The Contemporary Art Gallery at Art Tower Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture will be holding a solo exhibition of sculptor Fujiko Nakaya, known as the "fog artist," titled "Resistance of Fog: Nakaya Fujiko," from October 27th to January 20th, 2019.
"London Fog" Fog Performance, #03779, 2017 (reference image) Installation view from BMW Tate Live Exhibition: Ten Days Six Nights (Tate Modern, London). Collaboration: Tanaka Min (dance), Takatani Shiro (lighting), Sakamoto Ryuichi (music).
Photography: Koshida Noriko
Utopia Q & A 1981, 1971 (Curated by E.A.T.) View from the Tokyo Terminal venue E.A.T. Tokyo members (from left): Hakudo Kobayashi, Fujiko Nakaya, Yuji Morioka Photo: Shoji Fukasawa
Nakaya was in charge of research and development of artificial fog for the Pepsi Pavilion at the Osaka Expo, which was designed by E.A.T., an organization that supports collaborative projects between engineers and artists, and created his first "fog sculpture." Since then, as of 2017, Nakaya has exhibited over 80 fog works around the world. This exhibition showcases the collaborative process leading up to the creation of the first fog-generating device, as well as the installation at the venue. It also displays documents documenting the development of fog artworks over the next 50 years, exploring the thought and experimentation that led to the creation of these unique environmental works, their influence on the technological world, and their opening up to collaborations with artists across various genres. The exhibition also features records of E.A.T. Tokyo, the most energetic period of the group, led by Nakaya. The exhibit features archives from "Utopia Q&A 1981," a project organized by E.A.T. for the "Utopia & Visions 1871-1981" exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm in 1971. The project connected four cities around the world—Stockholm, New York, Ahmedabad, and Tokyo—via telex, allowing residents to discuss their futures and exchange questions and answers 10 years into the future. This was a groundbreaking activity that brought together strangers from different countries long before the widespread use of the internet, and the heated discussions that took place at the time are startling even when viewed from a modern perspective.
Opal Loop/Clouds, fog screen installation, #74490, 2002 (reference image) Installation view of "E.A.T.—Experiments in Art and Technology" (NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]), collaboration with Trisha Brown (choreography)
Photography: Nishikawa Hiroshi
The magazine "Whole Earth Catalog," which appeared in the late 1960s, proposed a way of life independent from consumer society, and DIY culture began to spread in the United States. Around the same time, the book "Guerrilla Television," a practical guide advocating video communication as a medium for individuals opposed to mass media, spread as a bible for video activists. Nakatani, who translated "Guerrilla Television," and other contemporary Japanese artists were inspired by this idea and launched their own video activities. This exhibition showcases video works that countered the mass media era in which people were glued to their televisions.
In 1980, Nakatani opened the video gallery SCAN in Harajuku, Tokyo. As Japan's first video gallery, SCAN showcased domestic and international video works, invited new works by young artists, introduced female artists, and provided video reports on the underground music scene. It also actively promoted Japanese works at overseas video festivals. In addition to hosting three "International Video Television Festivals" at the Aoyama Spiral, the gallery has also engaged in a wide range of other activities. This exhibition traces the activities of Video Gallery SCAN, which served as a hub for exchange through video for over a decade and influenced subsequent visual culture.
"Wisdom of the Elderly - Cultural DNA," 1973. Installation view from the exhibition "Computer Art '73" (Ginza Sony Building), collaboration with Hakudo Kobayashi and Yuji Morioka (E.A.T. Tokyo).
As a related event, from 2:30 pm on November 10th and 11th, dancer Min Tanaka, with whom he has performed in the past, will be invited to perform a free performance titled "Fog Sculpture x Field Dance: Odors of Atmosphere and Body" in the plaza where the works are exhibited. Additionally, two talk sessions on Fujiko Nakaya will be held, "Around the Video Gallery SCAN" by video artist Sakumi Hagiwara and media artist Masaki Fujihata, from 2 PM on January 6, 2019, and "Fujiko Nakaya's 'Resistance of the Fog' by Okazaki Kenjiro" by sculptor Kenjiro Okazaki, from 4 PM on January 13. Additionally, a gallery tour with commentary by the exhibition curator will be held from 2 PM on December 2, as well as educational programs such as "Weekend Gallery Talk," where participants can view the exhibition with volunteer CAC Gallery Talkers; "Art Bus 2018," a viewing tour for elementary and junior high school students in Mito City; and "Stuffed Animal Workshop: Creating Works to Commemorate Children's Growth," where participants will be taught by sewing artist Mariko Sase, who will sew plants onto fabric and use thread the same length as their child's height.
"London Fog" Fog Performance, #03779, 2017 (reference image) Installation view from BMW Tate Live Exhibition: Ten Days Six Nights (Tate Modern, London). Collaboration: Tanaka Min (dance), Takatani Shiro (lighting), Sakamoto Ryuichi (music).Photography: Koshida Noriko
Utopia Q & A 1981, 1971 (Curated by E.A.T.) View from the Tokyo Terminal venue E.A.T. Tokyo members (from left): Hakudo Kobayashi, Fujiko Nakaya, Yuji Morioka Photo: Shoji FukasawaNakaya was in charge of research and development of artificial fog for the Pepsi Pavilion at the Osaka Expo, which was designed by E.A.T., an organization that supports collaborative projects between engineers and artists, and created his first "fog sculpture." Since then, as of 2017, Nakaya has exhibited over 80 fog works around the world. This exhibition showcases the collaborative process leading up to the creation of the first fog-generating device, as well as the installation at the venue. It also displays documents documenting the development of fog artworks over the next 50 years, exploring the thought and experimentation that led to the creation of these unique environmental works, their influence on the technological world, and their opening up to collaborations with artists across various genres. The exhibition also features records of E.A.T. Tokyo, the most energetic period of the group, led by Nakaya. The exhibit features archives from "Utopia Q&A 1981," a project organized by E.A.T. for the "Utopia & Visions 1871-1981" exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm in 1971. The project connected four cities around the world—Stockholm, New York, Ahmedabad, and Tokyo—via telex, allowing residents to discuss their futures and exchange questions and answers 10 years into the future. This was a groundbreaking activity that brought together strangers from different countries long before the widespread use of the internet, and the heated discussions that took place at the time are startling even when viewed from a modern perspective.
