A.R.T. Gallery, Ebisu
Closes in 29 days
It's easy to feel lost and isolated in two great metropolises such as Tokyo and Berlin. But for Swedish-German artist Jarg Geismar, who has lived in both capitals, a city is what you make of it. That lost sensation, which Geismar considers his palette, can be a source of revelation, personal discovery and, even, the essence that ties us together -- standing in the middle of a crowd, you may feel utterly alone, but you are in fact connected to everyone.
While inspired by existentialists such as Krishnamurti and Camus, as well as Joseph Beuys and the German Fluxus Movement, in his exhibition "Lost in Berlin/Lost in Tokyo," showing at A.R.T. in Ebisu till March 17, Geismar offers with lightness and humor a visual metaphor for our interconnectedness: lines. Through drawings, photographs, red plastic cables and a video of walking in Tokyo and Berlin, Geismar shows how the simple linear form of lines can symbolize so much about our deep mutual connections. Cables and strings have been Geismar's trademark for over 20 years as he has become known in Europe for focusing on issues of communication, . "In Berlin, people are lost in communication," says Geismar. "In Tokyo, it's about non-communication."