Mori Art Museum

One of the highlights of my trip, so far, was a visit I took to the Mori Art Museum after a recommendation from the lovely artist Pomme Chan. The Mori Art Museum is on the 53rd floor of a tower at the Roppongi Hills Complex, which houses several museums, dozens of restaurants, shops, and public art. The observation deck also offers an incredible view of Tokyo - one I would've liked to see in much fairer weather, (it has been very rainy the last few days)! I didn't have any expectations when I walked into the museum, so I was very happy to find these...

Teruya Yuken



"Notice - Forest"
Series, 2005 - 2010
Paper cuts of trees made out of luxury carry bags

Hitozuki [Kami + Sasu]

"The Firmament"

Suzuki Hirako


"Road"
Mixed Media Installation

Jules de Balincourt

Chim↑Pom

A very hazy view of Tokyo from the observation deck...

The exhibit, "Can There be Art?", and each of the pieces, provided bits of social commentary, from consumerism to gluttony to the impacts of dictatorship, all in a beautifully curated and engaging space. There were over a dozen artists and art collectives featured, all of which deserve to be highlighted. I highly recommend visiting the exhibition website to find out more about the artists and their work, (link below).

The more I looked at and thought about the artwork, the more it began to take on a very different meaning. It was important to think about the context of viewing the artwork in Asia, specifically in Japan, and what it means to be in a highly homogeneous and conformist society. The concept of dictatorship, whether taken literally or abstractly (as I had come to understand the work), allows for very different interpretations when considering that context. I think it's something that observers of art in the West (myself included) may have come to take for granted. The concepts of individualism and expression are not the same in the U.S. or Western Europe as they are in Asia. Of course, this is just my own opinion based on limited experience spending time in parts of the continent. What do you think?

Mori Art Museum
53F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower
6-10-1, Roppongi, Minatoku
Tokyo, Japan, 106-6150