Opal Loop/Clouds, fog screen installation, #74490, 2002 (reference image) Installation view of "E.A.T.—Experiments in Art and Technology" (NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]), collaboration with Trisha Brown (choreography)Photography: Nishikawa Hiroshi
The magazine "Whole Earth Catalog," which appeared in the late 1960s, proposed a way of life independent from consumer society, and DIY culture began to spread in the United States. Around the same time, the book "Guerrilla Television," a practical guide advocating video communication as a medium for individuals opposed to mass media, spread as a bible for video activists. Nakatani, who translated "Guerrilla Television," and other contemporary Japanese artists were inspired by this idea and launched their own video activities. This exhibition showcases video works that countered the mass media era in which people were glued to their televisions.
In 1980, Nakatani opened the video gallery SCAN in Harajuku, Tokyo. As Japan's first video gallery, SCAN showcased domestic and international video works, invited new works by young artists, introduced female artists, and provided video reports on the underground music scene. It also actively promoted Japanese works at overseas video festivals. In addition to hosting three "International Video Television Festivals" at the Aoyama Spiral, the gallery has also engaged in a wide range of other activities. This exhibition traces the activities of Video Gallery SCAN, which served as a hub for exchange through video for over a decade and influenced subsequent visual culture.
"Wisdom of the Elderly - Cultural DNA," 1973. Installation view from the exhibition "Computer Art '73" (Ginza Sony Building), collaboration with Hakudo Kobayashi and Yuji Morioka (E.A.T. Tokyo). As a related event, from 2:30 pm on November 10th and 11th, dancer Min Tanaka, with whom he has performed in the past, will be invited to perform a free performance titled "Fog Sculpture x Field Dance: Odors of Atmosphere and Body" in the plaza where the works are exhibited. Additionally, two talk sessions on Fujiko Nakaya will be held, "Around the Video Gallery SCAN" by video artist Sakumi Hagiwara and media artist Masaki Fujihata, from 2 PM on January 6, 2019, and "Fujiko Nakaya's 'Resistance of the Fog' by Okazaki Kenjiro" by sculptor Kenjiro Okazaki, from 4 PM on January 13. Additionally, a gallery tour with commentary by the exhibition curator will be held from 2 PM on December 2, as well as educational programs such as "Weekend Gallery Talk," where participants can view the exhibition with volunteer CAC Gallery Talkers; "Art Bus 2018," a viewing tour for elementary and junior high school students in Mito City; and "Stuffed Animal Workshop: Creating Works to Commemorate Children's Growth," where participants will be taught by sewing artist Mariko Sase, who will sew plants onto fabric and use thread the same length as their child's height.
【Exhibition Information】
Resistance of Fog Fujiko Nakaya
Dates: October 27th - January 20th, 2019
Venue: Contemporary Art Gallery, Plaza, Art Tower Mito
Address: 1-6-8 Gokencho, Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture
Time: 9:30am - 6:00pm (last admission at 5:30pm)
Admission: 900 yen for adults, 700 yen for advance tickets and groups (20 or more people), free for high school students and younger, those 70 years of age and older, and those with a disability certificate and one accompanying person. *Student ID or other form of identification showing age required. On the first Friday of each month (November 2nd, December 7th, January 4th), special discount days for students and seniors, "First Friday," are 100 yen for student ID holders and those aged 65-69.
Closed: Mondays, New Year's holiday (December 27th - January 3rd, 2019), December 25th, January 15th (open December 24th and January 14th)
Resistance of Fog Fujiko Nakaya
Dates: October 27th - January 20th, 2019
Venue: Contemporary Art Gallery, Plaza, Art Tower Mito
Address: 1-6-8 Gokencho, Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture
Time: 9:30am - 6:00pm (last admission at 5:30pm)
Admission: 900 yen for adults, 700 yen for advance tickets and groups (20 or more people), free for high school students and younger, those 70 years of age and older, and those with a disability certificate and one accompanying person. *Student ID or other form of identification showing age required. On the first Friday of each month (November 2nd, December 7th, January 4th), special discount days for students and seniors, "First Friday," are 100 yen for student ID holders and those aged 65-69.
Closed: Mondays, New Year's holiday (December 27th - January 3rd, 2019), December 25th, January 15th (open December 24th and January 14th)
![Opal Loop/Clouds, fog screen installation, #74490, 2002 (reference image) From the exhibition "E.A.T. - Experiments in Art and Technology" (NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]) Collaboration: Trisha Brown (Choreography)](https://wrqc9vvfhu8e.global.ssl.fastly.net/api/image/crop/200x200/images/upload/2018/09/5523d0dad1df81a49019d5c1dcda2dab.jpg)
