Echigo-Tsumari MonET Exhibition　　Series Vol. 12: Ryohei Usui, “Things that remind us we exist.”

Events

Echigo-Tsumari MonET Exhibition　　Series Vol. 12: Ryohei Usui, “Things that remind us we exist.”

Summary

exhibition

A series of Special Exhibitions that has been held at the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET since 2023. For each Special Exhibition, a guest curator selects artists and organizes the exhibition.

On the Occasion of Our Series of Special Exhibitions

The Echigo-Tsumari Art Field has been working to revitalize the region through art. To further establish itself as an art festival deeply rooted in the community, it will explore new possibilities for the relationship between the region and art, connect with artists who will shape the future, and foster new collaborations. At the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET, guest curators select artists who will broadly shape the future of art, and solo exhibitions are held every two months.Since 2023, this has been held as a long-term series of consecutive Special Exhibitions.

Kitagawa Fram (General Director, Echigo-Tsumari Art Field)

Echigo-Tsumari MonET Special Exhibition, Vol. 12: Ryohei Usui, “Things that remind us we exist.”

Event Overview

[Guest Curator] Mari Tsukamoto (Chief Curator, Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art)
[Duration] September 12, 2026 (Sat) – November 23, 2026 (Mon, holiday); Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (except holidays)
[Admission] Adults: 1,200 yen / Elementary and Junior High School Students: 600 yen
*Admission fees include access to the Permanent Exhibition and Special Exhibitions at the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET.
*During the Period covered by the Common Ticket, admission is permitted with the Common Ticket.

Using a variety of materials—such as glass, photography, and off-the-shelf items—Ryohei Usui has given form to those pre-verbal sensations that suddenly catch our attention in everyday life.

Take, for example, a plastic bottle left sitting on a mailbox by the side of the road. Even if you can’t recall the exact place or time, there are likely many people who have seen a scene like this somewhere.Although we don’t know who placed it there, when, or why, a faint trace of something that happened lingers—Utsui focuses his attention precisely on such scenes, which modern people catch out of the corner of their eyes but do not give a second thought to.

The “PET (Portrait of Encountered Things)” series, meticulously crafted from glass, symbolizes this artistic approach. These glass sculptures are created by taking molds from actual plastic bottles or plastic bags filled with water, firing them at high temperatures, and polishing their surfaces to completion. When placed in a space, they evoke an anonymous landscape—one that feels familiar, as if seen somewhere, yet does not actually exist anywhere specific.Separated from their original contexts and transformed into glass—a malleable, fragile, and transparent material—these objects have their histories erased, thereby evoking “scenes from the past” that lie dormant in the depths of people’s memories.

This exhibition, “things that remind us we exist,” consists entirely of new artworks, including pieces inspired by the streetscape of Tokamachi. We hope that by pausing to contemplate the existence of landscapes and objects we have previously overlooked, you will be able to refocus your attention on the sense that “we are here.”

Artist Statement

Wherever I go, my eyes are drawn to something, and I find myself stopping in my tracks.

Whether by design or by chance, an unexpected sense of reality emerges from the things around me.

I stare intently at what’s there and try to figure out what’s drawing me in.
What is this feeling?

My companion calls out to me,
and as we start walking again, that sensation is left behind where it was.

Ryohei Usui

《Isle》 2024 Photo: Kei Miyajima

Related Events

Artist Talk

We will hold an artist talk on the opening day of the exhibition. The artist will speak personally about their creative themes and techniques.

[Date and Time] Saturday, September 12, 2:00 PM–
[Location] Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET, Special Exhibition Room
[Admission] Free (Museum admission fee applies separately)

Artist Profile

Ryohei Usui
Born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1983; currently resides in Tokyo. In 2012, he began creating “PET,” a series of works using glass. His glass sculptures evoke “landscapes that seem plausible yet are not,” stripped of the noise of reality, and function as devices that shift the viewer’s perception.Recent major solo exhibitions include “Still Life on the Street” (Uninhabited Island Production, 2022); major group exhibitions include “Sculpture Milwaukee” (Milwaukee, USA, 2026), “MOT Annual: Island of Happiness” (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2024), and “Exhibition of Astonishing Detail: From Edo and Meiji Crafts to Contemporary Art”(Yokosuka Museum of Art, 2024).

