"Culture City of East Asia 2018 Kanazawa: Transforming Homes" will run from September 15th to November 4th, featuring leading global contemporary artists, up-and-coming young artists, and artists with ties to Kanazawa, at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa and three other venues in Kanazawa.

[Reference image] Han Seok-hyun, Super-Natural (detail), 2011/2016
Installation view of the exhibition "Megacities Asia" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Courtesy of the artist
In our modern age, the "home" has been structured as a social system in its own right. While the architectural and physical concept of "home" is easy to generalize, it is difficult to grasp the meaning of "home," which is embedded in hidden emotions, customs, and culture as a whole, unless it is considered from multiple angles. Particularly in today's world, where mobility has become the norm due to globalization, are people's "homes" everywhere, multiple, or nowhere? Starting from this question, contemporary artists will explore unused, everyday spaces in the city of Kanazawa and present works themed around "home." The exhibiting artists include Kawamata Tadashi, Suh Do-ho, Ohgi Kanae, Kim Hong-seok, Song Dong, Yamamoto Motoi, Moon Kyung-won & Jeong Jun-ho, Qiu Zhijie, Miyake Mai, Ino Ichizo, Miyanaga Aiko, Han Seok-hyun, Wu Xia-chi, Sawa Hiraki, Chen Wei, Landscape and Food Design Office Ho, Uozumi Tetsuhiro + Uozumi Kiyomi, Yang Yongliang, Li Bingyuan, Murakami Satoshi, Lee Han-sol, and Gu Yu-lu, a total of 22 groups. East Asian countries are increasingly making their presence felt in the contemporary art scene, and this exhibition will bring together leading artists from Japan, China, and Korea who have exhibited their work on various international stages. It will also feature a wide range of artists with ties to Kanazawa, as well as up-and-coming young artists.

[Reference image] Kawamata Tadashi, "Under Construction" Reopened, 2017
Installation at Art Front Gallery (Daikanyama, Tokyo)
Photography: Inoue Gen
© Tadashi Kawamata
This exhibition will extend beyond the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and will also feature works in the city center. Many new works made specifically for this exhibition will be unveiled in venues such as private homes and buildings in three areas of Kanazawa: Hirosaka, Ishibiki, Teramachi, Nomachi, and Izumi. These areas were once important locations for the feudal domain during the feudal era, serving as the base of Kanazawa Castle and home to temples associated with the Maeda clan, the feudal lords of Kaga. Today, they are popular with many as government districts, educational districts, and tourist destinations, while also being a vital part of the lives of local residents. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, will further expand on its mission of "being a museum that is active in the city and created together with its citizens, and will implement this while promoting interaction with the local community." Two venues will be set up in the Hirosaka area, where the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, are home to dynamic exhibitions that utilize the museum's lawn plaza as well as nearby buildings. The Ishibiki area will feature six venues around Ishibiki Shopping Street, showcasing works that are relevant to the daily lives of local residents. Finally, the Teramachi, Nomachi, and Izumi areas will feature 10 venues, including former factories, temples, and townhouses, featuring exhibitions that make use of each area's unique story and distinctive space. Each area can be easily accessed by foot or bus, with the Hirosaka area at the center. Spend a day strolling around the city, visiting the "homes" envisioned by 22 artists and groups from East Asia, and discover the charm of their artworks and the towns they live in.

This exhibition is being held as a core project for 2018 of the "Culture City of East Asia" initiative, which selects cities in Japan, China, and South Korea that aim to develop through culture and the arts, and hosts a variety of cultural and artistic events related to modern art, traditional culture, and diverse lifestyles in those cities. Why not encounter art from Japan, China, and South Korea at this large-scale downtown contemporary art exhibition set in the city of Kanazawa?