Post by sunsetdriver on Feb 14, 2006 19:42:28 GMT 1
Michael Jackson Karaoke, Dadaists Star in Tokyo-Berlin Show
(The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Bloomberg.)
By Bret Okeson
Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Who would have thought the highlight of an exhibition on the cultural links between Tokyo and Berlin would be 16 German Michael Jackson wannabes, singing hits from his ``Thriller'' album?
That's one of many surprises in the Tokyo-Berlin exhibition at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. The show investigates the crossover of art and ideas between the two cities since they became national capitals in the 19th century.
Only a few of the artworks are really cross-cultural; most show the development of the two cities in parallel. Berlin and Tokyo were economic dynamos in the late 1800s, vanguards of modernity in the 1920s, swept up in fascism in the 1930s, destroyed in war in the 1940s and have since become two of the world's most interesting capitals.
The exhibition is chronologically arranged, beginning with Japanese artists turning to realistic, Western-style portraitures instead of highly stylized ukiyoe wood-block prints. An exhibition from 1914 of black-and-white German wood-block prints shows the exchange. After that, the works focus on each city's history.
Six lithographs show the Tokyo earthquake of 1923, with fire sweeping the city, destroying both modern brick buildings and traditional Buddhist temples. A terrified circus elephant races through a crowd as its handlers try to restrain it. Slum- dwellers hurl themselves into the Sumida River to escape the flames.
Photos from the 1920's, taken after the earthquake, show Moga and Moba (modern girls and modern boys) jaunting through Ginza, Tokyo's premier shopping area. The young women have abandoned kimonos for flapper hats. A poster advertises the first subway line in Asia, connecting Ueno and Asakusa.
Dada
From Berlin, one of Germany's great satirists of the period, George Grosz, delighted in mocking authority. His 1926 painting ``The Pillars of Society'' portrays figures who were intent on undermining the Weimar Republic. A banker with brains of steaming turds waves the flag of imperial Germany, a judge welcomes rioting in the streets and a monocle-wearing Prussian officer, with a stein of beer and a swastika tie clip, dreams of lancers on horseback.
Dada, an artistic movement embracing irrationality and chaos, flourished in Berlin in the 1920s. Japanese artists living in Berlin introduced it to Tokyo as a movement called MAVO.
Still, the most surrealistic Japanese painting on display was done after the war, Kikuji Yamanutsa's 1953 ``The Tale of Akebono Village'' A man lies in a pool of blood, where fish swim happily as two dogs sporting school caps smile. An ashen-faced woman has hung herself while another dog hungrily licks her face.
National Roots
During World War II when the countries were closest politically, cultural exchange withered. The fascist ideology in both countries stressed nationalism, promoting myths of racial purity and denigrating artists who were inspired by other societies, even their war-time allies.
``During the fascist period, everything was political,'' says Angela Schneider, director of Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie and one of the exhibition's curators. ``In both countries, it was back to the national roots.''
Photos from the 1936 Berlin Olympics commemorate Hitler's failed attempt to demonstrate German racial superiority. From Japan, a massive painting displays a kamikaze pilot bringing down two enemy war planes.
There is a video of Berlin's postwar history. An old woman wanders through the ruins after the Soviet Army storms the city. East Berliners hurl paving stones at tanks in the June 17, 1953, uprising. The Berlin airlift staves off starvation in the embargoed city and John F. Kennedy declares himself a Berliner. The Wall goes up, the Wall comes down.
Michael Jackson
The last rooms are devoted to contemporary art from Berlin, including Candice Breitz's 2005 video: ``King -- a Portrait of Michael Jackson.'' Breitz, a South African who lives in Berlin, filmed Michael Jackson fans one by one, alone in a studio singing to music we can't hear. Shown together on 16 screens hanging in a row, they make up a chorus.
If you have ever sung to yourself in the bathroom mirror or made a fool of yourself in front of colleagues at karaoke, you'll love this piece. The singing and dancing ranges from terrible to pretty good to one crotch-grabbing Michael Jackson worshipper who could probably hold his own against his hero.
The exhibition is at the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills. It is on the 52nd floor and -- as a bonus -- you can walk through the observation deck, which gives you a wonderful view of Tokyo, particularly at night.
The exhibition runs through May 7. Tickets cost 1,500 yen. Call (03)-6406-6111 or go to the museum's Web site at www.mori.art.museum/html/eng/index.html.
