[2021] Special Exhibition at MonET: ”To Nirvana and Back: The Real Lear in Echigo-Tsumari”

Summary

The first special exhibition at MonET after re-opening

We are pleased to bring you the first special exhibition at MonET after its reopening which features photographs taken by MORIYAMA Daido when he visited ETAT2003. He documented the stage performance “The Real Lear in Echigo-Tsumari” (written and directed by Christiaan Bastiaans) which was presented to inaugurate Matsudai Nohbutai and satoyama landscape in background. The exhibition consists of black and white photos of the stage performance and photos of satoyama landscape in colour which are unusual to Moriyama’s work.

 

[Updated on October 31]
This exhibition has been extended to the end of the year.

In recent years, satoyama of Echigo-Tsumari has been hit by earthquakes and natural disasters as well as affected by the change in agricultural policy. Ageing of the population has accelerated and most of the old people appeared in the photo catalogue “To Nirvana and Back: Real Lear in Echigo-Tsumari” published in 2004 have departed to the nirvana. On the other hand, the satoyama landscape, flowers and farmland remain beautiful as if time has stopped here.

The photo catalogue consists of the passion of one artist, Christiaan Bastiaans and his work, a cheerful theatrical play by the local elderlies, and diverse ranges of satoyama landscape. The contrast between the black and white photos of the theatre play which goes back and forth in-between the imaginary and reality and photos in colours capturing colourful satoyama landscape overwhelm the viewers. When they see these photos in the large space of MonET, they will, for sure, attempt to venture on “thought exploration” in satoyama.

Moriyama Daido

Born 1938 in Ikeda-shi, Osaka. Switching from design to photography, he worked as an assistant for Takeji Iwamiya and Eikoh Hosoe, before embarking on his career as a freelance photographer in 1964. For series such as “Japan: A Photo Theater”, which appeared in Camera Mainichi in 1967, he received the New Artist Award from the Japan Photo-Critics Association.

In recent years, large-scale exhibitions of Moriyama’s work have been held at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1999; traveling to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Japan Society, New York), the National Museum of Art, Osaka (2011), and London’s Tate Modern (double exhibition with William Klein 2012-13). In 2012, Moriyama received the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography (New York), also ordered Legion of Honour Chevalier in 2018 by French government, also award winner of The Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography in 2019 which cemented his high international reputation.

MonET, Museum on Echigo-Tsumari


The art museum designed by Hara Hiroshi+ Atelier Φ Architecture Institute as “Echigo-Tsumari Exchange Center, KINARE” in  2003. The building was reborn as the Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art KINARE in 2012. In 2021, the building will be transformed again into MonET, Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, with newly added permanent artworks .

Summary

Date and time 22 July 2021 (Thursday) - 31 October 2021 (Sunday)
10:00-17:00 (last entry by 16:30)
Venue

Museum on Echigo-Tsumari (6-1-71-2, Honcho, Tokamachi-city, Niigata)

Admission Adult JPY1000 / Child age under 15 JPY500 (including permanent artworks)
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