A Shibuya-inspired art event is taking place in a demolished building in the redevelopment area southwest of Shibuya Station, which received official approval from the Tokyo Governor on October 31st. The event runs until December 2nd (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only).


Redevelopment is underway on the sprawling 2.6-hectare site, scheduled for a 2023 opening. Part of the building has already been vacated, with demolition scheduled to begin in January of next year. Permission to use the building for this event was granted only about a month ago. Despite the short preparation time, the building has been transformed into an amusement facility, skillfully capturing the atmosphere of desolation. More than 30 artists, from contemporary art to advertising, collaborated to create a space that can be enjoyed from day to night, commemorating the area's legacy as a hub of Tokyo's cultural icons. The "ARIGATO SAKURAGAOKA" exhibition occupies the entire former Yamaha Electone City Shibuya building, and features photography, video, installations and more, as well as a rooftop bar on the 5th floor. After sunset, video works by YOSHIROTTEN and Hisham A. Bharoocha are projected onto the surrounding buildings, and DJ sets are playing from the daytime. This complex of music and art has been gaining attention, especially on social media.


YOSHIROTTEN's video work projected onto the building

The photo exhibition, which features an impressive lineup of artists ranging from big names such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Kishin Shinoyama, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Daido Moriyama to Ryan McGinley, HIROMIX, Jiro Konami, Mika Ninagawa, Kazunari Tajima, Akira Kitajima, Leslie Kee, Kensaku Kakimoto, Yasuhiro Takagi, Shingo Wakagi, and Ryan Chan, is set up in a maze-like pattern in the rooms up to the fourth floor. SIDE CORE, who has been garnering attention for their understated nature, particularly through their involvement in Roppongi Art Night and their installation with KOM_I (Wednesday Campanella), will be showcasing a video work in a closed-off space that formerly housed a lesson room in the building. Alongside their work featuring graffiti writer and skater BABU and their much-anticipated collaboration with EVERYDAY HOLIDAY SQUAD, they also feature work and video by French graffiti artist RIZOT, a building-wide painting by snipe2, and an installation with YAIYAI. Their work, which resonates with the magnetic field of Shibuya's Sakuragaoka district and serves as the core of this event, serves as a crossroads between street art and street art.


SIDE CORE Installation

In the hall, Ryuichi Sakamoto's 5.1ch surround version of "async surround" and other works are being screened in high quality, and there are also talk shows with exhibitors, and on November 25th, guests will include ANREALAGE's Kunihiko Morinaga and Leslie Kee, and AMIAYA. From 7pm on the 30th, there will be a talk show with Thelma Aoyama and Nina (217..NINA), the sister of singer AI and a photographer, and on December 2nd, there will be a talk show with Rei Wakita, Etsuko Ichihara, and Kenji Kohiyama (times to be determined for all talks). Okino Shuya is also scheduled to appear on the same day. For a detailed schedule, please see the official website (www.artphototokyo.com).


AMIAYA (background) photographed by Leslie Kee