To contact the reporter on this story: Bret Okeson in Tokyo at bokeson@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: February 13, 2006 20:50 EST
source: bloomberg.com
Enrico
(The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Bloomberg.)
By Bret Okeson
Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Who would have thought the highlight of an exhibition on the cultural links between Tokyo and Berlin would be 16 German Michael Jackson wannabes, singing hits from his ``Thriller'' album?
That's one of many surprises in the Tokyo-Berlin exhibition at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. The show investigates the crossover of art and ideas between the two cities since they became national capitals in the 19th century.
Only a few of the artworks are really cross-cultural; most show the development of the two cities in parallel. Berlin and Tokyo were economic dynamos in the late 1800s, vanguards of modernity in the 1920s, swept up in fascism in the 1930s, destroyed in war in the 1940s and have since become two of the world's most interesting capitals.
The exhibition is chronologically arranged, beginning with Japanese artists turning to realistic, Western-style portraitures instead of highly stylized ukiyoe wood-block prints. An exhibition from 1914 of black-and-white German wood-block prints shows the exchange. After that, the works focus on each city's history.
Six lithographs show the Tokyo earthquake of 1923, with fire sweeping the city, destroying both modern brick buildings and traditional Buddhist temples. A terrified circus elephant races through a crowd as its handlers try to restrain it. Slum- dwellers hurl themselves into the Sumida River to escape the flames.
Photos from the 1920's, taken after the earthquake, show Moga and Moba (modern girls and modern boys) jaunting through Ginza, Tokyo's premier shopping area. The young women have abandoned kimonos for flapper hats. A poster advertises the first subway line in Asia, connecting Ueno and Asakusa.
Dada
From Berlin, one of Germany's great satirists of the period, George Grosz, delighted in mocking authority. His 1926 painting ``The Pillars of Society'' portrays figures who were intent on undermining the Weimar Republic. A banker with brains of steaming turds waves the flag of imperial Germany, a judge welcomes rioting in the streets and a monocle-wearing Prussian officer, with a stein of beer and a swastika tie clip, dreams of lancers on horseback.
Dada, an artistic movement embracing irrationality and chaos, flourished in Berlin in the 1920s. Japanese artists living in Berlin introduced it to Tokyo as a movement called MAVO.
Still, the most surrealistic Japanese painting on display was done after the war, Kikuji Yamanutsa's 1953 ``The Tale of Akebono Village'' A man lies in a pool of blood, where fish swim happily as two dogs sporting school caps smile. An ashen-faced woman has hung herself while another dog hungrily licks her face.
National Roots
During World War II when the countries were closest politically, cultural exchange withered. The fascist ideology in both countries stressed nationalism, promoting myths of racial purity and denigrating artists who were inspired by other societies, even their war-time allies.
``During the fascist period, everything was political,'' says Angela Schneider, director of Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie and one of the exhibition's curators. ``In both countries, it was back to the national roots.''
Photos from the 1936 Berlin Olympics commemorate Hitler's failed attempt to demonstrate German racial superiority. From Japan, a massive painting displays a kamikaze pilot bringing down two enemy war planes.
There is a video of Berlin's postwar history. An old woman wanders through the ruins after the Soviet Army storms the city. East Berliners hurl paving stones at tanks in the June 17, 1953, uprising. The Berlin airlift staves off starvation in the embargoed city and John F. Kennedy declares himself a Berliner. The Wall goes up, the Wall comes down.
Michael Jackson
The last rooms are devoted to contemporary art from Berlin, including Candice Breitz's 2005 video: ``King -- a Portrait of Michael Jackson.'' Breitz, a South African who lives in Berlin, filmed Michael Jackson fans one by one, alone in a studio singing to music we can't hear. Shown together on 16 screens hanging in a row, they make up a chorus.
If you have ever sung to yourself in the bathroom mirror or made a fool of yourself in front of colleagues at karaoke, you'll love this piece. The singing and dancing ranges from terrible to pretty good to one crotch-grabbing Michael Jackson worshipper who could probably hold his own against his hero.
The exhibition is at the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills. It is on the 52nd floor and -- as a bonus -- you can walk through the observation deck, which gives you a wonderful view of Tokyo, particularly at night.
The exhibition runs through May 7. Tickets cost 1,500 yen. Call (03)-6406-6111 or go to the museum's Web site at www.mori.art.museum/html/eng/index.html.
To contact the reporter on this story: Bret Okeson in Tokyo at bokeson@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: February 13, 2006 20:50 EST
source: bloomberg.com
Enrico
