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Wonderment Noe Aoki / Ritsue Mishima

Dates

Saturday, November 30, 2024 - Sunday, February 16, 2025

Hours

10AM 6PM

(Last admission at 17:30) November 30, December 6, 7 opening until 20:00 (Last admission at 19:30)
Venue
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building & Annex
Closed
Closed every Monday
Online reservation is recommended for the exhibition.
Exhibition admission
Admission Tickets
Adults Group
Adults ¥1,400 ¥1,120
University students(Vocational students) ¥1,120 ¥890
Middle & high school students ¥700 ¥560
65 and above ¥700 ¥560

From streams of sunlight to the gentle warmth of places basked in the light of day, and moonlight shining through the darkness, we encounter various kinds of light over the course of our lives.

In this exhibition, Noe Aoki and Ritsue Mishima, two artists who continue to be active at the forefront of contemporary art, present their work throughout the museum, shedding light on its Art Deco interior from a new perspective.

Aoki has opened up new horizons of expressions with her sculptures that draw lines in space using iron, while Mishima captures the energy of the space and transforms it into light through her colorless, transparent glass works.

The materials of “iron” and “glass,” which the two artists respectively use in the production of their work, are not only blessings of nature that have been passed down through the ages, but are also employed extensively in the decoration of the Former Residence of Prince Asaka, which serves as the venue for the exhibition, including its chandeliers, reliefs, and the tympanums above the doors. The artists visited the site on many occasions and engaged in a repeated dialogue with the building’s 1930s decorative interior to bring together a remarkably unique, once-in-a-lifetime installation plan.

Noe Aoki and Ritsue Mishima, who both use fire in their creations, breathe life into materials through blazing, luminous flames. The forms they produce, imbued with this primitive power, evoke the energy and cycles of nature, bringing wonderment and awareness to those who view them, and enveloping the world around us in a new light.

1.A large-scale installation by two artists who harbor special connections to light

Two artists, who continue to be active at the forefront of contemporary art, have prepared works especially for this occasion to bring together a remarkably unique exhibition.
Noe Aoki has consistently worked with the heavy material of iron, drawing various inspirations from the “transparent light” that appears from within when iron is melted in the process of fusion cutting. Meanwhile, Ritsue Mishima has attempted to depict the “outline of light” through her glass works, focusing on the expressions of light that surround us.
Although the two artists have different attitudes and approaches towards light, their works, both conceived through profound contemplation, unfold across spaces exquisitely imbued with a rich array of shadows and reflections. The museum is filled with natural sunlight during the day and is illuminated after dusk by its warm interior lighting. We welcome viewers to enjoy the installation whose appearance and impression changes with time and season.

2.“Iron” and “glass,” resonating with one another beyond time in this palace of Art Deco

Prince Asaka and his wife Princess Nobuko, the first residents of what is now the main building of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, were fascinated by the beauty of the Art Deco style that they came across in France, and incorporated its essence into their own home which was completed in 1933. This indeed is the Residence of Prince Asaka, which serves as the setting for this exhibition. In the richly decorative space of the Residence of Prince Asaka, where a variety of materials are used in the interior of each room, the two materials which in particular eloquently express the essence of Art Deco design, are iron and glass.
Noe Aoki and Ritsue Mishima install their iron works and glass works by themselves in the historical decorative spaces designed by French artists such as René Lalique and Raymond Subes, giving rise to a special collaboration that transcends time.

3.Introducing the current work and practice of the two artists

The exhibition also presents a selection of new works that have recently been produced. Additionally featured, are interviews with the artists recorded in correspondence to the exhibition, photographic images taken by the artists themselves, as well video footage and other materials that shed light on processes by which they produce their work. What thoughts currently permeate the minds of these two artists who live in our same day and age, and what is it that captures their gaze? The exhibition attempts to convey the breath of creativity through the eyes of these two artists in their everyday lives.

