In recent weeks there have been several contemporary-art group exhibitions, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo Annual, VOCA at the Ueno Royal Museum, and the Sompo Japan Rising Artists Exhibition. In theory these exhibitions, which are usually scheduled to coincide with the optimism of spring, are designed to show what Japan's brightest and best are up to and point to future trends in the art world.

But another way of looking at these shows is as part of the socialization process of artists. In the derivativeness of much of what is on offer, we are given clear indications of artistic role models, while the curatorially designated trends point to the subtle artistic herding that goes on. In such shows, the young artist often emerges as a figure caught between education and expectation, with pure expression lost in the mix. This may be the reason why so much of the art at these shows was simply disappointing.

Contrast this with the vivid and delightful art on display at the "Art Brut Japonais" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art Saitama and you might conclude that the whole Japanese art establishment has been wasting its energy. The artists at this show are all mentally disabled outsiders. Because of this, they are equally impervious to artistic education and curatorial guidance, and, not so surprisingly, all the better for it.