From Hara Museum ARC, Gunma
Next week, autumn bloom will be at its best in the vicinity of Hara Museum ARC.
Today we introduce a unique work from the exhibition Body and Soul ─ Selections from the Hara Museum Collection, which is currently on view at the museum’s contemporary gallery.
Elevator Girl House 1F by Miwa Yanagi, the artist who represented Japan at the 2009 Venice Biennale, This work comes from her early photo series entitled Elevator Girls. As an artist working in the medium of photography and video, she has since expanded to include theater as a mode of expression. Her latest theatrical work is entitled 1924 Kaisen, the second installment of the Miwa Yanagi Engeki Project, to be performed at the Kanagawa Arts Theater (KAAT) November 3 to 6.
The female as a motif inevitably appears in Yanagi’s photographic work. The Elevator Girls series is no exception. In this image, Yanagi draws our attention to upon a variety of issues, such as the idea of “femininity” and the cultural and social meaning of “wearing make-up” and “dressing up.”
Miwa Yanagi Elevator Girl House 1F 1997（diptych）
In addition to Miwa Yanagi’s piece, other selections from the Hara Museum Collection are on display in the contemporary art galleries with “body and soul” as the keyword. The body has been compared to many things; for example, a container for the soul or a shell for the spirit. Some view the body and soul as being one and the same thing, or the body as a medium through which the self interacts with others and the surrounding world. We in this media age experience the body with its expanded capabilities made possible by various tools and technologies. In these works by Yanagi and others, it is hoped that the myriad expressions will inspire viewers to consider anew the connection between the body and the spirit and what the body means to them.
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Body and Soul-Selections from the Hara Museum Collection
September 17 (Sat.) – January 4 (Wed.), 2012
Place: Hara Museum ARC Galleries A,B and C
Hours: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm *last entry 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Thursdays during the exhibition period and January 1(open on November 3 and December 29)
*Closed temporarily in the event of severe weather.
Admission: General (over 12) 1,000 yen; children (over 3) 500 yen; 10% discount for a group of 20 or more.
*Children must be accompanied by an adult
**Combination ticket for Hara Museum ARC and Ikaho Green Bokujo ranch: General 1,800 yen; Children 900 yen
Getting There: By train: Take the Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki, change to the Joestu Line, and disembark at Shibukawa. From Shibukawa, ARC is 10 minutes away by taxi or 15 minutes by bus (take the Ikaho Onsen bus to “Green Bokujo Mae”). By car: 8 kilometers (about 15 minutes) from the Kan-etsu Expressway Shibukawa Ikaho Interchange (in the direction of Ikaho Onsen).
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ACCESS
By Train
By JR Joetsu・Nagano Shinkansen
Recommended timetable
・10:12 Depart Tokyo Station→11:01 Arrive at Takasaki Station/ 11:11Depart Takasaki Satation→11:35 Arrive at Shibukawa Station
・11:12 Depart Tokyo Station→12:03 Arrive at Takasaki Station/ 12:20 Depart Takasaki Satation→12:44 Arrive at Shibukawa Station
・12:24 Depart Tokyo Station→13:14 Arrive at Takasaki Station/ 13:31 Depart Takasaki Satation→13:56 Arrive at Shibukawa Station
By JR Joetsu Limited Express Kusatsu
・ 9:00 Depart Ueno Station→10:37 Arrive at Shibukawa Station (No.31 ; operates only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays)
・10:00 Depart Ueno Station→11:43 Arrive at Shibukawa Station (No.3 ; operates only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays)
・12:00 Depart Ueno Station→13:45 Arrive at Shibukawa Station (No. 5)
From Shibukawa Station, take the Kan-etsu Kotsu Bus and get off at the station “Green Bokujo Mae.” http://www.kan-etsu.net/r-bus/timetable/shibu-ikaho-1.htm (in Japanese only). ARC is about 7 minute walk from the bus station.
By Car
Take the Kan-etsu Expressway to Shibukawa Ikaho Interchange. Go in the direction of Ikaho Onsen for 8 km (about 15 min.) .
Highway information:
E-NEXCO Drive Plaza http://www.driveplaza.com/ (in Japanese only)
＜website＞ http://www.haramuseum.or.jp
＜mobile site＞ http://mobile.haramuseum.or.jp
＜Twitter＞ http://twitter.com/HaraMuseumARC