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Japan Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Emerging Asian artists converge at the 'world's most beautiful museum'
The opaque door of the exhibition room slides open, silently revealing a ceramic goddess rising out of a reflective plinth. At her forehead, a lotus blossom, and below, the semblance of a hand grasping a flower as it curves upward. This figure, 'The One Who Perceives the Sounds of the World Nuwa x Naga Maedaw, Shigaraki' by artist Soe Yu Nwe from Myanmar, is pottery with a purpose. It joins works from eight other Asian artists for 'Ambient, Environment, Circumstances — The Typography of Contemporary Art —,' the first contemporary art exhibition at Simose Art Museum in Otake, Hiroshima Prefecture. In December 2024, the Shigeru Ban-designed museum attracted global attention when it was named the 'world's most beautiful museum' at the Prix Versailles by UNESCO. The current exhibition, which runs through July 21, celebrates the honor. Located near the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea, Otake is known for its ample sunlight, with solar panels mounted on numerous rooftops across the city, including the museum, which opened in 2023. Apart from sunlight, a friendly taxi driver jokes, 'it's known for its toilet roll production ... and not much else!' The Shigeru Ban-designed museum was named the 'World's Most Beautiful Museum' at the Prix Versailles by UNESCO last year. | © SIMOSE Ban and his team took inspiration from the Seto Islands in designing the eight exhibition halls that sit atop shallow water like color-blocked cargo containers. Each is moveable, able to align with the narrative of what's being shown. The current contemporary exhibition marks a departure from previous shows, presenting works from a number of emerging artists, all under 50 years old. Four of the nine artists are exhibiting in Japan for the first time, and Daichi Kukita — born in 2000 — is the youngest person to exhibit at Simose so far. A graduate of Musashino Art University, Kukita views classical painting through a 21st-century lens. His canvas art seems somewhat at odds with the three-dimensional installations seen in the rest of the exhibition, resulting in a somewhat visual incongruence. 'I am sure that my style (of 'glitching' a traditional painting style) would inevitably appear at some point, it just so happens that I was the one selected,' he says. 'I'm immensely grateful to the countless collaborators I've met along the way.' Collaboration is a key theme in the exhibition, one that participating artist Kaori Ando made great use of. She is exhibiting vases made from clay sourced from areas of Japan with a rich history of ceramics, such as Arita in Saga Prefecture and Hiroshima. Her small vases in neutral tones are displayed along the ledges of the museum walls and atop a large raft of bamboo. Soe Yu Nwe's ceramic sculpture 'The One Who Perceives the Sounds of the World Nuwa x Naga Maedaw, Shigaraki' features Naga Maedaw, a Burmese dragon queen from folklore. | Kenichi Asano 'The bamboo reminded me of how Toyotomi Hideyoshi (a warlord who was influential in bringing ceramics to Japan) built a tea hut made solely of blue bamboo rather than gold,' Ando says, explaining why she chose the resilient plant over other materials. 'I layered these ideas with the image of drifting across the sea on a raft.' Due to restrictions regarding organic matter being brought into the museum, the bamboo had to be sealed, which is done through a process that involves burning the poles. That meant Ando needed all hands on deck to help ready the bamboo for opening day. 'With the support of the curators and collaborators, the piece came alive,' she says. Museum press officer Hina Kawaguchi assisted Ando prep the bamboo in the days leading up to the exhibition. 'It was a really fun, collaborative experience,' she says, adding that hosting exhibitions by living artists has an upside. 'We can hear exactly what the artist's thinking is behind a piece. This allows room for change and development.' Walking through the halls, it's striking how each artist draws inspiration from Japan, yet retains some of the aesthetics of their home country. For example, Indonesian artist Muhamad Gerly's colorful scrolls are constructed from paper from Otake, and elsewhere, Kyoto-based artist Madara Manji's sculptures reinterpret the mokume-gane metalworking technique used to create katana swords. Meanwhile, Osaka-born ceramicist Kim Riyoo is the only artist who uses sound: Dramatic soundscapes accompany his Jomon-inspired, dark ceramic pieces. Madara Manji's sculptures are among the pieces from emerging artists showcased in Simose Art Museum's first contemporary art exhibition. | Kenichi Asano It is Soe Yu Nwe's ceramic figures, however, that stand out the most. Simply entering the room where her work is displayed makes for a dramatic introduction. To come face to face with one of her resplendent effigies is enough to draw a gasp of awe. Soe Yu Nwe mixes deities such as Nuwa, Kannon and Mya Nan Nwe to reference her changing identity when navigating through various cultures. The main piece is hybridized with Naga Maedaw, a Burmese dragon queen from folklore, who has become an urban myth in Myanmar in recent years and is said to be one of the deities that are being handcuffed to stop exerting power over the town leaders. Other works are hybridized with the goddess Kannon, who is normally depicted as female. While visiting Sanjusangendo in Kyoto, however, the artist encountered a male version of the deity for the first time. 'In Myanmar and other parts of Asia and Southeast Asia, Kannon is known as Guanyin and is usually depicted as a beautiful and merciful-looking woman,' the artist says. 'It was my first time seeing male Guanyin depicted with many heads, almost looking monstrous and dominating. (I considered) the sex change in this deity within history and cultures. 'Another reason I created Kannon in this exhibition is because she or he is named 'the one who perceives the sound of the world.' There is so much suffering happening ... and I wonder if she can hear it.' Bringing together contemporary artists from around Asia in one of today's most talked-about museums creates the sense that something important — and exciting — is just beginning. 'Ambient, Environment, Circumstances — The Typography of Contemporary Art —' is on display through July 21 at Simose Art Museum in Otake, Hiroshima Prefecture. For more information, visit . Transportation for the article was provided by Bucchigiri Production.
The Guardian
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Bog standard? Tokyo's spectacular public toilets
Public toilets are rarely thought of fondly – that is unless you're talking about those in Tokyo's Shibuya district. Commissioned in 2019, creatives including renowned architects Shigeru Ban and the late Fumihiko Maki designed 17 beautiful, functional, meticulously clean public toilets, some of which featured in Wim Wenders's 2023 film Perfect Days . Hong Kong-based photographer Ulana Switucha came across the toilets, each unique, while working on a project about Japanese architecture in 2023, and went back to photograph them the following year. 'These structures are works of art,' she says. 'They shine as beacons in their urban setting and demonstrate that public design can go beyond functionality to represent cultural and artistic value.'
