and woman making a head singing the song of the same name—often sung in the US following the September 11 attacks—is shown, along with the scenes from their daily lives. Shitamichi Motoyuki's Remnants presents war relics that have merged into the contemporary landscape in forms distinct from their original purpose. Also on display are works that extend the scope of “emergency” to myth and human history, such as the Yokoo Tadanori's painting inspired by the Japanese myth of Amaterasu (the goddess of the sun) hiding in a cave, plunging the world into darkness, and Max Almy's video work that cynically expounds on human “progress” using the format of television programs.
Artist *In order of appearance in the gallery
Kwak Duck-Jun, Takamine Tadasu (special exhibits), Max Almy, Yokoo Tadanori, Araki Takako, Shitamichi Motoyuki, Mona Hatoum
