Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery will be holding the "Tanikawa Shuntaro Exhibition" from January 13th to March 25th, 2018.

Tanikawa Shuntaro / photo: Fukahori Mizuho
Tanikawa Shuntaro is a poet who made his stunning debut in 1952 with the poetry collection "Two Billion Light Years of Solitude." Even now at the age of 85, he continues to captivate many people, from children to the elderly, with his easy-to-understand, fresh words that reach the hearts of each and every reader.

This exhibition will display a selection of Tanikawa Shuntaro's poetry, including the music and objects that influenced him, family photographs, letters from loved ones, his radio collection, and fragments of his life photographed by himself. It will also feature poems written specifically for the exhibition, as well as a special collaboration with musician Keigo Oyamada (Cornelius) and interface designer Yugo Nakamura (tha ltd.). Focusing on the objects surrounding Tanikawa's daily life, a portrait of Tanikawa emerges directly from the poems he weaves based on his real life.

Related events include a "Commemorative Discussion" and a "Special Live Performance: Tanikawa Shuntaro & DiVa 'Yoshinashi Uta'." The "Event Commemorative Discussions" will be held on January 27th and February 10th, 2018, in a conference room on the 7th floor of the Tokyo Opera City Building, with Kyoichi Tsuzuki (editor) and Shuntaro Tanikawa in conversation on January 27th, and Keigo Oyamada (Cornelius) (musician) and Shuntaro Tanikawa in conversation on February 10th. Each session will begin at 2pm, doors open at 1:45pm, capacity is 160 people (unreserved seating), and participation is free (exhibition admission is a separate charge). To participate, you will need a numbered ticket, which will be distributed at the entrance to the art gallery from 11am on the day of the event. "Special Live Tanikawa Shuntaro & DiVa 'Yoshinashi Uta'" will be held at the Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall on March 10th, 2018, and will feature a poetry reading by Tanikawa Shuntaro and a special live performance by DiVa, a band that sings contemporary poetry and consists of Takase "makoring" Mariko (Vo), Tanikawa Kensaku (Pf), and Otsubo Hirohiko (B). The performance begins at 2pm and all seats are unreserved (3,500 yen including tax). Tickets for the special live can be reserved at the Tokyo Opera City Ticket Center.