Currently on view: New York
Bye Bye Kitty!!!
Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art
at Japan Society
18 March – 12 June 2011
[Press Release]
Curated by David Elliott, founding Director of the Mori Art Museum, Bye Bye Kitty!!! is a radical departure from recent Japanese exhibitions. Moving far beyond the stereotypes of kawaii and otaku culture, Japan Society’s show features sixteen emerging and mid-career artists whose paintings, objects, photographs, videos, and installations meld traditional styles with challenging visions of Japan’s troubled present and uncertain future. Each of the three sections, “Critical Memory,†“Threatened Nature,†and “Unquiet Dream,†not only offers a feast for the senses but also demolishes our preconceptions about contemporary Japan and its art.
The sixteen featured artists are: Makoto Aida; Manabu Ikeda; Tomoko Kashiki; Rinko Kawauchi; Haruka Kojin; Kumi Machida; Yoshitomo Nara; Kohei Nawa; Motohiko Odani; Hiraki Sawa; Chiharu Shiota; Tomoko Shioyasu; Hisashi Tenmyouya; Yamaguchi Akira; Miwa Yanagi; Tomoko Yoneda.
50% of all admission sales will go to Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund.
Related article: Japan Society exhibit says goodbye to Hello Kitty, SF Gate
Related article: Anxiety on the Fault Line, NY Times
Related article: Japan Society’s Goodbye to Hello Kitty, Hyperallergic,
Related article: No space between chaos and beauty, by Charlie Finch, artnet