Jam Session: The Ishibashi Foundation Collection x Yamaguchi Akira Drawn to the Irresistible Sensation

9 September [Sat] - 19 November [Sun], 2023

Contact with the modern—and even more so with modern painting—had an adverse influence on Japan. Modern painting in Western Europe was a reaction against realistic and academic painting, an attempt to recover its essential nature. But what about modern art as introduced to Japan, which had no history of realistic or academic painting?

Yamaguchi Akira (b. 1969) responded with that statement to the Ishibashi Foundation Collection, which includes modern paintings by both Japanese and Western artists. In this Jam Session, we invite you to observe Yamaguchi Akira questioning what "modern," a "Japanese-style code," and "the essence of Japan" mean as he tries to break away from the history and art systems imposed by society, driven by a sensation he finds irresistible.

Biography

Photo: SOGABE Yohei

YAMAGUCHI Akira

Born in Tokyo in 1969. Raised in Kiryu City in Gunma Prefecture. Completed the Master’s Program in oil painting at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1996. In 2013 his Hen na Nihon Bijutsushi (Strange History of Japanese Art) won the 12th Kobayashi Hideo Award. A distinctive feature of his work is the use of oil painting to reproduce traditional styles of Japanese painting. Since then, Yamaguchi has embraced many forms of creative expression, including painting, sculpture, manga, and installations. His work has been shown numerous times in exhibitions both in Japan and abroad. His works include public art for the Tokyo Metro Nihombashi Station and the official art poster for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Exhibition overview

Exhibition title: Jam Session: The Ishibashi Foundation Collection x Yamaguchi Akira Drawn to the Irresistible Sensation

Exhibition period: 9 September [Sat] - 19 November [Sun], 2023

Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays except November 3) *Last entry 30 minutes before closing.

Closed: Mondays (except September 18, October 9), September 19, October 10

Organizer: Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation

Venue: 6F Gallery

Concurrent Exhibitions: From the Scene of Creation ―Artists’ Archives in Films and Photographs （5F Gallery）
Selections from the Ishibashi Foundation Collection Special Section Women Reading（4F Gallery）

Highlight

Attention: * Given the structure of one of the exhibits, we recommend that you wear comfortable shoes during your visit.

Ticket prices (incl. tax)

	On-line ticket	In-Person ticket (purchase at museum)
General	1,200 yen　*Credit card payments only	1,500 yen
University college high school students	Free entry　Advance booking required Please present student ID upon entry.
Disabled visitors (plus one accompanying assistant)	Free entry　Advance booking not required Please present disabled person’s handbook upon entry.
Children through junior high school	Free entry　Advance booking not required

*Online tickets must be purchased up to 10 minutes before the end of each time slot.
*Booking is not accepted when a time slot is full.
*In-Person ticket may be purchased at the museum, if the time slot is not full.
*This admission fee gives the visitor access to the concurrent exhibitions.

Art works

YAMAGUCHI Akira, Raigo, 2015, Collection of the artist, Photo by Nissha F8, Inc. ASAI Kensuke, ©YAMAGUCHI Akira, Courtesy of Mizuma Art Gallery

YAMAGUCHI Akira, Tokei (Tokyo): The Tokyo Olympic Games in 1940 and 1964, 2018-2023, Collection of the artist, Photo by Nissha F8, Inc. ASAI Kensuke, ©YAMAGUCHI Akira, Courtesy of Mizuma Art Gallery

YAMAGUCHI Akira, View of Flourishing South End Nihonbashi, 2021, Collection of the artist, Photo by Nissha F8, Inc. ASAI Kensuke, ©YAMAGUCHI Akira, Courtesy of Mizuma Art Gallery

YAMAGUCHI Akira, Distant View of the Zenkoji Gokaicho, 2022-2023, Zenkoji, Photography by MURAYAMA Masatoshi, ©YAMAGUCHI Akira, Courtesy of Mizuma Art Gallery

YAMAGUCHI Akira, Scribblings on the Contemporary Wall, Olympics and Paralympics (detail), 2021, Collection of the artist, Photo by MIYAJIMA Kei, ©YAMAGUCHI Akira, Courtesy of Mizuma Art Gallery