Starting August 13th, Isetan Shinjuku, Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, and Ginza Mitsukoshi will hold the "1st Art & Creation" joint project. This project aims to create opportunities for customers to experience art and the creations of artists in their own familiar surroundings. Each store teams up with the local community and other industries to decorate the store and hold various collaborative events.
Isetan Shinjuku will be showcasing "Art Style" throughout the entire store for 12 days from the 13th to the 25th, excluding the store's closing date on the 19th.
This is also a collaboration with the "Shinjuku Creators Festa 2014" (August 22nd to September 7th), which will be held at various locations around Shinjuku Station. Isetan will also be one of the venues, with many fun events planned.
The "Enjoy Decorating Contemporary Art Prints Exhibition" will be held in the art gallery on the 5th floor of the main building. From American pop art by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to Japanese art by Yayoi Kusama and Yoshitomo Nara, the exhibition will be held on the 8th floor of the Men's Building. The exhibition will feature "TASCHEN," an art book brand founded in Germany in 1980 by Benedict Taschen. A diverse selection of art-related publications, including "JAZZ LIFE" (¥5,900), "GENESIS" (¥10,000), and "PETER BEARD" (¥10,000), will be available for purchase. An order event for Annie Leibovitz's massive "SUMO BOOK" will also be held. The West Park section on the 4th floor of the Main Building will be collaborating with "gallery ON THE HILL," a venue for discovering contemporary art and artists who exude beautiful handiwork. Original prints and frames by Rinko Kawauchi and Terri Weifenbach (¥34,000) will be available, along with works by popular artists such as Izumi Kato, Shintaro Miyake, and Shimon Minamikawa. There's also a special event spotlighting the "Miyuki-zoku," a social phenomenon that emerged in Ginza in the 1960s. Located in West Park on the second floor of the main building, this event, titled "NEO Miyuki-zoku -MATATABI-," sells bags with a unique texture reminiscent of the style of the time, when large paper bags were used as handbags. The "MATATABI" bakery bag (9,000 yen) and supermarket bag (8,000 yen) are among the items on offer, and despite their appearance, they are actually quite durable. Also noteworthy is the pop-up shop featuring newcomer brands selected by Isetan and Soen. The hats, stoles, accessories, and other fashion accessories are all exquisite pieces. There's more to see besides the shops: the main building's show windows. Ahead of the Biennale, Arai Ryoji, artistic director of the 2014 Yamagata Biennale, worked with Isetan employees and students from Shinjuku Ward to create "Michi no Okuda Gate," the entrance to an artistic journey through Tohoku. This gate, which connects Shinjuku and Yamagata through art, will be exhibited at the Yamagata Biennale venue after the exhibition at Isetan has concluded.
The other two stores participating in the "1st Art & Creation" will be holding their exhibitions at Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store from August 13th to 25th (store closed on the 19th), and at Ginza Mitsukoshi from August 13th to 24th (store closed on the 18th).
