The Italian brand Moleskine's slogan is "Creativity for Social Change." The international traveling exhibition "Detour," which embodies this philosophy, has arrived at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT in Roppongi, Tokyo. The notebook, a familiar tool for everyone, is being disassembled and reconstructed by creators from around the world, elevating it into one-of-a-kind works of art. Witnessing this process with your own eyes is an experience that sheds new light on everyday creativity.
Courtesy of Moleskine
The Moment a Notebook Becomes Art
Launched in Rome in 2006, Detour has since traveled to cities around the world, including Milan, London, and New York, and amassed a collection of over 1,600 art notebooks. This Tokyo exhibition will feature 41 carefully selected notebooks from this vast archive. A diverse range of expressions will be on display, including boldly slicing up notebook pages, transforming them into three-dimensional sculptures, and utilizing the white space to create minimalist works. These works reflect the "moment" when everyday tools are transformed into art, transcending the constraints of paper and ink.
Courtesy of Moleskine
A Unique Tokyo Context
The exhibition was curated by Yuko Hasegawa, former chief curator of the Mori Art Museum, who continues to be active both in Japan and abroad. With the cooperation of SKAC (Shiseido Creative Arts Club), the exhibition incorporates a uniquely Japanese perspective. The diverse range of participating artists spans the genres of fashion, art, music, and theater, including Yosuke Matsumoto of MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO, contemporary artist Kohei Nawa, actor and artist Rihito Itagaki, singer Aina the End, and artist Lauren Tsai. This lineup reflects the multi-layered culture of the city of Tokyo.
Courtesy of Moleskine
The Moleskine Lineage and Contemporary Creativity
Moleskine is a legacy of the legendary notebooks favored by artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Hemingway. These notebooks have long served as a medium for recording the thoughts of travelers, writers, and artists. Today, their role has expanded beyond mere notebooks to become a platform for generating ideas that change society. The exhibition will also feature a new product, "NOTE-A-NOTE," designed to encourage everyday sketching and the recording of fragmented thoughts. This is also an attempt to embed the "creativity of the future" into urban life.
Courtesy of Moleskine
Creativity Dwelling in the City
The venue, Roppongi, Tokyo, is an urban space where art museums and galleries are concentrated and cultures intersect. "Detour Tokyo," which will be held in one corner of this area, is positioned as a place to visualize the creativity that lives in the city, and a space where visitors can ask themselves, "How can we reinterpret our everyday notebooks?"
Courtesy of Moleskine
Witnessing the moment when a notebook becomes art is not just an experience of appreciation; it will also lead to a rediscovery of the "seeds of creativity" that lie hidden in your own lifestyle, work, and fashion. Everyone will be eager to open their notebook when they leave the Roppongi venue.
[Detour Tokyo: List of Participating Artists (Alphabetical Order)]
■Curated by Yuko Hasegawa:
Itagaki Rikoto / Kiyokawa Asami / Nawa Kohei / Morinaga Kunihiko / Yoshimasu Gozo
■Curated by SKAC (SKWAT KAMEARI ART CENTRE)
Otake Ayako / GROUP / NANAORO / MIEKO MEGURO
■Curated by MOLESKINE:
NEW ARTISTS: Aina the End / Matsumoto Yosuke (MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO) / KALKUL / COCO STAR SIMS / Nakamura Tetsuya / Ninagawa Mika / Lauren Tsai
FROM ARCHIVE COLLECTION: Alberto Meda / Andrea Trimarchi & Simone Farresin / Carlo Stanga / Circololettori Andria / Fabrizio Cotognini /Flavio Albanese / Frances Goodman / Giorgia Lupi / Toyo Ito /Joana Vasconcelos/ Kazuyo Sejima/Kengo Kuma / Massimiliano Fuksas/Natoï Allah Djimasra / Nicholas Hlobo / Ryue Nishizawa / Officinae Efesti / Paolo Marco Bombonato / Pascale Marthine Tayou /Sebastiano Mauri/ Sebastiano Paccini / Seven Hills / Tord Boontje
About Moleskine
Moleskine® is the heir and successor to the legendary notebook, beloved for two centuries by artists and thinkers such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. Today, Moleskine is a lifestyle brand offering a wide range of notebooks, diaries, bags, and digital tools to support today's creative and imaginative professionals. By fostering creativity, imagination, and thought, and providing a means of capturing memories, Moleskine supports today's creative and imaginative professionals in their daily lives and journeys, becoming a part of their personalities.
About the Moleskine Foundation
The Moleskine Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is "Creativity for Social Change." Its foundational belief is that creativity is the power that brings about positive social change and paves the way for the future. To achieve this, the Moleskine Foundation develops unconventional educational programs around the world that aim to inspire creativity in young people and foster social change awareness and attitudes. These efforts are supported by a global network of international cultural and creative partners, all of whom are committed to social change.
While the Moleskine Foundation shares Moleskine's values of creativity and culture, it operates independently, both organizationally and operationally. Moleskine's support for operating expenses allows the Moleskine Foundation to use 100% of external funds for direct social impact activities.
