As April comes to an end, Tokyo galleries wrap up their latest exhibitions. But some events announce the beginning of festival season and the Tokyo Comedy Bar brings back its popular Tokyo Roast Battle – for those in need of a pick-me-up.
1. Mayumi Yamase at I AM gallery
Mayumi Yamase, an artist known for her abstract and colorful paintings, drawings and sculptures, is the first domestic talent to be showcased at I AM gallery in Toshima-ku’s Higashi-Nagasaki. Yamase has exhibited her work in London, Singapore and throughout Japan and worked with an array of brands including Nike, Comme des Garçons and Beams.
Through art, Yamase hopes to spark a unique dialogue between objects. In this exhibition, she seeks to express herself with various materials such as oil, acrylic, colored pencils, pastels and watercolors.
When: Until Apr 30 | More info
2. Ching Wen Chang: “Memory Container”
Ching Wen Chang won the Spiral Independent Creators Festival Grand Prize last year with her landscapes depicting the feeling of loneliness and anxiety in modern, urban life.
Using traditional Japanese painting techniques and materials such as ink, suikan and mineral pigments on Japanese paper, Chang draws landscapes such as apartment houses and windows to depict the “loneliness” and “anxiety” of modern people living in big cities.
When: Apr 26–May 1 | More info
3. Rainbow Disco Club 2022
Rainbow Disco Club 2022 is a 3-day outdoor music festival that connects people through dance, music and art and allows for the perfect camping getaway. The event features a long list of prominent artists and DJs. It has also received tremendous recognition from dance music fans all over and even provides an environment with music suitable for families to enjoy together.
When: Apr 29-May 1 | More info
4. Tokyo Roast Battle
Japan’s one-and-only Comedy Roast Battle returns as part of Tokyo Comedy Bar’s pre-open show series. Come and support this epic moment in Tokyo’s comedy history and see Tokyo’s best comedians take each other down. Roast Battle is over the top one-upmanship and some of the craziest, harshest jokes you will ever hear.
When: Apr 30 | More info
5. Tokyo Art Tank Vol. 6
For two days, a new generation of underground artists will be displaying their art for the world to enjoy. Tokyo Art Tank provides a vast and eclectic body of work that is enjoyable for both the experienced art collector as well as for newcomers. Among the featured artists will be The Spilt Ink, Ponzi, Jay Holmes, Christina Ras, Reo and Motohiko Kojima.
When: Apr 29–30 | More info
6. Mark Ryden: “Yakalina 9”
Perrotin and Kasmin are delighted to announce a jointly organized exhibition of new works by American artist Mark Ryden. Encompassing the newly created series of bronze sculptures and drawings of the mysterious entity Yakalina, the exhibition is conceived as a component of the artist’s upcoming exhibition, Animal Secrets, opening at Perrotin
Paris in May.
Mark Ryden’s imaginative creations probe into the invisible and interpret the life of things filled with spiritual essence. Yakalina 9 features sculptures and drawings of the mysterious animal recently created by Ryden. Yakalina, with an appearance that is both lovely and eerie, has a long conical body covered with fur and outstretched arms symbolizing worshiping and piety.
When: Until May 14 | More info
7. Yayoi Kusama Museum New Exhibition: A POEM IN MY HEART
The Yayoi Kusama Museum in Tokyo has completely changed its selection, making the visit a fresh new experience even for frequent patrons. The latest exhibition is titled “A POEM IN MY HEART,” showing some of Kusama’s rare works such as nihonga paintings and collages. Also on display are her latest works, some as late as 2020. A few of the works in the museum are being exhibited for the first time.
The room-size installation and the rooftop sculpture have been changed too. “I’m Here, but Nothing” is a new room-size fluorescent installation on the fourth floor, while the rooftop sculpture that used to be a pumpkin when the museum first opened is now a mesmerizing work called “LIFE.”
When: Until Aug 28 | More info
