July 15-Sept. 18 Nick-named the "Leonardo da Vinci of the 21st Century," Dutch contemporary artist Theo Jansen creates works inspired by biological evolution. Since the 1990s, he has been building "Strandbeests," giant wind-powered kinetic sculptures made of intricate frameworks of recycled plastic. Although his "Strandbeests" were ...
July 8-Aug. 28 As is often depicted in nishiki-e (color woodblock prints), some Edo Period (1603-1868) leading sumo wrestlers, such as the yokozuna (grand champions), were employed by daimyo and allowed to wear swords. Japanese swords also signified a sumo wrestler's status and authority, with ...
July 15-Sept. 24 Yoshitomo Nara established his internationally renowned style of cartoon-like characters while living in Germany from the 1980s to the mid-'90s. His early works, he says, were derived from childhood memories and feelings of solitude while growing up in Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture. ...
July 8-Aug. 27 O Jun and Koji Tanada first met in 1997 and have been inspiring each other ever since. O Jun is known for works featuring nonfigurative motifs expressed through pencil, crayon, watercolors and oils, while Tanada is renowned for sculptures that are carved ...
June 21-July 23 Inspired by the culture of records, the artistry of album and single sleeves and the technology involved in the vinyl industry, the Kanazawa Institute of Technology began acquiring records in 1992. Now, it houses more than 240,000 records and a wealth of ...
June 20-Sept. 24 Colors are not just for aesthetics in art — they stimulate the imagination and often help understand the artwork itself. For ceramics, color is a fundamental part of a work's form and expression, making the creation of and use of glazes, as ...
June 17-July 15 After graduating high school, multimedia artist Tadahiko Ikegaki moved to Mexico, where he lived for three years and was greatly influenced by the vivacity of the country and its people. On his return to Japan in 1977, he began creating both 2-D and ...
June 16-Aug. 20 This exhibition offers an opportunity to see the personal artwork of script and screenplay writer So Kuramoto, who has produced numerous masterpieces, including the 1980s hit TV show "From the Northern Country." Based in Furano in Hokkaido, Kuramoto focuses on nature, creating colorful ...
June 10-Oct. 15 Parisian women, living in the heart of Europe's fashion capital, have been style icons for centuries, inspiring through their sartorial innovations and lifestyle choices since the 1400s. For this show illustrating the importance of Parisian women on the fashion industry and the arts, ...
June 6-July 17 Born in Ishikawa Prefecture, Kitano Tsunetomi (1880-1947) moved to Osaka at the age of 17 to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. Although he started out as an illustrator for newspapers, he established himself as a nihonga (Japanese-style) painter by the ...
June 4-July 30 Located in the northwest of Nagano Prefecture and surrounded by abundant nature, the city of Omachi is often nicknamed the "Entrance of the Japan Alps." "The Japan Alps Festival 2017" — directed by Fram Kitagawa, the curator behind the popular "Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale" ...
The story of Sakura Sogo of Kozu (present-day Narita) is legendary. It's believed that the 17th-century farmer sacrificed his life by directly appealing to the shogun, which was illegal, in an attempt to have harsh taxes on farmers eased.
