A total of 21 artists, including Hajime Sorayama and Yoshirotten, will be selected! A group exhibition curated by NANZUKA will be held at Parco Museum

Event Date:2020.07.04-07.26
Jun 22, 2020
PARCO Co., Ltd. will be holding "GLOBAL POP UNDERGROUND," a group exhibition curated by Shibuya's contemporary art gallery NANZUKA, at PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO on the fourth floor of Shibuya PARCO from July 4 to July 26, 2020. Following the concept of Tokyo Pop Underground, which toured Jeffery Deitch Gallery in New York and Los Angeles last year, this group exhibition reconfigures the exhibition around the theme of "underground," featuring a total of 21 artists selected by the gallery, including Hajime Sorayama and Javier Callej. The exhibition will also be accompanied by an online exhibition offering a 3D view of the venue. Enjoy the experience of moving around the venue and taking in a 360-degree view, making it feel as if you're actually at the exhibition venue, all from the comfort of your own home. :
English:



Exhibition Overview

Title: GLOBAL POP UNDERGROUND
Venue: PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO (Shibuya PARCO 4F) 15-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-6455-2697
Period: Saturday, July 4th – Sunday, July 26th, 2020 10:00-21:00
*Last admission 30 minutes before closing *Closes at 18:00 on the final day
*In order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, we may change opening hours and limit the number of people allowed inside the venue.
Admission Fee: Adults 500 yen, Students 400 yen
*Up to two children under elementary school age may enter free per adult or student guest
*Timed entry is required. Advance tickets will go on sale from 11:00 AM on Thursday, June 25th on the online ticket sales site "LivePocket."
Official Exhibition Website: art.parco.jp
Organizer: PARCO
Curation: NANZUKA
Graphic Design: YAR


Greetings
In Tokyo Pop Underground, Nanzuka draws on Japan's unique historical background to unravel the context of Japanese artists who exist outside the framework of "art for art's sake." Originally, in Japan up until the Meiji period, most things that people considered to be art were practical items, and as such, they developed alongside and merged with popular culture. The list is endless, ranging from calligraphy, folding screens, sliding door paintings, tea ceremony utensils, negoro (carved figurines), keychain netsuke (decorative decorative ornaments), ukiyo-e prints (posters and bromides), and realistic art objects known as ikiningyo (living dolls) created for entertainment. These "creative works" are inherently "pop" because they appeal to the masses, and from the perspective of academic art, they are considered "underground."

Following this context, this exhibition, "Global Pop Underground," serves as an antithesis to the stereotypes of high and low in art academia, interactively blending the simultaneous explosion of outsider concepts occurring on a global scale. The exhibition also includes numerous depictions of sex and violence. This is something that artists intentionally incorporate to implicitly convey statements such as anti-authority, anti-uniform control, and anti-standard justice. For example, these artists, who created in the early days of Japanese avant-garde art and whose intense works have not been in the "fine art" spotlight, include Keiichi Tanaami's mandala-like paintings, which draw on his own wartime experiences; Harumi Yamaguchi's sexually aggressive portraits of women, which she created in the 1970s in conjunction with the women's sexual revolution movement; Toshio Saeki's 1970s drawings that depict sexual taboos; and Hajime Sorayama, who continues to paint human survival instincts using robots as a filter. These are artists who created in the early days of Japanese avant-garde art and whose violent works have not been in the "fine art" spotlight. Artists with such backgrounds are not limited to Japanese artists. American artist Peter Saul, who turns 86 this year, was one of the pioneers of pop art-style works that referenced cartoon characters in the late 1950s, but his strongly satirical style meant that he was long shunned by art authorities and did not receive the recognition he deserves. Joyce Pensato, an American female artist who sadly passed away last year and continued to paint native American characters in a unique drippy style, also remained out of the spotlight until the end of her life, as she did not ride the wave of success in the art world of mainstream principles and trends. This exhibition features not only legendary artists who have blazed a trail, but also artists of a younger generation. The exhibition systematically illustrates the ongoing diversity of art by showcasing works by artists with diverse backgrounds, including illustration, design, manga, street art, and underground culture. These include Spanish artist Javier Calleja, who draws portraits of giant eyes using a surrealist methodology influenced by Japanese manga; Haroshi, who uses his self-taught techniques to create wooden works using used skateboards; Hiroki Tsukuda, who has a background in graphic design; Masato Mori, a Japanese artist with a background in graffiti; Oliver Payne, a British artist whose numerous conceptual works address the theme of punk as a virtual enemy of the vested interests that control modern society; and Todd James (Reas), a representative artist of the 1990s New York graffiti scene. The term "underground" as a cultural language in the modern era is now being reevaluated on a global scale, encompassing all counter-realms considered low in contrast to high, such as sex, punk, cyber, science fiction, psychedelic, street, and manga/otaku. This movement can also be seen as a counter-phenomenon to the increasingly exclusivist social climate in developed countries today.