Guest Curator Profile

Mari Tsukamoto
Chief Curator at the Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art. Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1989. Completed the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in Cultural Property Conservation, in 2014. Has held her current position since 2016.
Drawing on her background in conservation and restoration, she curates exhibitions that highlight the regional character and unique characteristics of each Venue, while continually asking, “What should be preserved?”At the Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art, she launched “ARTIST FOCUS,” a series of solo exhibitions introducing artists with ties to Kochi, in 2020, and organized a Special Exhibition for Sawako Goda, an artist from Kochi Prefecture, in 2022. She is also actively involved in projects outside the museum, organizing numerous independent Special Exhibitions for emerging and mid-career artists.

Photo by Kazuhito Tanaka

Echigo-Tsumari MonET Special Exhibition Series: Overview

Vol. 1: Saturday, July 1, 2023 – Sunday, August 27, 2023
“Material Shop Katarsis no Kishibe: Tokamachi Store & ‘Unused Data Grand Prix 2022–2023’ Archival Exhibition”
Artist: Katarsis no Kishibe
Guest Curator: Noi Sawaragi (Art Critic)

Vol. 2: Saturday, September 9, 2023 – Sunday, November 5, 2023
“Print Report: The Path Moves”
Artist: Yu Matsumoto
Guest Curator: Kenjiro Hosaka (Director, Shiga Prefectural Museum of Art)

Vol. 3: Saturday, November 18, 2023 – Sunday, December 24, 2023
“Sequel to ‘Song of Parallel Small Boats’: Emerald Vessels”
Artists: Kazuyuki Takezaki + Yu Nishimura
Guest Curator: Mari Tsukamoto (Chief Curator, Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art)

Vol. 4: Saturday, January 13, 2024 – Sunday, March 10, 2024
“Reverse String”
Artist: Tanaka Ai
Guest Curator: Hiyama Maaru (Curator / Recruit Art Center)

Vol. 5: Saturday, April 13, 2024 – Sunday, June 9, 2024
“Slow to Get Moving”
Artist: Kyoko Dezu
Guest Curator: Kenjiro Hosaka (Director, Shiga Prefectural Museum of Art)

Vol. 6: Saturday, November 23, 2024 – Monday, January 13, 2025 (Public Holiday)
“Danger Everywhere”
Artist: Koichi Mitsuoka
Guest Curator: Hiyama Maaru (Curator, Recruit Art Center)

Vol. 7: Saturday, January 25, 2025 – Sunday, June 22, 2025 [Period Extended]
“The Colorless Person”
Artist: Kan Miyake
Guest Curator: Noi Sawaragi (Art Critic)

Vol. 8: Saturday, September 27, 2025 – Sunday, November 30, 2025(Sun)
“Drinking with You All, Inside the Basket”
Artist: Ayako Ohno
Guest Curator: Mari Tsukamoto (Chief Curator, Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art)

Vol. 9: Saturday, January 24, 2026 – Sunday, March 22, 2026
“THE NEVER ENDING BUILDING”
Artist: Tomonosuke Kurachi
Guest Curator: Kenjiro Hosaka (Director, Shiga Prefectural Museum of Art)

Vol. 10: Mid-April – Mid-June 2026
“Ryosaku Miyasaka: ART at 75”
Artist: Ryosaku Miyasaka
Guest Curator: Noi Sawaragi (Art Critic)

Vol. 11: Saturday, June 27, 2026 – Monday, August 31, 2026
“Kansa Queen”
Artist: Ryosuke Higo
Guest Curator: Hiyama Maaru (Curator, Recruit Art Center)

Vol. 12: Saturday, September 12, 2026 – Monday, November 23, 2026 (Public Holiday)
Artist: Ryohei Usui “Things that remind us we exist.”
Guest Curator: Mari Tsukamoto (Chief Curator, Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art)

Summary

Date and time	September 12, 2026 (Sat) – November 23, 2026 (Mon, holiday) Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except on holidays 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (Last admission at 4:30 p.m.)
Venue	Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET
Admission	Adults: 1,200 yen / Elementary and Middle School Students: 600 yen During the valid period for the Common Ticket, admission is permitted with the Common Ticket. Admission fees include access to the Permanent Exhibition and Special Exhibitions at the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET.

Related Information

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Echigo-Tsumari MonET Exhibition　　Series Vol. 12: Ryohei Usui, “Things that remind us we exist.”

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