Courtesy of MoleskineThe Moment a Notebook Becomes Art
Launched in Rome in 2006, Detour has since traveled to cities around the world, including Milan, London, and New York, and amassed a collection of over 1,600 art notebooks. This Tokyo exhibition will feature 41 carefully selected notebooks from this vast archive. A diverse range of expressions will be on display, including boldly slicing up notebook pages, transforming them into three-dimensional sculptures, and utilizing the white space to create minimalist works. These works reflect the "moment" when everyday tools are transformed into art, transcending the constraints of paper and ink.
Courtesy of MoleskineA Unique Tokyo Context
The exhibition was curated by Yuko Hasegawa, former chief curator of the Mori Art Museum, who continues to be active both in Japan and abroad. With the cooperation of SKAC (Shiseido Creative Arts Club), the exhibition incorporates a uniquely Japanese perspective. The diverse range of participating artists spans the genres of fashion, art, music, and theater, including Yosuke Matsumoto of MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO, contemporary artist Kohei Nawa, actor and artist Rihito Itagaki, singer Aina the End, and artist Lauren Tsai. This lineup reflects the multi-layered culture of the city of Tokyo.
Courtesy of MoleskineThe Moleskine Lineage and Contemporary Creativity
Moleskine is a legacy of the legendary notebooks favored by artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Hemingway. These notebooks have long served as a medium for recording the thoughts of travelers, writers, and artists. Today, their role has expanded beyond mere notebooks to become a platform for generating ideas that change society. The exhibition will also feature a new product, "NOTE-A-NOTE," designed to encourage everyday sketching and the recording of fragmented thoughts. This is also an attempt to embed the "creativity of the future" into urban life.
Courtesy of MoleskineCreativity Dwelling in the City
The venue, Roppongi, Tokyo, is an urban space where art museums and galleries are concentrated and cultures intersect. "Detour Tokyo," which will be held in one corner of this area, is positioned as a place to visualize the creativity that lives in the city, and a space where visitors can ask themselves, "How can we reinterpret our everyday notebooks?"
Courtesy of MoleskineWitnessing the moment when a notebook becomes art is not just an experience of appreciation; it will also lead to a rediscovery of the "seeds of creativity" that lie hidden in your own lifestyle, work, and fashion. Everyone will be eager to open their notebook when they leave the Roppongi venue.
[Detour Tokyo: List of Participating Artists (Alphabetical Order)]
■Curated by Yuko Hasegawa:
Itagaki Rikoto / Kiyokawa Asami / Nawa Kohei / Morinaga Kunihiko / Yoshimasu Gozo
■Curated by SKAC (SKWAT KAMEARI ART CENTRE)
Otake Ayako / GROUP / NANAORO / MIEKO MEGURO
■Curated by MOLESKINE:
NEW ARTISTS: Aina the End / Matsumoto Yosuke (MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO) / KALKUL / COCO STAR SIMS / Nakamura Tetsuya / Ninagawa Mika / Lauren Tsai
FROM ARCHIVE COLLECTION: Alberto Meda / Andrea Trimarchi & Simone Farresin / Carlo Stanga / Circololettori Andria / Fabrizio Cotognini /Flavio Albanese / Frances Goodman / Giorgia Lupi / Toyo Ito /Joana Vasconcelos/ Kazuyo Sejima/Kengo Kuma / Massimiliano Fuksas/Natoï Allah Djimasra / Nicholas Hlobo / Ryue Nishizawa / Officinae Efesti / Paolo Marco Bombonato / Pascale Marthine Tayou /Sebastiano Mauri/ Sebastiano Paccini / Seven Hills / Tord Boontje
[Event information]
"Detour Tokyo"
Venue: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3
Tokyo Midtown Midtown Garden, 9-7 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
Hours: 10 AM - 7 PM
Organizer: Moleskine & the Moleskine Foundation
"Detour Tokyo"
Venue: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3
Tokyo Midtown Midtown Garden, 9-7 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
Hours: 10 AM - 7 PM
Organizer: Moleskine & the Moleskine Foundation
About Moleskine
Moleskine® is the heir and successor to the legendary notebook, beloved for two centuries by artists and thinkers such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. Today, Moleskine is a lifestyle brand offering a wide range of notebooks, diaries, bags, and digital tools to support today's creative and imaginative professionals. By fostering creativity, imagination, and thought, and providing a means of capturing memories, Moleskine supports today's creative and imaginative professionals in their daily lives and journeys, becoming a part of their personalities.
About the Moleskine Foundation
The Moleskine Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is "Creativity for Social Change." Its foundational belief is that creativity is the power that brings about positive social change and paves the way for the future. To achieve this, the Moleskine Foundation develops unconventional educational programs around the world that aim to inspire creativity in young people and foster social change awareness and attitudes. These efforts are supported by a global network of international cultural and creative partners, all of whom are committed to social change.
While the Moleskine Foundation shares Moleskine's values of creativity and culture, it operates independently, both organizationally and operationally. Moleskine's support for operating expenses allows the Moleskine Foundation to use 100% of external funds for direct social impact activities.
