The term "group show" usually conjures an image of multiple meetings, shared spaces, collaborative installations and a common theme to tie it all together. "Artist File 2009," a group show at The National Art Center Tokyo (NACT) till May 5, has none of these things. But this is not a typical group of artists, and the NACT is not your typical art space.
With 14,000 sq.-meters of exhibition space, 12 autonomous exhibition rooms and no permanent collection, the NACT is a perfect venue for large-scale, one-off productions. The behemoth facility — it is Tokyo's largest art venue — often has multiple exhibitions taking place concurrently, and "Artist File" is essentially that: nine separate solo exhibitions under one roof. Without any criteria for theme, media used, career track record or even country of origin, what exactly is the show about then?
Perhaps the NACT's own mission statement is the best indicator. On its Web site, the three main functions of the facility are described as: exhibiting art, collecting and disseminating information, and engaging in education and outreach programs. Given these guidelines, "Artist File" certainly delivers. The individual spaces give each artist complete control to showcase their own work as they see fit; a separate catalog has been published for each of the nine participating artists (as opposed to the usual comprehensive catalog); and no less than seven workshops and lectures were planned to be held throughout the exhibition's two-month span (two lectures remain).