4.Related programs that serve to deepen encounters with the artworks and generate dialogue

A variety of programs for engaging in dialogues about light and place will be organized, including a talk by the two artists regarding their artworks in the exhibition (February 15, 2025), gallery talks by the exhibition staff introducing the appeal of the works, “Philosophical Dialogue” to view the works and slowly contemplate on light (December 22, 2024), and “Touch and Chat Art Time” which provides a more physical viewing experience by inviting visitors to touch some of the artworks (February 1, 2025). We welcome visitors to join us for such opportunities to share words and thoughts that emerge from scenes that can only be encountered here and now.

  • (Referential image) Noe Aoki, mijin (microcrystal), 2020, gallery21yo-j, Tokyo, installation view ©Noe Aoki, courtesy of ANOMALY (photo: Tadasu Yamamoto)

    Noe Aoki, mijin (microcrystal), 2020, gallery21yo-j, Tokyo, installation view ©Noe Aoki, courtesy of ANOMALY (photo: Tadasu Yamamoto)
  • Ritsue Mishima, VENERE, 2023, UESHIMA MUSEUM COLLECTION (photo: Francesco Barasciutti)

    Ritsue Mishima, VENERE, 2023, UESHIMA MUSEUM COLLECTION (photo: Francesco Barasciutti)
  • (Referential image) Noe Aoki, hikari no hashiraⅠ (pillars of lightⅠ), 2023, Ichihara Lakeside Museum, Chiba, installation view ©Noe Aoki, courtesy of ANOMALY (photo: Tadasu Yamamoto)

    Noe Aoki, hikari no hashira Ⅰ (pillars of light Ⅰ), 2023, Ichihara Lakeside Museum, Chiba, installation view ©Noe Aoki, courtesy of ANOMALY (photo: Tadasu Yamamoto)
  • (Referential image) Ritsue Mishima, FONDO DI LUCE, 2022 (photo: Ristue Mishima)

    Ritsue Mishima, FONDO DI LUCE, 2022 (photo: Ritsue Mishima)
  • (Referential image) Noe Aoki, modoru mizu, 2023, gallery21yo-j, Tokyo, installation view ©Noe Aoki, courtesy of ANOMALY (photo: Tadasu Yamamoto)

    Noe Aoki, modoru mizu, 2023, gallery21yo-j, Tokyo, installation view ©Noe Aoki, courtesy of ANOMALY (photo: Tadasu Yamamoto)
  • (Referential image) Ritsue Mishima, INFINITO, 2022 ©Ritsue Mishima, courtesy of ShugoArts (photo: Francesco Barasciutti)

    Ritsue Mishima, INFINITO, 2022 ©Ritsue Mishima, courtesy of ShugoArts (photo: Francesco Barasciutti)
  • (Referential image) Noe Aoki, tateyama 2020-9, 2020 ©Noe Aoki, courtesy of ANOMALY (photo: Ichiro Mishima)

    (Referential image) Noe Aoki, tateyama 2020-9, 2020 ©Noe Aoki, courtesy of ANOMALY (photo: Ichiro Mishima)
  • (Referential image) Ritsue Mishima, MONDO, 2023 ©Ritsue Mishima, courtesy of ShugoArts (photo: Shigeo Muto)

    (Referential image) Ritsue Mishima, MONDO, 2023 ©Ritsue Mishima, courtesy of ShugoArts (photo: Shigeo Muto)

Exhibition Title
Wonderment Noe Aoki / Ritsue Mishima
Dates
Saturday, November 30, 2024 - Sunday, February 16, 2025
Venue

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building & Annex
5-21-9, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel 050-5541-8600

Closed
Closed every Monday
Opening times
10:00 - 18:00(Last admission at 17:30)
  • November 30, December 6, 7 opening until 20:00 (Last admission at 19:30)
Exhibition admission
Adults ¥1,400 (¥1,120)
University students ¥1,120 (¥890)
Middle & high school students ¥700 (¥560)
65 and above ¥700 (¥560)
  1. Figures in parentheses are group admission fees (for groups of 20 or more)

  2. Admission is free for elementary and younger students and for middle school students residing in or attending school in Tokyo.

