Jennifer Pastore, Author at Tokyo Weekender

Sense of Structure: From Horyuji Temple to the Universe

Jennifer Pastore — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 03:48:44 +0000

Architects design buildings, but how do they know their plans won’t collapse? They have structural engineers. What Museum in Shinagawa is presenting part two of Sense of Structure: From Horyuji Temple to the Universe (SoS) through August 25. This exhibition, spotlighting the overlooked field of structural engineering, displays architectural models that range from ancient temples […]

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Hitoshi Saruta’s Architectural Symphonies of Light and Shadow

Jennifer Pastore — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 08:44:13 +0000

When we meet at his Akasaka atelier, Hitoshi Saruta cuts a stylish yet approachable figure. With curly gray hair and round glasses, he is dressed in all black, from his V-neck sweater to his leather shoes. His appearance fits neatly with the meeting room of his firm, Cubo Design Architect. The rectangular chamber, which Saruta […]

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Hidden Gems of the Tokyo Art Scene

Jennifer Pastore — Thu, 16 May 2024 10:25:49 +0000

While Tokyo is home to many famous museums and galleries, there are a number that fly under the radar. Here are a few venues worth visiting on your next art outing. 1. Art Factory Jonanjima: Manufacturing Creativity Art Factory Jonanjima is a multistory art complex in the Jonanjima warehouse district near Haneda Airport. Offering studios […]

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How Oita Became a Public Art Oasis

Jennifer Pastore — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 05:29:03 +0000

Oita, in northeastern Kyushu, is known for its beautiful scenery: beaches, terraced rice fields, volcanoes and hot springs. For the past two decades, though, this prefecture of onsen towns and farming villages has also nurtured a contemporary art scene that attracts cutting-edge creatives from around Japan and the world. Celebrated artists including Anish Kapoor, Yoko […]

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2024 Guide to Art in Japan: Exhibitions, Festivals and Fairs

Jennifer Pastore — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 08:32:27 +0000

Exhibitions to See Yoshitomo Nara: The Beginning Place Aomori Museum of Art in northern Japan boasts the world’s largest collection of works by Nara Yoshitomo, an icon of Japanese contemporary art known for his paintings and sculptures of childlike figures that give off simultaneously subversive and kawaii vibes. This exhibition, held in Nara’s home prefecture, […]

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7 Hokuriku Modern Art Spaces You Need to Visit

Jennifer Pastore — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 23:08:15 +0000

Blessed with natural beauty and a geographically diverse landscape extending from the Sea of Japan to the Japan Alps, the Hokuriku region flourished as a center for commerce and creativity. Known for an industrious streak in areas such as agriculture and medicine, it developed a robust economy that has supported artists and artisans for centuries. […]

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Mamoru Nakagawa: Metalworker, Artist, Alchemist

Jennifer Pastore — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 06:10:13 +0000

The clinking sound of hammer hitting chisel rings through the workshop of Mamoru Nakagawa, an artisan in his mid-70s. He taps persistently with fierce concentration, carving grooves in a smooth alloy surface. Nakagawa practices Kaga metal inlay, or Kaga zogan in Japanese, a craft that once thrived in the area known today as Kanazawa, Ishikawa […]

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Women in Art: Sayaka Tada Redefines Traditional Nihonga

Jennifer Pastore — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 01:00:21 +0000

Yamagata-born Sayaka Tada is part of a new generation redefining Nihonga, a Japanese painting style known for specific materials like washi paper and mineral pigments. Her work has been featured at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, as well as galleries and private spaces. Can you describe your art? Risokyo, an “ideal land” or utopia, has […]

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Women in Art: Miyuki Ichijo’s Observations of the Human Heart

Jennifer Pastore — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 05:21:54 +0000

Miyuki Ichijo is a multimedia artist in her 60s whose work has traversed media and continents. Born in Fukushima Prefecture, she studied at the German art school Kunstakademie Düsseldorf before returning to Japan in 2001. After taking a hiatus from her art, which explores complex and sometimes dark emotions, she resumed her practice in 2017. […]

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Women in Art: Masako Kakizaki’s Ode to Aomori

Jennifer Pastore — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 05:12:12 +0000

Masako Kakizaki, from the Tsugaru region of Aomori, is a Tokyo College of Photography graduate and commercial photographer. In 2012, she launched her six-volume series Aononymous, which captures the dramatic landscapes of her home prefecture, evoking its essence without directly identifying it. Can you describe your practice? What camera do you use? I do commercial […]

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