Online platform where art is “Not Cancelled” expands to Tokyo
By Eman Naseer
Since its launch in April to aid the local art community of Vienna, art initiative “Not Cancelled,” created by digital creative agency Treat Agency, has continued to expand its online programming to new cities and countries. Tokyo is one of the latest to join in on the weeklong digital event, with its version kicking off on June 15.
While a number of public museums in the metropolis have reopened since the first week of June, some commercial galleries remain closed. The Tokyo iteration showcases virtual solo presentations from 11 of the city’s galleries, with works available for sale.
“Not Cancelled Tokyo” highlights a variety of both local and international artists. Aoyama Meguro gallery spotlights Tokyo-born Satoshi Hashimoto’s latest works, which include White Note (2020), a United States dollar bill with sanded down surfaces, as well as Sculpture of Giacometti and Black Knife (2020), a photograph of a bust by the modernist sculptor displayed next to a kitchen knife. Nanzuka gallery features acrylic paintings by New York-based Todd James, who has retained his earlier graffiti style, employing neon colors to depict women with exaggerated physical characteristics as well as configurations of abstract shapes. Hagiwara Projects presents work by Kanagawa-based Miho Dohi, who manipulates numerous types of materials to create what she describes as “buttai,” Japanese for objects or forms. Three of these abstract sculptures—titled buttai 30 (2014), buttai 41 (2016), and buttai 66 (2019), all made from assorted materials including copper, cloth, duct tape, and cotton—are being shown on the platform. At MUJIN-TO Production, Tsubasa Kato’s videos and prints explore the plight of refugees traveling across the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, Satoko Oe Contemporary has chosen to display Shinichiro Kano's childhood-themed oil paintings of ordinary objects that the artist admired as a boy, such as dice, bricks, and fans.
The showcase of Tokyo galleries runs through June 22, alongside digital presentations by galleries in Toronto as well as cities across Brazil.
Eman Naseer is an editorial intern of ArtAsiaPacific.
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