If you’re in the mood for an abstruse, slightly puzzling moment, head to Naka-Meguro, one of Tokyo’s acknowledged artistic odd spots, and get yourself to The Container: literally a metal cargo container — but one set in the midst of a hair salon. As soon as you arrive, you may be assailed by feelings of “why the heck did I come here?,” as you are forced — if you are even a little above average male height — to stoop into the cramped and slightly malodorous space. The thought “Is that burned hair?” might even pass through your mind.
I suspect the weirdness of the venue is deliberate, as one of the declared objectives of contemporary art is to disorient. That is what The Container definitely does: You don’t quite feel that you’re at an exhibition, but you’re not there to get your hair cut either. Or are you?
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