Tokyo Gendai
5th July, 2024 -7th JULY, 2024
PACIFICO Yokohama
1-1-1 Minato Mirai
Nishi-ku
Yokohama 220-0012, Japan
Tokyo Gendai returns to PACIFICO Yokohama from 5-7 July 2024 (VIP Preview and Vernissage on 4 July), highlighting a selection of the best galleries from Japan, the wider Asia Pacific region and across the globe. Following its successful launch last year, the fair has established itself as an important new addition to the international art calendar, inviting the global art world to explore Japan’s dynamic and rich contemporary art scene.
DONT WAIT FOR ANYTHING 2015
Acrylic on canvas 121.92 x 121.92 cm Almine Rech
The international art fair presents visitors with the chance to connect and engage with Tokyo’s vibrant and well-established gallery scene, alongside offering the opportunity to explore new perspectives and exchange ideas through the fair’s extensive programme celebrating the very best that Japan has to offer. Tokyo Gendai also offers a significant opportunity for collectors to discover Japan’s unique and far-reaching cultural offering and exceptional contemporary art.
Fair Sectors
Tokyo Gendai presents a world-class showcase of international contemporary art, from
established names to cutting-edge emerging talent, acting as a hub of cross-cultural discovery for Asian and international galleries. This year will see the participation of 69 galleries from 18 countries around the world, including Japan, The United Kingdom, USA, France, Germany, Spain and South Korea. The fair will showcase presentations from internationally recognised galleries, grouped into three sectors: Galleries, Hana ‘Flower,’ and Eda ‘Branch.’
Galleries
Leading international gallery Pace (New York, London, Seoul, Geneva, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Tokyo), participating in Tokyo Gendai with a solo presentation devoted to Robert Longo, will also be opening a gallery in the Japanese capital this year, while exhibiting French gallery Ceysson & Bénétière (Saint-Étienne, Paris, Lyon, Luxembourg, Geneva, New York, Panéry, Tokyo) will open its first Asian location and 8th gallery space in Tokyo this Autumn.
New galleries will join the fair this year, including Galerie EIGEN + ART (Leipzig, Berlin), Gallery EXIT (Hong Kong), Kwai Fung Hin Art (Hong Kong); alongside returning names such as Almine Rech (Paris, Brussels, London, New York, Shanghai, Monaco), BLUM (Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo), Perrotin (Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Seoul, Shanghai, Los Angeles), Sadie Coles HQ (London), Taka Ishii Gallery (Tokyo, Kyoto, Maebashi) and SCAI THE BATHHOUSE (Tokyo).
Fair highlights include Tang Contemporary Art’s (Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul, Bangkok)
presentation of zodiac animals made out of Lego bricks by renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei, who is famous for his conceptual artworks that challenge authority and explore the links between the contemporary world and traditional Chinese culture.
Elsewhere, SPURS Gallery (Beijing) will curate a group exhibition featuring six artists including Anselm Reyle, one of Germany’s leading contemporary artists who is well known for his large-scale, ultra-refined abstract paintings, sculptures and elaborate installations with neon elements. Meanwhile, Each Modern (Taipei) will present a group show titled Writings as the Universe, featuring works that are layered, dynamic, complex, and constantly evolving.
Hana ‘Flower’
24 galleries will showcase either a solo or a dual presentation of artists at an early or mid-stage in their career. Highlights include Alison Jacques’ (London) solo stand of new work created for Tokyo Gendai 2024 by British artist Sophie Barber, whose work explores symbols significant to Japan, while simultaneously referencing Western art historical chronologies. Misako & Rosen (Tokyo) and The Green Gallery (Wisconsin) will share a booth, featuring work by Trevor Shimizu whose paintings explore self-representation. ANOMALY’s (Tokyo) theme of More Than Human will present the works of two Japanese artists, Yusuke Asai and Keisuke Tanaka, who both explore the relationship between life and nature from their distinct perspectives and point out the feasibility of coexistence with other species.
Asai uses earth collected in various places as paints, while Tanaka creates works with sawn lumber. Elsewhere, Retro Africa (Abuja) will feature work by Nigerian artist Yusuff Aina, whose pieces invite viewers to navigate the intricacies of vulnerability, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of personal growth.
Eda ‘Branch’
Eda is a sector of the fair dedicated to solo or multiple artist presentations by established or historically significant figures in Asia. This year, the sector will feature nine galleries including PYO Gallery (Seoul) who will present works by Kim Tschang-yeul, the late South Korean artist known for his abstract paintings of water droplets that depict longing for his homeland. VETA by Fer Francés (Madrid) will present bold paintings by Manuel Ocampo; the contemporary Filipino artist combines references to colonial iconography, Judeo-Christian tradition, folk art, Spanish Catholicism, Manila’s underground culture, cartoons and graffiti to revisit the history of art in a provocative way.
The 2024 edition of Tokyo Gendai will also include four curated programmes: an arts talk programme titled Art Talk; an exhibition titled Tsubomi ‘Flower Bud’, which will showcase works relating to a current social issue; Sato ‘Meadow’, featuring large-scale, tailored installations spotlighting new themes in contemporary art around the fair; and Ne ‘Root’, presenting several leading local foundations hosting special showcases of their work. Tokyo Gendai is organised by The Art Assembly and is supported by SMBC Group as their principal partner.
Tokyo Gendai opens on the 5th of July, 2024 until the 7th of JULY, 2024 at PACIFICO Yokohama
©2024 Tokyo Gendai
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