The Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery will host the exhibition "Junichi Arai's Fabrics: Tradition and Creation" from January 12th. The exhibition features approximately 60 pieces, including new works, by Junichi Arai, a textile planner active for 60 years.
The exhibition is organized by Tsuyoshi Tane of the Paris-based architectural unit DGT (Dorel Ghotmeh Tane/Architects). Gallery 1 showcases Arai's cutting-edge ideas through fabrics crafted using a variety of techniques. Works created in collaboration with Issey Miyake and footage from the Paris Collection are also displayed on the walls. Gallery 2 will feature fabrics, including his latest works, allowing visitors to experience Arai's fabrics. The Corridor will feature a spatial presentation using video and sound, showcasing the handicrafts of ethnic groups that have influenced Arai, as well as photographs Arai has taken around the world. The exhibition will also feature dance performances and talk shows with guests, including photographers and creative directors. Born in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture in 1932, Junichi Arai worked in his family's textile business, continuing to make traditional fabrics, while also early on beginning to create fabrics made with new dyed and woven materials. He has spread his unique methods, combining handcrafts with technology, such as "slit yarn," which is made by vacuum-depositing metals such as aluminum onto plastic film and then cutting it into thin strips, as well as cutting-edge fabric-making techniques around the world. In the 1970s and 1980s, he collaborated with internationally renowned fashion designers such as Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo. In recent years, he has held exhibitions in Europe, the United States, and China, and in 2011 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art in the UK.
[Event Information]
Arai Junichi's Fabrics: Tradition and Creation
Location: Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery
Address: 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Dates: January 12th to March 24th, 2013
Time: 11:00 to 19:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Admission: Adults 1,000 yen / University and High School Students 800 yen / Middle and Elementary School Students 600 yen
Closed: Mondays (the following Tuesday if Monday is a public holiday), February 10th (Sunday - closed)
