From Hara Museum, Tokyo
“Jae-Eun Choi—Forests of Asoka” exhibition has started on September 11.
Here is a report on the press conference and opening reception held a day before the public viewing.
For her theme, Choi has chosen the image of the tree, inspired by the story of the great Emperor Asoka of India. The famed propagator of Buddhism ordered each subject in his kingdom to plant and care for five trees, each with a different purpose: one for the curing of diseases, one for fruit, one for firewood, one for house building, and one for flowers. Asoka called them the “five small forests.”
All the works—photography, sculpture, video and installation—are recent creations. The artist travelled around forests of Japan in different seasons, such as Hakkoda mountain (Aomori prefecture) in winter, Mount Fuji area in mid-summer, etc. for shooting.
20 years has passed since her last solo show in Japan.
Always asking herself “What is life?” “What is time?” “What am I?”—this exhibition seems to trace her journey to find answers to eternal questions.
Photo taken during the press conference. From left, Toshio Hara (director, Hara Museum of Contemporary Art), Jae-Eun Choi, Masami Tsubouchi (curator, Hara Museum of Contemproary Art)
“Please come and see the work alone and feel the energy from the trees.”
At the reception
Related events: September 18 (Sat.) 2:30-4:00 pm Dialogue between Jae-Eun Choi and Hiroshi Minamishima (Professor, Joshibi University of Art and Design)/ October 31 (Sun.) 2:30-3:30 pm Lecture by Keiko Nakamura (Director General, JT Bio-history Research Hall)
*Please note that these events are given in Japanese only.
Reservations are required. Tel: 03-3445-0669 E-mail: info@haramuseum.or.jp
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Exhibition Data
Exhibition title: Jae-Eun Choi―Forests of Aśoka
Dates: September 11 (Sat.) – December 26 (Sun.), 2010
Place: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, 4-7-25, Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
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 https://www.art-it.asia/en/u/HaraMuseum_e/ (blog)
Hours: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, Wednesdays (except November 3) until 8:00 pm *last entry 30 min. before closing
Closed: Mondays (open on September 20, October 11), September 21, October 12
Admission: General 1,000 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 terms. 100 yen discount per person for groups of 20 or more.
Directions: 5 min. by taxi or 15 min. 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 min./ BloomBUS! free shuttle bus service is being provided between Shinagawa Station (Takanawa exit) and the Hara Museum every Sunday (Sponsored by: Bloomberg L.P./ Artist: Yasuhiro Suzuki). Please check the Hara Museum website for further details.
Choi, Jae-Eun
Born in 1953 in Seoul, Korea, Choi first visited Japan in 1976. She became interested in ikebana, the traditional art of flower arrangement, and was attracted to innovative style of the Sogetsu school of ikebana where she became a student. From 1984 to 1987, she worked as an assistant to Hiroshi Teshigahara, the third generation master of the Sogetsu school and movie director. In the years that followed, her work began to appear in international art exhibitions, including the 46th Venice Biennale in 1995 when she was selected as Japan’s representative. In 2001, she made her debut as a movie director with the film “On The Way.”
For further details, please visit the museum website and click EXHIBITION section: http://www.haramuseum.or.jp
For press releases, please click http://www.haramuseum.or.jp/jp/common/pressrelease/index.html
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