It’s time to continue with part 3 of “The Doraemon Tokyo 2017 Art Exhibit” at Roppongi Hills in Minato.
After entering the exhibit and seeing the numerous and awesome works of Takashi Murakami, we then switch to another talented artist…Miran Fukuda.
Miran was the youngest-ever recipient of the Yasui Prize. Known for a distinctive style while participating in numerous international art exhibitions, I was ecstatic to find out her art will be showcased at “The Doraemon Tokyo 2017 Art Exhibit”.
The first is “Rembrandt – Self-Portrait with Palette” which was painted via acrylic on panel, Digitagraph printing on cloth.
The painting was originally shown at “THE Doraemon exhibition” in 2002.
According to Fukuda, “There are many interpretations of two orbs that appear in the background of Rembrandt’s late-period work, “Self Portrait with Two Circles” – that they illustrate his technical expertise, or that they serve as symbols of completion. Here, I created a reproduction of Rembrandt’s picture, and worked on the hypothesis that these circles were things that appeared in Doraemon’s hands when he went to take something out of his pocket. It’s kind of based around the silly, nonsensical gags that the Doraemon series is full of”.
The next painting is “Hermits on the Waves” created by Fukuda in 2017 and is presented via acrylic on panel.
According to Fukuda, “This forms a pair with the work I created for the last exhibition, but this time, I chose ancient Chinese hermits as my theme. Hermits are immortal beings who live in the mountains and use mysterious techniques, valuing a way of life that is not influenced by commonplace views. The various narratives about them, which draw on a Taoist view of nature that is both mystical and mythical, have been passed down through history for the sense of the out-of-this-world fantasy they offer”.
Fukuda also said, “When engaging with fantasy that opens the door through to another world, we feel both a sense of awe, and also the courage to examine our everyday lives more closely. I feel like that’s something that’s share absolutely with the Doraemon series. So I decided to create a double image, with hermits walking on water and talking amicably, while Doraemon flies over the waves with his Hopter”.
The next is another one I was excited about seeing and that is Mika Ninagawa’s photography work. Well known for her vibrant and colorful photographs, she is an award-winning photographer and she’s also a talented director!
In fact, you probably saw Mika’s work and you probably are not aware of it.
She directed the video “Heavy Rotation” featuring AKB48 which has been viewed over 143 million times on YouTube:
She also directed the 2007 film “Sakuran” and the film “Helter Skelter” in 2002.
The photography work titled “A tale of my dear DORA on a date” was featured at “THE Doraemon exhibition” in 2002.
Featured inkjet prints on a wood panel, Ninagawa said, “I wanted a plus Doraemon so badly that I ended up buying a car – the Nissan Rasheen, which came with a free Dorameon soft toy – just to get one. So for me, this was a very exciting project. My celebrity crush Doraemon (I think of him as “mine”) is such a great guy – he’s cute, he’s cool, he can do everything, and he’s playful. Thinking this, I started thinking that maybe Doraemon is the ideal guy for all girls in Japan – all girls around the world, even”.
Ninagawa continued, “These photos capture a wondrous, all-day date for Ayumi and Doraemon. Though of course, really, I wish it could have been me, and not Ayumi… I left aside all my other jobs to plunge into this project. He’s a real charmer, that Doraemon…”.
The title of her photograph exhibit is “A tale of my dear DORA on a date 2017” featuring photos done on an inkjet printer on wood panel.
According to Ninagawa, “When I was invited to take part in “THE Doraemon exhibition” 15 years ago, it occurred to me that Doraemon is actually the perfect man. I decided to create a piece of work based around the idea of going on a date with Doraemon, making a Memory Album using the Polaroid cameras popular at the time. This time, I wanted to see what would happen if I returned to the same concept again, but bringing it up to date by instead presenting the memories as the kinds of images that would now be posted on social media”.
Tomoko Konoike is an artist best known for Nihonga art, which is Japanese-style paintings that are made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. Traditions that are over a thousand years old.
Nihonga is a term used in the Meiji period to distinguish works from Yoga (Western-style paintings).
But her creation title Shizuka-san no Heya (Shizuka’s room) was wonderful and one of the largest at the exhibit. Almost like a cave drawing with each panel sewn together, you can’t help but be in awe with Konoike’s work.
It was quite impressive!
The next rooms were video-based and there were others that simply have no photos or recording allowed, but there is still much more to feature from “The Doraemon Tokyo 2017 Art Exhibit” in part 4!
