What a pleasure to travel 15 minutes on the Ginza line to Tokyo International Forum, the site of Art Fair Tokyo 2010, at the invitation of the okaasan (mother) of one of the hot young artists. Glass and steel intertwine to create a ship-shaped convention center permanently docked by Tokyo Station (think Grand Central), opposite the office building of shujin (my husband). Okaasan was delayed due to a check for poison gas on the JR (Japan Rail). Kowaii (scary). A few exchanges on the cell phone explained the problem and 30 minutes later with one flash of her VIP card in we went.
Following okaasan I stood face to face with hot young artist Mai Miyake in white sequined Tee-shirt, who greeted us with a deep bow. Mai-san exhibited a triptych: SanPuku-tsui, three scrolls (cut-outs under plexiglass) at Y 1 million each. Sugoi (cool). Browsing the other galleries the exhibitors shared treasures with us: a Hokusai woodblock print circa 1820, a Yoshitomo Nara ("Naughty Girl") on a wall-sized plate made of strips of canvas, a "mu-fe-re" (muffler) designed to hang around the neck with two breasts dangling at either end. No Tokyo outing is complete without a meal, and this one ended with hot food on an unseasonably cold spring evening.
A few nights later it was my turn to invite okaasan to an opening at Bank Art Gallery, Bashamichi, a former bank turned into an art center in Yokohama. Last year we had met there to watch a Yoko Ono video of viewers taking scissors to Yoko's clothes until she sat in bra and panties. (Friends, she still looks good in her skivvies.) Little did I realize that I would be returning to this same location for a more personal event so soon: Fifteen seniors from Yokohama International School --including musume (my daughter) -- exhibited the work they have produced over two years to satisfy requirements for the International Baccalaureate. In a role reversal I became the okaasan of the young artist and tomodachi-san (friend) became the guest. Rather than a bow, musume chan in miniskirt and heels shook hands. How coincidental that musume favors three dimensional work with cut-outs and new media, but her prices do not yet compare to what Mai commands.
Wine and nibbles served, the evening ended predictably by 9 PM as do all Tokyo events, and the Toyoko line transported us back to the Manor by 10 PM.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Was it really a year ago that we went to the Art Fair Tokyo together? Seems like yesterday.
ReplyDelete