NANZUKA
Masashi Minamizuka


About NANZUKA
Founded in 2005 in Shibuya, Tokyo, as an experimental curated gallery called NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, aiming to connect pop culture and contemporary art, the gallery has since operated as an academic platform for creativity in peripheral fields such as design, illustration, street art, manga, fashion, and music. To date, the gallery has reevaluated talents long esteemed outside the Japanese art scene, such as Keiichi Tanaami, Hajime Sorayama, Harumi Yamaguchi, and Toshio Saeki, and strives to introduce them to the international contemporary art scene. In 2019, the "Tokyo Pop Underground" exhibition, organized in collaboration with renowned American gallerist Jeffery Deitch, garnered international acclaim for uncovering the depths of Japanese art within a new framework. At the same time, the organization is committed to nurturing and supporting young and mid-career artists both in Japan and abroad, and embodies the current global art scene by holding exhibitions of leading international artists in Japan.


Participating Artists

Christian Rex van Minnen | Christian Rex van Minnen
Born in Providence, USA in 1980. Currently based in Santa Cruz. Incorporating elements of New Age mysticism, internet memes, and social media, he expresses profound worlds in his paintings, making full use of classical techniques.

Erik Parker | Eric Parker
Born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1968. Currently based in New York. He has created a series of paintings in a style entitled "MAPS", "HEADS", "Hieroglyphics", and "STILL LIFES", which depict politics, society, and economics in unique compositions saturated with media, pop culture, music, and history.

Top: Christian Rex van Minnen / Bottom: Erik ParkerTop: Christian Rex van Minnen / Bottom: Erik Parker

Hajime Sorayama
Born in Ehime Prefecture in 1947. From the early 1970s, he built a career as a pin-up illustrator, leveraging his incredible ability to create realistic images. His "Sexy Robot" series (1978-) made him famous, and his expression of incorporating the beauty of the female body into robots had a major influence on the shaping of robot images thereafter.

Haroshi | Haroshi
Born in Tokyo in 1978. Lives in Tokyo. Since 2003, he has been creating sculptures and installations using recycled skateboard decks. His works, which could be called a form of salvation and set him apart from typical recycling, have garnered tremendous support as an embodiment of the depths of modern street culture.

Top: Hajime Sorayama / Bottom: HaroshiTop: Hajime Sorayama / Bottom: Haroshi

Harumi Yamaguchi | Harumi Yamaguchi
Born in Shimane Prefecture. Graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Tokyo University of the Arts. Worked as a freelance illustrator, participating in PARCO's advertising production. Since 1972, he has used an airbrush to paint images of fresh, dignified women living in a new era, and through his visual language has had a major impact on the role of women in Japanese society.

Hiroki Tsukuda | Tsukuda Hiroki
Born in Kagawa Prefecture in 1978. Currently based in Tokyo. Believing in the existence of what he calls "another world," he employs a method of reconstructing images. In recent years, his international acclaim has rapidly grown, with his works being added to the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Top: Harumi Yamaguchi / Bottom: Hiroki TsukudaTop: Harumi Yamaguchi / Bottom: Hiroki Tsukuda

James Jarvis
Born in London, England in 1970. His style is widely known in Japan, having held a solo exhibition at Parco Museum in 2000. His manga-like illustrations, featuring minimalist characters as protagonists, reflect our own selves in a comical and ironic way. Javier Calleja was born in Malaga, Spain in 1971. He paints portraits of giant eyes using European surrealist techniques while being influenced by Japanese manga-style expression. There is always a hidden trap between the visual information his works contain and the context of the characters in them.

Top: James Jarvis / Bottom: Javier CallejaTop: James Jarvis / Bottom: Javier Calleja

Jonathan Chapline
Born in Savannah, USA in 1987. He simulates all the physical elements necessary for painting on a computer screen using 3D programs, creating a large number of works that reinterpret classical expression. He is an artist who prides himself on being a member of the digital generation. Joyce Pensato was born in New York, USA in 1941. She passed away on June 13, 2019. She is known for her large-scale portrayals of various characters that appear in American animation. The characters, transformed through bold brushstrokes, raise questions about our perception of popular culture.

Top: Jonathan Chapline / Bottom: Joyce PensatoTop: Jonathan Chapline / Bottom: Joyce Pensato

Katherine Bernhardt
Born in St. Louis, USA in 1975. Using vivid colors on large canvases, she boldly paints motifs that she sees frequently in everyday life. Her work suggests a personal relationship and affinity with the abundance of various images.

Kazuki Umezawa
Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1985. Currently based in Tokyo. Since around 2008, he has been creating huge digital collage works using large quantities of anonymous images collected from the internet. He has attracted attention for his style of depicting the "landscape of the internet."

Top: Katherine Bernhardt / Bottom: Kazuki UmezawaTop: Katherine Bernhardt / Bottom: Kazuki Umezawa

Keiichi Tanaami
Born in Tokyo in 1936. Since the 1960s, he has been actively creating works that transcend the boundaries of media and genre. In recent years, he has been working on creating "mandalas" that chronicle his 80-year history, drawing on memories and dreams as his primary landscapes. His works are housed in renowned museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the State Gallery in Berlin.

