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State of the art

Exploring Roppongi and Tennozu, two of Tokyo's artsiest neighbourhoods

We know it'due south difficult to believe, but Roppongi, Tokyo's glitzy underbelly of pricey booze, sleazy clubs and boutique shopping, lives a double life equally the urban center's art hub. The capital's about famous entertainment district, in one case known as 'High Impact Town', prides itself on an impressive array of small galleries and big museums – the cultural legacy of gentrification efforts over the last decade.

Further southeast, Tennozu Isle is no stranger to the art, or artifice, of transformation from the lesser upward either. In fact, the artificial island was literally dredged upwardly from the depths of Tokyo Bay during the 1920s and '30s. Recently, extensive waterfront planning has seen the hitherto quiet warehouse district re-emerge every bit a be-muraled town dotted with canalside cafés, high-rise office buildings, hip hotels and art galleries.

Roppongi

This year, Roppongi's art cred was raised to new heights with the opening of the Complex665 building (6-5-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku), which houses a trifecta of influential galleries: Tomio Koyama, ShugoArts and Taka Ishii. The edifice sits on a residential back street tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Roppongi, but is difficult to miss thanks to what appears to be a squiggle painted on its side. This symbol is the logo designed for Complex665 past artist Yoshihisa Tanaka, who imagined how a 'fictional artist named 665 might sign their own work'.

A major player in Tokyo'southward contemporary art scene, Tomio Koyama Gallery moved into the second floor of the building from their previous location in Sendagaya, employing young architects Toru Murayama and Ayako Kato to design their new 2-room exhibition space. They represent an impressive roster of artists in Japan, including wunderkind photographer Ryan McGinley, American post-minimalist Richard Tuttle and Yoko Ono.

Besides on the second floor is ShugoArts, who accept championed the avant-garde of Japanese art since the mid-'80s. Their gallery was designed by architect Jun Aoki, as well responsible for facelifting the façade of the Louis Vuitton edifice in Ginza. Different their flatmates, ShugoArts keep the shop open up on Sundays.

Calling dibs on the elevation bunk are Taka Ishii Gallery, who represent heavy-hitters like Elmgreen & Dragset, Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama and Thomas Need. Furniture and interior design gurus Broadbean, whose offices occupy the ground floor, were enlisted to design the sleek gallery space on the 3rd floor, which wonderfully feeds off natural light coming in from the establish terrace.

If yous've enjoyed killing a whole flock of birds with one rock, and then caput over to the Piramide Building (vi-6-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku), which is some other great example of the tried-and-tested 'power in numbers' model of art collectives. Leading galleries Ota Fine Arts and Wako Works of Art are among its famous tenants.

Rising above the rest both in elevation and, arguably, in might, the 238-metre Roppongi Hills Mori Belfry is home to the Mori Art Museum, which holds some of Tokyo'due south almost ambitious and influential exhibitions. A retrospective dedicated to the Indian artist N S Harsha will be unveiled in Feb 2017.

The abstraction of fashion (and fragrance) designer Issey Miyake and boyfriend pattern greats Taku Satoh and Naoto Fukasawa, 21_21 Design Sight more than than underscores Roppongi'southward role as the focal point of Tokyo'due south fine art scene. The common focus of their ever-changing lineup of exhibitions is interdisciplinary design.

The National Art Center (NACT), designed by Kisho Kurokawa of Nakagin Capsule Tower fame, boasts the largest exhibition infinite of whatsoever museum in Japan. Unlike almost of its counterparts, NACT is an 'empty museum', which ways information technology does non have a permanent collection, instead choosing to commission one-off exhibitions – their Monet show was the 2nd most visited exhibition in the earth in 2007.

Located in Tokyo Midtown and designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma, the Suntory Museum of Art possesses the biggest collection of Japanese arts and crafts in the country, comprised of a whopping 3,000-plus objects. Their tea ceremonies, staged on the sixth flooring every second Thursday, are a must do.

And for the 'Peanuts' fans out there, Roppongi has a Snoopy Museum, showcasing Charles Chiliad Schulz's original drawings and art for the beloved series. A number of the cartoonist'southward early on works, vintage collectibles and other materials are also on display.

Tennozu Isle

Backed past the Terrada warehouse company, which does far more than merely stock Tokyoites' leftover belongings, Tennozu's new Archi-Depot museum displays a whopping 116 architectural models by Japanese starchitects, including works by Kengo Kuma, Shigeru Ban and Riken Yamamoto. While the exhibition warehouse isn't exactly a sight to behold, the architectural models – depicting both real buildings and unrealised projects – gleam like miniature cabinets of curiosities. After paying a visit to Archi-Depot, you're sure to walk away with a renewed appreciation for Tokyo'southward beautiful buildings, often overlooked in the relentless hustle and hurry of our dear metropolis.

Merely a rock's throw away from Archi-Depot lies the striking art supplies 'laboratory' Pigment, designed by Kuma and inspired past the wait and feel of bamboo. It stocks more than four,500 color pigments, l kinds of fauna glues, and a number of summit-quality traditional painting tools including over 200 antiquarian ink sticks. The staff are all well-versed in the intricacies of the products and are happy to show y'all how to utilize them.

Taking a cue from their comrades over in Roppongi, four gimmicky fine art galleries recently decided to nestle against each other on the third floor of the Terrada Fine art Circuitous. The quartet is comprised of Kodama Gallery, who are getting ready for a solo show by Japanese artist Gaëtan Kubo opening Jan 14; Urano, representing domestic talents such as Takahiro Iwasaki, who volition be flying the flag for Japan at the 2017 Venice Biennale; Yamamoto Gendai, who count the legendary luminary Richard Serra amidst their artists; and Yuka Tsuruno Gallery, known for their collaborations with renowned artists Candida Höfer and José Parlá. Lest you lot forget your surrounds, the galleries are located inside a fully operating warehouse and are only accessible by a service elevator.

As the quondam and current residents of neighbourhoods like London's Shoreditch and New York'southward Brooklyn volition tell you, gentrification is a double-edged sword that tears through the one-time to make fashion for the new. Whichever side of the third moving ridge café/local caff divide you're on, the number and density of fine art galleries is often a good litmus test for how far a neighbourhood has come down the line. Less than half an hour apart, Roppongi and Tennozu Isle offer two different cases to report for those interested in the sociocultural furnishings of Tokyo's urban planning. Or you lot could only look at the art.

Terrada'southward main warehouse (ii-six-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku) is holding an exhibition on David Bowie from January 8 to Apr 9 – exist sure to go your tickets in advance.

Notice more galleries in Roppongi

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Source: https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/art/state-of-the-art

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