■”Art Scope 2012-2014 – Remains of Their Journeys”

July 12 (Saturday) – October 13 (Monday, national holiday), 2014

Art Scope, a mécénat activity of Daimler Foundation Japan, provides contemporary artists from Japan and Germany the chance to experience life within a different culture. The Hara Museum has been a partner in the Art Scope program since 2003, hosting an exhibition to showcase the results of that artistic exchange. For this exhibition, we feature the German artists Rita Hensen and Benedikt Partenheimer (Japan, 2012) and the Japanese artists Ryosuke Imamura and Satoshi Ohno (Germany, 2013). Each artist will present new works created since the completion of their residencies.

It’s safe to say that since ancient times, humans have been creatures that travel. The tradition of religious pilgrimages was already an old one in eras when travel was beset with hardships. Over time as the means of transport progressed, travel took on various forms. For example, during the 18th century, for the English upper classes, the “Grand Tour” became the finishing touch in the education of their children. In modern Japan, the overseas “school excursion” is a standard part of the school curriculum. And now in the 21st century, travel – both business and vacation –has become a vital factor in the economic activity of every country.

Climate, landscape, language, ethnicity, culture and society –these are aspects that make travel the precious and significant experience that it is. How then do the sights and feelings experienced as part of the Art Scope program stimulate the work of these artists upon returning home? Of the paintings, photographs, installations and other artwork that appear in this exhibition, those “remains of their travel” may be directly reflected in some, but harder to discern in others. The results may be described as four approaches by four individuals to crystallize the experience of travel not in the form of an impression or a travel report, but in the form of artwork. In so doing, they reaffirm the delightful diversity of contemporary art and invite us to rethink what it means as humans to “travel.”

*Please note that following the end of this exhibition, it will travel to the Daimler Contemporary in Berlin, Germany in 2015.

=The following is a list of previous Art Scope exhibitions held at the Hara Museum=

2005 Art Scope 2004: Cityscape into Art – Michiko Shoji Johannes Wohnseifer
Participating artists: Michiko Shoji, Johannes Wohnseifer
2006 Art Scope 2005 / 2006 – Interface Complex*
Participating artists: Hiroharu Mori, Kohei Nawa, Katja Strunz, Georg Winter
2008 Art Scope 2007 / 2008 – Faces of Existence*
Participating artists: Izumi Kato, Yuken Teruya, Eva Teppe, Ascan Pinckernelle
2011 Art Scope 2009-2011: Invisible Memories
Participating artists: Meiro Koizumi, Hiroe Saeki, Eva Berendes, Jan Scharrelmann
* The asterisk marks exhibitions that traveled to Daimler Contemporary in Berlin, Germany after completion at the Hara Museum.

【Participating Artists】
Ryosuke IMAMURA

Photo: SHINJI MINEGISHI

Ryosuke Imamura, A Wind and a Calm (carbonated water, a clock and the outside), 2013 Color and silent video, 5’18” ©Ryosuke Imamura

Born in 1982 in Kyoto, Japan. Lives in Kyoto. MFA Kyoto City University School of Fine Arts. Exhibited at such venues as the Yokohama Trienniale (2011, Yokohama,Japan) the Tatsuno Art Project (2012/13, Hyogo) and “Rokko Meets Art (2012/13, Hyogo). He creates small, delicate installations that incorporate subtle phenomena mainly of light and sound, inspiried by everyday life or memories. Visitors experience “space” in the form of art, and the “time” that flows in that space through light and sound. For this exhibition, he will show new installations. http://imamuraryosuke.info/　

Satoshi OHNO

Photo: SHINJI MINEGISHI

Satoshi Ohno, Misty Kilimanjaro, 2014 Oil paint, spray acrylic paint on canvas mounted on panel 210 x 280 cm　 ©Satoshi Ohno

Born in 1980 in Gifu Prefecture. Lives in Yamanashi prefecture. MFA Tokyo Zokei University, Tokyo, Japan. Has exhibited at such venues as the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial (2009, Niigata) and REAL JAPANESQUE: The Unique World of Japanese Contemporary Art (2012, National Museum of Art, Osaka, Osaka, Japan). Ohno explores the possibilities of painting within a 21st century digital era based on his reading of Eastern and Western art history. His art is characterized by symbolic and energetic images in which conflict or fusion occurs between the natural and the artificial, the organic and the inorganic. He will present new paintings for the exhibition. http://www.tomiokoyamagallery.com/artists/ohno/

