Tokyo Weekender August 2017

KIKUCHI Tomoko, Guimei at the mirror, Chongquing from the series I and
I, 2011, Ink-jet Print
SCROLLING THROUGH HEISEI PART 2: COMMUNICATION
AND SOLITUDE
The Heisei period (1989-present) has been a time when digital innovations have
transformed the way we communicate and interact. Email, social media, and
always-on connections are convenient, but they bring with them a new kind of
distance, and sometimes a greater feeling of separation. This exhibition draws
from the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum’s 34,000-work collection, and looks
at the way in which changing relationships between artists and subjects and
between artists and viewers play out in the medium of photography.
Tokyo Photographic Art Museum Until September 18 topmuseum.jp
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Spring, 1563, oil on oak wood, Madrid,
Museo de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
I
SUMMER
ILLUMINATIONS
Dispelling the idea that
illuminations are a winter-only
affair, Lisa Wallin shares three
places in and around Tokyo that will
light up your nights this summer
TOKYO TOWER
MILKY WAY
ILLUMINATION
In the spirit of the
recent Tanabata
holiday, Tokyo
Tower is making
sure that lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi have a
chance to meet all summer long by recreating a
starry night — complete with Milky Way — on the
first floor of the main observatory deck. The outer
staircase, usually only open on weekends, is open
daily and has its own illumination starting around
sunset. Until September 3
TOKYO
MIDTOWN'S
SUMMER
LIGHT
GARDEN
Tokyo Midtown will
be ablaze with "light
fireworks" on a big screen this summer, with fireworks
shows scheduled three times an hour. The
light shows will feature programs from each of the
three grand fireworks festivals in Japan: Nagaoka,
Omagari, and Tsuchiura. For four days, August 10
to August 13, there will be a special performance
featuring 300 real fireworks in combination with
the light show, in celebration of Tokyo Midtown's
10th anniversary. Until August 31
ARCIMBOLDO: NATURE INTO ART
Once you see a piece by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, you’ll never forget it. The 16th century
Milanese painter uses vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other objects to make up the
features of his portrait subjects – an approach that is both witty and a little disturbing.
Recognized by his contemporaries as a unique talent, Arcimboldo also found favor
among the Surrealists of the 20th century. This exhibition includes about 100 works,
including some 30 oil paintings and drawings; it also marks the first time that a collection
of Arcimboldo’s pieces will be exhibited in Japan. The National Museum of
Western Art Until September 24 arcimboldo2017.jp/english
ENOSHIMA
TORO
LANTERN
FESTIVAL
Down in Kanagawa,
they take a
more traditional
approach to summer illuminations, lighting up
Enoshima island with traditional paper lanterns.
It's the largest illumination event in the area, featuring
over 1,000 paper lanterns lining the streets
of the island. Until August 31
TOKYO WEEKENDER | AUGUST 2017 | 39