Koichi Sato
Born in Tokyo in 1974. Currently based in New York. Growing up under the influence of an overwhelming number of images from television and sports magazines, he learned painting techniques on his own. He creates paintings that humorously re-create a variety of people, both famous and unknown, using unique patterns and colors.

Top: Keiichi Tanaami / Bottom: Koichi SatoTop: Keiichi Tanaami / Bottom: Koichi Sato

Makoto Taniguchi
Born in Tokyo in 1982. By repeatedly painting similar images and not assigning any particular interpretation to the characters he paints, he continues to explore the nature of our existence as humans in the face of the spread and development of new technologies such as the internet and artificial intelligence. Masato Mori | Born in Tokushima Prefecture in 1976. He creates strangely modern and comical works that evoke outsider art. His aesthetic perspective is rooted in manga, video games, and animation. In recent years, he has been interested in themes such as innocence and mindlessness in art.

Top: Makoto Taniguchi / Bottom: Masato MoriTop: Makoto Taniguchi / Bottom: Masato Mori

Oliver Payne
Born in London, England in 1977. Currently based in Los Angeles. Since the 1990s, they have been presenting works as an artist duo, and have an illustrious career that includes winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale. Since 2009, they have been working as solo artists, creating works based on subculture. Peter Saul was born in San Francisco in 1934. For over half a century, he has produced works that take inspiration from historical masterpieces, portraits of politicians, and anecdotes from art history. While he has maintained a distance from the art world's authorities, his importance has been recognized again in recent years, and he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2010.

Top: Oliver Payne / Bottom: Peter SaulTop: Oliver Payne / Bottom: Peter Saul

Todd James
Born in New York, USA in 1969. Known by the tag name REAS, he is one of the leading figures in New York street art. His work is characterized by innocent lines and forms reminiscent of children's drawings, and a variety of colorfully animated characters.

Toshio Saeki
Born in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1945. Died November 21, 2019. Internationally known for his unique works that weave together eroticism, humor, and horror. His worldview is filled with provocative devices that expose all manner of sexual taboos and dig deep into our inner selves.

Top: Todd James / Bottom: Toshio SaekiTop: Todd James / Bottom: Toshio Saeki

YOSHIROTTEN
Born in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1983. Currently based in Tokyo. He creates works across a variety of genres, including graphics, video, sculpture, installation, and music. He is also active internationally as an art director and designer.

YOSHIROTTENYOSHIROTTEN


Merchandise Sales Information

In addition to books and collections of works by each artist, merchandise commemorating the exhibition will be on sale at the venue. In collaboration with NANZUKA x PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO, we will be selling limited-edition exhibition T-shirts with works by the participating artists printed on the back.

Hajime Sorayama BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT
5,500 yen (tax included) Colors: 2 colors (White/Black) Sizes: S M L XL
Hajime Sorayama BACK PRINTED T-SHIRTHajime Sorayama BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT

Harumi Yamaguchi BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT
5,500 yen (tax included) Colors: 2 colors (White/Black) Sizes: S M L XL
Harumi Yamaguchi BACK PRINTED T-SHIRTHarumi Yamaguchi BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT

``Hiroki Tsukuda BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT''
5,500 yen (tax included) Color: 2 colors (White/Black) Size: S M L XL
Hiroki Tsukuda BACK PRINTED T-SHIRTHiroki Tsukuda BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT

『Javier Calleja BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT”
5,500 yen (tax included) Color: 2 colors (White/Black) Size: S M L XL
Javier Calleja BACK PRINTED T-SHIRTJavier Calleja BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT

"Joyce Pensato BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT"
5,500 yen (tax included) Color: 2 colors (White/Black) Size: S M L XL
Joyce Pensato BACK PRINTED T-SHIRTJoyce Pensato BACK PRINTED T-SHIRT

『Oliver Payne BACK PRINTED T-SHRT』
5,500 yen (tax included) Colors: 2 colors available (White/Black) Sizes: S M L XL
Oliver Payne BACK PRINTED T-SHRTOliver Payne BACK PRINTED T-SHRT
*In addition to this product, we also plan to sell related products.

This product will also be available on the Parco online store at a later date. PARCO Online Store URL: https://kaeru.parco.jp/shop/detail/shop000025836/


We will also be hosting an online exhibition with a 3D view that you can enjoy at home!


We will also be hosting an online exhibition with a 3D view that you can enjoy at home!
In parallel with the exhibition being held at the physical venue, PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO, there will also be an online exhibition that allows you to view a 3D view of the venue for free on the PARCO ART website. You can move around the venue and look around in 360 degrees, enjoying the same viewing experience as if you were actually at the exhibition venue, all from the comfort of your own home.
Release date: Scheduled for July 11th.

*Images are for illustrative purposes only. *Exhibition content may be subject to change.
*We cannot accept returns or exchanges of products due to customer convenience.


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