Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT) presents TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA_Crystallize an exhibition on view October 3, 2013–January 19, 2014. Born in 1967, Tokujin Yoshioka is one of the most influential artists in the world, highly acclaimed for his unrestrained concepts and experimental creativity in a wide range of fields, including art, design, and architecture, which have won him high acclaim both at home and abroad. It explores the extraordinary fascination of his oeuvre.
As new works of this exhibition, the crystallized painting drawn by the vibration of music, Swan Lake, a sculpture of a crystallized flower, Rose, a chair constructed of seven strings, Spider’s thread and Rainbow Church built of crystal prisms and other pieces that have never been exhibited including his major works. This exhibition will be a vital opportunity to consider the relationship between nature and human beings, and to share the scene that he “crystallizes (= gives a form to)” it as his creation for the next generation.
Curator’s statement
At this moment, Tokujin Yoshioka is ready for his solo exhibition TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA_Crystallize at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo as an artist. He has consistently attached his mind to “the aura and the touch” rather than “the form,” for realizing the creation of “future standard” rather than “here-now.” As he created scenes from nature that lies in memory and shared it with people, it is no wonder he has arrived to an idea of “born from nature” in the recent years.
Crystallize Project inherits his approaches to the natural structure; while works are “born from nature,” it is his willpower that determines the moment of accomplishment of the crystallized paintings, the sculptures and the photograph. In this respect, the theme “crystallize” fits well for this solo exhibition as it enhances the meaning of “crystallizing one’s idea.” Thus, his works are a kind of new vocabulary for describing nature (also in the sense of the fundamental character of things). The question “what can creativity / design do?” raised by Yoshioka when the Great East Japan Earthquake dramatically changed both humanity and nature suggested the usage of this new vocabulary to create a space filled with extraordinary light, his Rainbow church, as a space for all to share.
This approximately 2,000-square-meter exhibition space is divided into three zones, 1) art installations, 2) his portfolio-video and famous two chairs as Honey-pop and PANE chair, and 3) design projects from 1989 to 2014, which include his early works like “Silicon hat” and “Ring bag” for Issey Miyake.
This solo exhibition is intended to show Yoshioka in a new light. Here we do not simply retrace the last quarter century but provide a space where visitors experience the transformation of Yoshioka’s creation.
–Tomoe Moriyama
(Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku
Tokyo 135-0022
Japan
www.mot-art-museum.jp