The "THE MIRROR" exhibition opened on October 16th at the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building in Ginza 4-chome, which was completed in 1930. The exhibition runs until November 9th, and features a unique style: limited to 400 visitors per day, with advance reservations required for each visit. This unique approach is unique to this retro building, with over 80 years of history. Along with the tagline "Hold the Mirror up to nature. Now, the mirror of art reflects the truth," the Ginza space "THE MIRROR" aims to be a mirror that reflects the truth of the next era, just as British playwright Shakespeare once had Hamlet say, "Theatre, that is, art, is a mirror that reflects the state of the world." The building is six stories tall, with an exhibition area of 900 square meters and 18 rooms. Based on the concept of this exhibition, a variety of works from established artists to up-and-coming artists are gathered in one place. Each floor has a different atmosphere, providing visitors with a series of surprises, as if they were visiting a foreign land.

The exhibition title was designed by Katsumi Asaba. The design around the reception area at the first-floor entrance was by Shigeru Uchida. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by exhibits of gracefully moving glass creatures and glass objects that breathe like dolphins. Although not living organisms, these works, created by Hiromasa Komatsu and Kensei Miyoshi, move as if alive through the action of air.

On the second floor, visitors are greeted by Francis Shingo's "Karesansui Surrounding," which fills the space with the "greatness of nature." Described as "created visually and aurally," the work features horizons filled with a variety of colors, movements, and emotions, along with a unique soundscape that combines real and artificial sounds from the earth. The more you look at it, the more you experience the pleasant thrill of being enveloped in the painting. This video work by London-based artist Hiraki Sawa was inspired by his own out-of-body experiences. The mirrors on either side of the screen onto which the video is projected are speakers. In the darkness, your senses of sight and sound are directly stimulated, transporting you to a fantastical world. The Museum Shop is a small museum designed by Torafu Architects under the curation of Kazuko Koike. "Crocodiles were a popular item in the 'Cabinet de curiosite,' the prototype of museums that began in Europe during the Renaissance. It's an interesting coincidence that crocodiles are also present in this space," says General Director Toshio Shimizu. Works on display here, including Satoru Tamura's "Spinning Crocodile Garden Mini," a collection of rotating crocodiles, are available for purchase. During the exhibition, tea will be served in Shigeru Uchida's tea room, located on the same floor. This tranquil space, amid the hustle and bustle of Ginza, is exceptionally elegant. Don't miss Florian Krahl's room, showcasing a video of works inspired by THE MIRROR's architecture. Experience the artist's concept of creating another building within another building.

The third floor is packed with highlights. First up is the room by architect Terunobu Fujimori and photographer Roland Hagenberg, curated by Kazuko Koike. Fujimori has previously incorporated materials such as wood, grass, earth, and charcoal not simply as materials but as the very essence of architecture, and this time, the theme is "storks." A wide range of videos, from sketches and miniature models to the actual "Kounotori-an" construction, are shown.

Also on display are works by Kimio Tsuchiya, an artist who visualizes memory, and Nicolas Buffe and Satoru Tamura, who traveled from France to Japan for this exhibition and created works on-site.

The most impressive room on the same floor is Kohei Nawa's room. During the press preview, surrounded by a completed work titled "Moment," the artist himself was in the midst of creating a mural for this exhibition, "Catalyst." There was no preconceived composition or plan, and he described it as "creating on the spot, as ideas arise." The fourth floor is "a floor for considering the relationship between humans and nature through the work of various artists." Works by a renowned lineup include nature photographer Bae Byeong-woo of South Korea, Ayaka Miyata, who creates aesthetic worlds through embroidery, Mariko Mori, Keisuke Jimba, Mikito Ozeki, Motoyoshi Watanabe, Manika Nagare, Naoya Hatakeyama, and Yumi Domoto. Among the most striking works were Wataru Yamagami's diptychs, "World of the World" and "Rites of Passage," depicting works painted before and after natural disasters. "The way people view reality changed dramatically between before and after the devastating earthquake of March 11, 2011. To express this, I used slime mold, a creature halfway between animal and plant, as a motif. I wanted to express a perspective that shifted from the fantastical world of before the earthquake to one that sees reality more clearly," says Yamagami. The exhibition finally reaches its climax. At the center of the fifth floor is a masterpiece by Anish Kapoor, the world-renowned sculptor known for his collaborations with Bulgari. It's a sublime piece, stripped of all unnecessary elements and entirely in silver, that seems to reflect and engulf the entire universe. Opposite it is a thangka painted by a Tibetan painter-monk deep in the mountains of Sichuan Province. "This work depicts Buddhas of the past, present, and future, giving the exhibition a sense of time," explains General Director Shimizu. Other exhibits include a self-portrait by Haru Miyawaki, who participated in a 1917 exhibition of Kishida Ryusei's paintings at just 15 years old, as well as a rare work by Natsuyuki Nakanishi. On the same floor, Seigo Matsuoka's attic, "Seigo Matsuoka's Bookwear," will be on display. This "library" space, designed to be "surrounded by books to the point of wearing them," will display 2,000 books selected by Matsuoka, along with unpublished materials related to books, such as red-inked galley proofs and drawings. Despite being an attic, it has no roof, and Kengo Sumi's design, featuring five-colored clouds, is truly stylish. On the sixth floor, at the very top, an "impossible space" has been realized by Tatsu Nishino. On November 2nd, an event will be held in the Hibiya area, transforming the city itself into a club, along with a "mirror ball car" installation. Special exhibitions will also be held at the Ginza Grand Hotel and Demi-Luxe Beams Ginza in conjunction with this exhibition. Artists expected to participate include Bae Byunwoo, Wataru Yamagami, and Motoyoshi Watanabe. In addition, the "THE MIRROR Lecture Series" will feature lecturers such as Katsumi Asaba, Kengo Sumi, Jun Takahashi, Kazuko Koike, and Seigo Matsuoka, and will feature a wide-ranging program including topics on art and design, Ginza, Seigo Matsuoka, and the Gakushuin Women's College of Art Management International Seminar Series. The staff uniforms, featuring silver foil embellishments reminiscent of a mirror, also display the museum's meticulous attention to detail.

During the period, the first floor will host "The Dawn of Design," a commemorative exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of Meiji-Mura Museum.
This time, furniture from the Rokumeikan building in Hibiya, as well as imperial court furniture, will be on display, introducing the dawn of interior design.


【Event Information】
Hold the Mirror up to nature THE MIRROR
Venue: Nagoya Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building
Address: 4-3-6 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Dates: October 16th to November 9th
Time: 13:00 to 21:00
Closed: Mondays
Advance tickets: Ticket A (13:00 to 17:00) 1,000 yen Ticket B (17:00 to 21:00) 1,000 yen
*Limited to 200 tickets per session. Advance reservations are required. Same-day tickets will not be sold at the venue.