Japanese Art Dealer Association CADAN will continue its challenge! Final stage show “MEMORIES 02” by Tomio Koyama

Written by ART Driven Tokyo

Introduced the challenging spirit of the artists. Building reconstruction brings a break in activities

CADAN YURAKUCHO which has been promoting contemporary art gallery culture from its base on the first floor of the Yurakucho Building in Tokyo, has decided to temporarily close due to the reconstruction and closure of the Yurakucho Building, the symbol of Tokyo office district. CADAN (Contemporary Art Dealers Association Nippon) is a non-profit association that includes about 50 galleries in Japan, which has been active with the cooperation of Mitsubishi Estate Co. and General Incorporated Association “Culture Vision Japan.”

The member galleries have taken turns organizing exhibitions with the hope that the perfect location on the street in the Marunouchi and Yurakucho office districts will allow people to casually enter and see the artists’ thoughts and ideas, the seriousness of their work, and their courage in taking on new challenges.

日本語記事はこちら。

CADAN’s wish: To land Japanese artists in the world history of art

With the hope of landing Japanese artists in the world history of art, art dealers have cultivated artists and developed the market by selling artworks and making profits in a Japanese society where the understanding and support system for contemporary art is not sufficient. The “MEMORIES 02” selected by Tomio Koyama was held from September 20-October 8, 2023. Koyama is one of Japan’s top gallerists, and 18 member galleries of CADAN exhibited one piece each.

Chic and grainy works of art, assertive and harmonious

On the day of my visit, a group of art fans, most of whom appeared to be office workers from the neighborhood, were enthusiastically looking at the works of art, all of which were in perfect harmony with each other. The chic and lovely small works, slightly different from Tomio Koyama’s usual taste, each asserted its own distinct individuality.

Inside the Box – Walking along the Ridgeline of Memory, Yasuhiro Fujiwara, 2015, Praser and cardboard, 50x50x55cm, (gallery: MORI YU GALLERY), in the front of the photo. When you look inside the cardboard box, wondering what it contains, a mountain of things appears. It is interesting in a box-garden-like way.

Living Bird-Shusuke Tanaka, 2023, Oil on canvas, 60.5x50cm, (gallery: LEESAYA), in the middle of the upper row of the photo is skillful in the expression of light. It takes a high level of skill to make a screen glow. To make non-luminous objects appear as if they are glowing is very difficult.

The four works on the left in the photo by David Shrigley (gallery: Yumiko Chiba Associates) are effective in his caricature-like expression in the style.

Stupa, Lyota Yagi, 2023, speaker unit, amplifier, audio player, etc., 26×12.5×12.5 cm, (gallery: MUJIN-To Production), far right of the photo. The sound of water coming from the stupa is pleasant and inviting to meditation.

Chestnut Rice Day-Yasuka Goto, 2022, pigment ink pen, crepas, canvas, 91.0 x 60.6 cm (gallery: Tezukayama Gallery) far right of the photo is a simple and tasteful work.

CADAN will continue its activities and continue to challenge itself to achieve its goal of “contributing to the development of contemporary art in Japan.”

Contact

CADAN Office
Email: contact[@]cadan.org

Website: CADAN