ART FAIR TOKYO 2010
Photo by Munetoshi Iwashita
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ART FAIR TOKYO 2010
Venue II: PROJECTS
Photo by Munetoshi Iwashita
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Rupprecht Geiger, Untitled, 1993. Deutsche Bank Collection
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Kawamata Tadashi, Location No. 6, 1992. Deutsche Bank Collection
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This important event on the Japanese art calendar was originally scheduled to take place in the spring. Due to the devastating earthquake, however, the Art Fair Tokyo 2011 had to be postponed to the summer. Now it’s finally time: on July 28, the fair—sponsored in the main by Deutsche Bank—will open its gates. A series of events reflect upon the catastrophe this past March: along with various different charity events, there are also workshops and discussions that investigate how art can contribute to alleviating the social consequences of the calamity. Deutsche Bank is involved at this level, as well, for instance with the project Art Fan! At a special stand, typical Japanese uchiwa, or fans, are designed by artists and sold to benefit the Red Cross earthquake relief. In collaboration with the Art Fair Tokyo, Deutsche Bank has helped set up workshops in which kids can paint fans with artists who have dedicated themselves to helping earthquake victims.
Ranging from traditional, centuries-old Japanese and Chinese art and high-quality handicraft to current international art—the Art Fair Tokyo offers a unique spectrum. Mita Arts Gallery, for instance, presents highly coveted woodcuts by masters like Hokusai and Utamaro, while Eiji Nishikawa shows precious Chinese ceramics. Among the better-known participants from Tokyo are the Ando Gallery and Toho Art, among others. And there are also foreign guests, such as Nature Morte from New Delhi, Art Statements from Hong Kong, and Galleri Susanne Ottesen from Copenhagen.
For Deutsche Bank, its sponsorship of the sixth run of the Art Fair Tokyo also marks a special anniversary: The German-Japanese Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation was signed 150 years ago. To commemorate the occasion, a special exhibition from the Deutsche Bank Collection can be seen in the Art Fair Tokyo Lounge at the fair juxtaposing the works of two "classics" of contemporary German art, Joseph Beuys and Rupprecht Geiger, with works by Tadashi Kawamata and Rika Noguchi. Kawamata’s installations possess both a project character and a social dimension, connecting him to Beuys. He often uses temporary materials such as untreated wood for his fragile works, which address natural processes of growth and decay. The Berlin-based artist Rika Noguchi also explores natural phenomena in her photographic works.
Over the past several years, Deutsche Bank has further intensified its cultural commitment in Asia: the exhibition marking the 25th anniversary of the Deutsche Bank Collection has made guest appearances in the Singapore Art Museum and the Hara Museum in Tokyo. Deutsche Bank is also the main sponsor of the young art fair ART HK in Hong Kong, where the bank has moved into its new head office, designed to house an innovative art presentation. Titled Urban Utopia, 40 artists from China, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong present their views of very divergent living realities at the start of the new millennium.
ART FAIR TOKYO 2011
7/29 – 7/31/2011
Preview 7/28/2011
Tokyo International Forum Exhibition Hall & Lobby Gallery
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