TOKYO ART PICKS (NOVEMBER)

Tokyo is the art capital of the World in terms of the number of eyeballs on artworks, so what is on offer this November? TOKYO-MET offers its picks.

THE OTAKE IMPACT: THE ANARCHISM OF THE OTAKE BROTHERS

There are a lot of ways to "blot your copybook" in the Japanese art world. Being bad at art is not one of them. This is the story behind the three Otake brothers (Etsudo, Chikuha, and Kokkan) who showed impressive skills and enjoyed a meteoric rise at major Nihonga exhibitions in the early years of the 20th century, but nevertheless fell foul of the "social dynamics" of the Nihonga world due to their radicalism, experimentalism, and "wildly unconventional lifestyles." Luckily, they kept in with the influential Sumitomo family, whose SEN-OKU HAKUKOKAN MUSEUM TOKYO is now trying to rehabilitate them with a major retrospective. Now - Dec 15th. Price: ¥1,200. Read more here. 

Otake Chikupo, "The Moisture of the Moon, the Heat of the Sun, and the Chill of the Stars," (1920)

MODERN IMAGES OF ANCIENT CLAY FIGURES

There is something oddly haunting about Japan's ancient Haniwa and Dogu, clay figures excavated from ancient archaeological sites and made for religious and ceremonial reasons. There is also a little of the "post-human" vibe of our own age with its fascination with robots and AI. Due to their enigmatic presence during the prehistorical formation of Japan, these figures have always inspired Japanese artists. The exhibition at THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, TOKYO (MoMAT) brings together a wide range of art that references these silent witnesses of the past, including works by Okamoto Taro and Isamu Noguchi. Now - Dec 22nd. PRICE ¥1,800! Read more here.  

Fukiya Koji, Heaven’s Warrior (1943)

MOMOKO SAKURA

I probably shouldn't say this, but I can't help thinking that Momoko Sakura was a victim of her own success. A comic artist and creator of the wildly successful Chibi Maruko-chan, based on the artist's own childhood, she died at the tragically early age of 53 in 2018 from cancer, which is often a stress-related illness brought on by overwork. THE MORI ARTS CENTER GALLERY is showcasing Sakura's work, which extended beyond her iconic character to other comic works and several books, with 300 original colour drawings. You can't really understand modern Japanese society without some awareness of Chibi Maruko-chan. Now - 5th Jan 2025. PRICE: ¥1,600. Read more here.

Momoko's Fantastic World Kojikoji, ©さくらももこ

LOUISE BOURGEOIS

Subtitled "I have been to hell and back and let me tell you, it was wonderful," this exhibition is a big, serious look at someone who is considered a major international artist. The MORI ART MUSEUM has its own long-standing link with Bourgeois (1911-2010), as the Mori Building is one of the sites for Bourgeois's large iconic spider sculptures. While the "serious art" label and "big issues" will be off-putting for some, the show has enough raw, visceral moments to make it truly entertaining as art.  Now - Jan 19th 2025. PRICE: ¥2000. Read more here.

Arch of Hysteria (1993) Photo: Christopher Burke © The Easton Foundation/Licensed by JASPAR and VAGA, NY