Rita HENSEN

Photo: JIROKAMATA

Rita Hensen, Plan for Installation of “The Brink of the Ceiling” at the Hara Museum, 2014 Collage (Japanese tissue paper on photograph) 20 x 30 cm ©Rita Hensen

Born in 1960 in Bedburg, nearby Cologne, Germany. Lives and works in Munich. Studied at the Academy of Visual Arts in Munich. Has exhibited in many solo and group shows in Germany and abroad. She creates work in various media such as drawing, sculpture, photographs and in a variety of materials such as paper. She will present photographs taken at various places in Japan during her residency, sometimes in juxtaposition with those taken in Germany, as well as objects and drawings made on themes drawn from landscapes and things encountered in Japan. http://www.galerie-fuckner.de/hensen.php#

Benedikt PARTENHEIMER

Photo: SHINJI MINEGISHI

Born in 1977 in Munich, Germany. Lives in Berlin. Studied at the LMU University in Munich, the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia and the Parsons School for Design in New York. During a short time in New York he assisted Richard Avedon. Since 2003, his work has been presented in numerous international solo and group exhibitions. His photography is both straight and conceptual, exemplified in such works as his Turnaround series (2006) of unique portraits taken with a zoom lens of people from behind. His work in this exhibition will include new work in this series, as well as photos and videos taken in Japan as quiet observations of Japanese society. http://www.benedikt-partenheimer.com/

【Exhibition Details】
Exhibition title: Art Scope 2012-2014 – Remains of Their Journeys
Dates: July 12 (Saturday) – October 13 (Monday, national holiday), 2014
Place: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, 4-7-25 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0001
Tel: 03-3445-0651 Fax: 03-3473-0104 E-mail: info@haramuseum.or.jp
Website: http://www.haramuseum.or.jp Mobile site: http://mobile.haramuseum.or.jp
Blog: https://www.art-it.asia/en/u/HaraMuseum_e Twitter http://twitter.com/haramuseum (in Japanese only/ Account name: ＠haramuseum)
Organized by: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art and Daimler Foundation Japan
Under the auspices of: Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Japan
Supported by: Mercedes-Benz Japan Co., Ltd., Mercedes-Benz Finance Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation
Cooperation provided by: Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT]
Participating artists: Ryosuke Imamura, Satoshi Ohno, Rita Hensen, Benedikt Partenheimer
Hours: 11:00 am-5:00 pm, Wednesday until 8:00 pm (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (except July 21, September 15 and October 13), July 22 and September 16
Admission: General 1,100 yen; Students 700 yen (high school and university) or 500 yen (elementary and junior high); Free for Hara Museum members, students through high school every Saturday during the school term; 100 yen discount per person for groups of 20 or more
Directions: 5 minutes by taxi or 15 minutes on foot from JR Shinagawa Station (Takanawa exit); or from the same station take the No.96 bus, get off at the first stop (Gotenyama), and walk 3 minutes

【Related Event】
Artist Talk July 12 (Saturday), 2014, 2:30 – 4:30 pm
(with consecutive Japanese/English interpretation)
Place: The Hall at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
Speakers (scheduled): Ryosuke Imamura, Satoshi Ohno, Rita Hensen, Benedikt Partenheimer, Atsuo Yasuda (Hara Museum of Contemporary Art)
Reservations are required (requests accepted from June 24).
For reservations, contact: Tel: 03-3445-0669 or E-mail: event@haramuseum.or.jp
Fee: Regular 2,000 yen (includes museum admission), Museum members and up to 2 guests 1,000 yen
※ Information about other events will be posted on the Hara Museum website as they are decided.

Note regarding Photography
Visitors will be allowed to photograph works under the following restrictions:

■While taking photos, take care not to bump into or touch the artwork.
■Flash photography is not permitted.
■Close-up photography is not permitted.
■Video recording is not allowed.
■Tripod use is not allowed.
■Out of concern for personal privacy, please refrain from photographing other visitors.
■Please observe proper etiquette while taking photos.
■Photos taken are for private use only. Use for commercial or other secondary purposes that infringe on copyright is prohibited.
■No photography is allowed of permanent installations identified by the “No Photography Allowed” sign.
■Please note that under crowded conditions, restrictions may be placed on photography.