Tokyo Weekender - November 2017

PARK Seo-Bo, Ecriture No.000508, 2000, mixed media with Korean paper on canvas,
Collection: Mie Prefectural Art Museum
Vincent van Gogh, The Sower, 1888, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
© Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
RHYTHM IN MONOCHROME | KOREAN ABSTRACT PAINTING
Korean abstract art has drawn plenty of attention in the art world over the past
several years, and the work of its best-known practitioners has been fetching
high prices at art auctions around the world. Perhaps most captivating about the
country’s unique take on the form is that it blends the concepts of Western abstract
art with the spirit of traditional Eastern art and inspiration from natural forms. This
collection of works focuses on the Dansaekhwa (“monochrome”) movement, which
manages to achieve significant aesthetic effect with a minimalist approach. Tokyo
Opera City Art Gallery Until December 24 www.operacity.jp/en/ag
VAN GOGH & JAPAN
“All my work is based to some extent on Japanese art…” These are the words of
Vincent Van Gogh, who at first did not pay a great deal of attention to Japonisme.
However, when he moved to Paris and began to modernize his artistic style, he saw
Japanese prints as examples for his own work, and as equals to the masterpieces
of Western art history. Eventually, he would incorporate Japanese elements – bold
color, stylization, and a flattening of perspective – into his paintings. Not only does this
exhibit explore Japan’s influence on Van Gogh, it also details the gravitational pull that
the tormented artist had on generations of Japanese art enthusiasts. Tokyo Metropolitan
Art Museum Until January 8, 2018 gogh-japan.jp/english
M
MUSIC
Just released over the last few weeks,
these are three albums we’ve had stuck
in our heads since our first listen.
BECK – COLORS
Kicking off with its
propulsive title track,
Beck’s 13th studio
album – which we got
a taste of with singles
“Wow” (2016) and
“Dreams” (2015) – is
a romp through styles like only we’d expect from
the 47-year-old rocker. ”Wow” has a heady hip
hop vibe, “I’m So Free” is reminiscent of Nirvana’s
“Lithium,” and “No Distraction” has more than
a touch of The Police to it. You’ll probably be
hearing a lot of the standout track “Up All Night,”
which has already made its way to the FIFA 2017
soundtrack.
KAMASI
WASHINGTON
– HARMONY OF
DIFFERENCE
His first album after the
nearly three-hour debut
that was The Epic,
Harmony of Difference
feels like something of a miniature coming from
tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington. His latest
is a tight set of short compositions that blend
one into the other, seamlessly making their way
through funk, Brazilian rhythms, and straightahead
jazz, culminating in a final track – “Truth” –
which is a return to The Epic style form, complete
with dramatic backing vocals. A well-paced and
well-produced album with a sophisticated polish.
MOSES
SUMNEY –
AROMANTICISM
Moses Sumney has
been gaining attention
on the indie
scene since the release
of a five-track
EP in 2014; since then he’s released a series of
singles and EPs, and toured with Sufjan Stevens
and James Blake. Sumney’s debut full length is
a meditation on solitude – a rare, yet also quite
common thing in our “hyperconnected” day
and age – brought to life by an impressive vocal
range, thought provoking lyrics, and harmonically
sumptuous arrangements. Not necessarily
one to get your toes tapping, but one to get you
thinking and feeling.
TOKYO WEEKENDER | NOVEMBER 2017 | 41