Latest Events in Tokyo(March Updated)

Johnny Depp will be holding his first immersive art exhibition in Japan, "A Bunch of Stuff - Tokyo," during his visit to Japan in November.The exhibition will showcase over 60 previously unpublished works and pieces from Depp's private collection, spanning more than 30 years of his career, allowing viewers to feel as if they are invited into his studio and experience his unique artistic atmosphere.

"Roppongi Crossing" is a series of exhibitions that Mori Art Museum has been holding since 2004 as a fixed-point observation exhibition that surveys the Japanese art scene once every three years. The exhibitions are planned by Mori Art Museum curators in collaboration with several guest curators, and Japanese artists are selected through the intersection of multiple perspectives. The series aims to be an exhibition that crosses creative activities by introducing not only contemporary art but also other genres such as architecture, fashion, and design, as well as veterans who have already made remarkable international achievements, as well as up-and-coming young artists. This exhibition, the eighth in the series, will look at Japanese art from an international perspective in collaboration with curators who are active in the global art scene based in Asia. While multiculturalism has progressed, the activities of artists are also influenced and changed, and new expressions are being created in today's world, where we face various frictions and divisions. We will reexamine the current state of Japanese art and its significance in a larger context.

The Kikuchi Biennale is an open ceramics exhibition held biennially since 2004 by the Kikuchi Art Foundation and the Kikuchi Kanji Memorial Museum (Friend), aiming to promote ceramic art. There are no restrictions on the eligibility or content of the works. This year's 11th Biennale received a record 452 submissions. After a first round of visual judging and a second round of art judging, 46 works were selected, including 5 winning entries. This exhibition brings together all selected works, showcasing ceramic pieces in various forms, from vessels to artworks, skillfully blending creativity and technique to demonstrate the current state of contemporary ceramic art.

Around the 17th century, the Ming Dynasty, ruled by the Han Chinese, declined, and the Manchus seized power. Amidst the turmoil of the late Ming and early Qing periods, literati, caught in different political positions and experiencing inner conflict and struggle, transformed their complex emotions into distinctive works of calligraphy and painting. This special exhibition will introduce the calligraphy and painting of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties from the perspectives of materials, forms, styles, and the artists' viewpoints. For literati in turbulent times, "dream" signified many meanings, including desires, fantasies, confusion, and illusion. Please explore the various manifestations of "dream" in calligraphy and painting.

This exhibition will allow you to enjoy a performance of the still-renowned masterpiece *Lady Macbeth*, as well as a young Tamasaburo Bando's performance in Yukio Mishima's *Modern Noh*. It will also explore the creative concepts behind Hiroo Kikai's representative work, *Masquerade*, and attempt to rediscover its charm.

Hiromasa Komatsu's special exhibition, "Touching the Sky | Touching the Sky," features artist Komatsu creating exquisite installations that use birds and feathers as motifs to transform lightness, dynamism, and light into space, focusing on the theme of "floating." After exploring the intersection of natural mechanisms and human technology, Komatsu turns his attention to the landscape itself. The exhibition is titled "Touching the Sky | Touching the Sky." When you interact with the works, the boundless outline of the sky subtly appears, seemingly within reach. Take a moment to pause at the heart of Shibuya SKY's landscape and experience Komatsu's long-standing pursuit of the "sense of the sky."

The Izu Oshima Camellia Festival is a major event on the island, where visitors can admire the camellias that adorn the entire island and experience the early arrival of spring. This year marks the 71st edition of the festival. Continuing its more than 70-year history, this year's festival will showcase the unique charm of Izu Oshima, closely intertwined with camellias, through a variety of activities. Like the previous year, the theme of this year's event is "Camellias and the Natural Environment." When the camellias bloom in profusion, the entire island comes alive with vitality, and people are filled with joy. This heartfelt joy and excitement is the essence of the island's nickname, "Dancing Island." During the Camellia Festival, you can participate in various activities and experiences throughout the island and feel the vibrant, dancing atmosphere of spring on Izu Oshima.

Japanese families celebrate Doll Festival on March 3rd, praying for their daughters' health and happiness. This festival originates from an ancient ritual where sins and spiritual impurities were transferred to dolls, which were then thrown into a river. During the festival, every household displays exquisite dolls called "Hina," miniature depictions of aristocratic wedding scenes. These Hina dolls were extremely popular during the Edo period (1603-1868) and were loved by people from all social classes. This exhibition showcases historical dolls from the Edo period and beyond, demonstrating the Japanese tradition of appreciating small, exquisite, and well-crafted objects.

The history and culture of Japan and South Korea complement each other deeply due to their profound ties. As representative national museums of their respective countries, the two museums signed an academic exchange agreement in 2002, further deepening their mutual understanding. Over the past two decades, the two museums have conducted numerous exchange activities, including mutual visits by researchers, joint research, and art loans. This exhibition is one of the fruits of these exchanges, showcasing the essence of Korean art through the artistic treasures in both museums' collections.

This exhibition focuses on British art from the late 1980s to the early 21st century. The tense atmosphere of British society after the Thatcher era (1979-1990) gave rise to a group of artists who questioned existing artistic frameworks and experimented with the creation and presentation of their works. The Young British Artists (YBAs) and their contemporaries created original works exploring themes such as popular culture, personal narratives, and social structural changes, employing a variety of media including painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installation. Through nearly one hundred works by approximately 60 artists, the exhibition showcases the trajectory of innovative British art in the 1990s.