  3. Admission is free for visitors (and two accompanying persons) with a Physical Disability Certificate, Intellectual Disability Certificate, Rehabilitation Certificate, Mental Disability Certificate, or Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate.

  4. Admission is free for teacher-led educational visits by Tokyo primary, junior high, and high school students.

  5. Admission is free for seniors (65 and above) on the third Wednesday of each month.

  6. Advance reservations and purchase of tickets online are required on January 22 , 29, 2025 for the “G(ALL)ERY Day”

Organized by
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
With the co-sponsorship of
Shiseido Co., Ltd.
With the annual co-sponsorship of
Toda Corporation, Bloomberg L.P., Van Cleef & Arpels

  • Portrait of Noe Aoki
    Portrait of Noe Aoki (photo: Shuhei Tonami)

    Noe Aoki

    Born in Tokyo in 1958, and currently lives and works in Saitama.
    Completed a Master’s degree at Musashino Art University (major: sculpture) in 1983.

    Noe Aoki has consistently created abstract sculptures using iron as a material since the beginning of her artistic career. Aoki melts industrial iron plates to cut out lines and circles, and skillfully connects the parts together to create works of art that correspond to and cohesively integrate the exhibition space and the location. She has also produced works that combine iron with different materials glass and soap.
    Despite using the heavy material of iron, her works have a light and almost weightless feel, and are described as being like drawings in space. She often gives her works titles that evoke the workings of nature, and through her installations that manifest on site, creates scenes that convey a certain sense of life, of change and proliferation.

    In Tokyo, Aoki’s sculpture is permanently installed outside Nippon Life Hamamatsucho Crea Tower and other locations.
  • Portrait of Ritsue Mishima (photo: Francesco Barasciutti)
    Portrait of Ristue Mishima (photo: Francesco Barasciutti)

    Ritsue Mishima

    Born in Kyoto in 1962 and has lived and worked in Venice since 1989.
    Since 2011, has also been based in Kyoto, living and working in both Italy and Japan.

    Ritsue Mishima produces works in collaboration with glass artisans at a studio on the Venetian island of Murano, where traditional glassmaking techniques have been handed down for millennia. Focusing on colorless, transparent glass, she has created works with organic forms that depict the outline of light. She often exhibits her works in old buildings with tradition, and receives much acclaim for her installations that are conscious of the characteristics of the space in which they are presented. Mishima's works have the power to capture the energy of the place that they inhabit and amplify it through the form and luster of the glass, transforming the surrounding atmosphere.

    In Tokyo, Mishima’s glass works are permanently installed in the atrium space of Coredo Muromachi Terrace and other locations.

Photography is allowed in both the main building and annex during this exhibition.
Please follow the rules below and listen to the instructions of staff when taking photos.

  1. Please refrain from any activity that may disturb others.
  2. Please do not use flash, reflectors, tripods, selfie sticks, or telephoto lenses.
  3. Staff may ask you to refrain from taking photographs due to safety concerns.
  4. Please refrain from taking video.
  5. To avoid the risk of dropping equipment or damaging objects, please do not take photographs from above objects, or lean your body when taking photographs.
  6. Photography is permitted for personal, non-commercial use only. Commercial photography requires advance application.
  7. Please be aware that posting photos on social networking sites may violate the portrait rights of other visitors.
  8. Please refrain from taking photographs for portrait purposes.
  9. Actions that could damage artworks or the building are prohibited.

Leisurely Art Encounters (G(ALL)ERY Day)

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

More details

Leisurely Art Encounters (G(ALL)ERY Day)

Baby Hours (G(ALL)ERY Day)

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

More details

Baby Hours (G(ALL)ERY Day)