"Artists, film, pixels and chemicals" by Finnish artist, Jyri Kaasinen
Monday, January 16th, 19:00 - 21:00 *Booking required *Talk will be in English with consecutive translation

"Stubborn", 2007

AIT will host a talk by the current artist in resident, Jyri Kaasinen on Monday, Jan 16th.

Jyri Kaasinen is a Finnish media artist working mainly with photography, currently artist in resident with AIT through the support of FRAME and the Finnish Institute in Japan.

Over nearly ten years one of Jyri's projects has been capturing portraits of people who operate in the field of creative professions: artists, musicians, graphic designers and such. In his photos these individuals are often shown outside of their working identities or artist trademarks.
Never really leaving the house without a camera he's also able to capture "treasures of everyday life": details or views he finds in public spaces. He looks for a subjects of poetic quality that are able to evoke a story in the viewer's imagination within one frame.
His work is related to documentary and photojournalism, but he approaches the subject with artistic freedom to use any available photographic tool or post processing technique. In his talk he will also show some of his more experimental output.

The talk will be in English with consecutive Japanese translation by AIT staff.

2012-1- 6

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"Horror Vacui - Fear of Empty Spaces" by Swedish artist, Michael Johansson
Monday, December 5th 2011, 19:00 - 21:00 *Booking required

From left: Strolls through time and space, 2009 / Monochrome Anachron, 2008 / Self Contained, 2010 / Ghost II, 2009

AIT is happy to host a talk by the current artist in resident, Michael Johansson on Monday, Dec 5th.

Michael Johansson is the 2011 IASPIS artist in resident with AIT, staying in Tokyo for three months. Johansson's works are sculptural installations using everyday objects stacked in highly complex formations so that they become almost solid geometric forms, reminiscent of Minimalist sculpture. An avid collector of 'things', Johansson's art practice is intimately connected to his interest in place as a point of departure and research. Johansson has said that his dense sculptures and the city of Tokyo share a certain parallel in terms of being 'packed'. In this talk the artist will speak about his works using images. The title of the talk evokes a contrasting emotion to his interest in density.

The talk will be in English with consecutive Japanese translation by AIT staff.

2011-11-23

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AIT ARTIST TALK #54
Talk and Live Discussion with Canadian artist Ken Lum
Monday November 28th 19:00-20:30 *This talk will be in English only
Speaker：Ken Lum

Ken Lum "Cheeseburger" 2011

AIT will hold an artist talk by Ken Lum on 28th November.
He will mainly talk about his art making and works, which will be shown in Tokyo this winter.

Ken Lum is a Canadian artist of Chinese origin whose works in photography and installation have been exhibited across the world in many exhibitions, including Documenta XI (2002), Istanbul Biennale 2007 and Gwangju Biennale 2008. His approach may be considered conceptual and concerned with issues of portraiture and language. He has made large scale public art commissions in Canada and Europe and has also been involved in several curatorial projects including 'The Short Century', a 2001 exhibition curated by Okwui Enwezor. Lum co-founded the English language 'Yishu Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art' in 2000. Lum's diverse works share a questioning attitude to the systems and structures which shape our everyday world, manipulating advertising, business, consumer or traditional signs and visual forms. Lum served as advisor for AIT from 2001-2008.

Ken Lum's visual grammar to represent the constitution of identity in the face of the relentless forces of acculturation as played out in everyday lived experience will provide an opportunity to hear fresh insights and thoughts.
Please feel free to join us!

2011-11-17

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MINGLIUS WITH ARCUS Part 4 "Talks by 3 Artists from ARCUS Residence Program"
Monday November 21st, 19:00-22:00　*FREE ENTRY　*Mini Talks begin at 20:00
Venue: AIT room Daikanyama

From left: Wojciech Gilewicz（Poland）／Wai Keung Hui（Hong Kong）／Fazal Rizvi（Pakistan）

We welcome the 2011 artists in residence of ARCUS to make short presentations about their works and also hear from ARCUS Director, Mami Odai. The presentations will be translated consecutively into Japanese from English.

ARCUS Project was launched in 1995 by Ibaraki Prefectural Government as its main organizer. It mainly offers an artist-in-residence program as well as other programs such as exhibitions, workshops, lecture series, concerts and film screenings.
For its artist-in-residence program, ARCUS Project invites artists from all over the world through a public selection. ARCUS promotes each artist's activities by providing studio space, financial support, and opportunities to interact with the local community.

This year's artists in residence are:
・Wojciech Gilewicz (Born in 1974/Lives and works in: Poland）
・Wai Keung Hui ( Born in 1973/Lives and works in: Hong Kong）
・Fazal Rizvi ( Born in 1987/Lives and works in: Pakistan）

To know more about them, visit the ARCUS website!

At the event, there will be a bar, snacks, a relaxed sitting on the floor environment and music as usual.
We look forward to seeing you!

[OUTLINE]
Date: Monday November 21st, 2011
Time: 19:00-22:00, Mini Talks begin at 20:00
Venue: AIT room Daikanyama
Twin Bldg Daikanyama B403, 30-8 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0033 [ MAP ]
Admission: Free *No booking required

[CONTACT]
Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT]
T03-5489-7277 / F03-3780-0266
otoiawase@a-i-t.net

2011-11- 4

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Masumi Kawamura "Mirror Portraits"
An emerging photographer's works curated by graduates from AIT Curation Practice Course 2009
August 20, 2011 - August 31, 2011, 11:00-19:00, Closed on Sunday
Free admission
AIT room #B403 Twin Building, 30-8 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo [MAP]
Opening Reception: August 20, 2011, 18:00-20:00 (Artist talk: 19:00)

"Mirror Portraits"/Type C Print/variable size/ 2011

2011-8-17

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'Space, Image and the Image of Space'

Jakob Simonson was the IASPIS supported artist in resident for three months in 2010. Simonson lives and works in Malmo, Sweden.

Simonson's work extends the tradition and heritage of monochrome painting. Normally working in very specific situations, Simonson creates installation-like spaces with paintings which also act as walls or space dividers. Most of his paintings are composed of up to one hundred layers of transparent paint, taking many months to complete.

Simonson showed a large installation at The Moderna Museet Stockholm in 2010.

b. 1974, lives and works in Malmo, Sweden.

For more information please visit his website.

2010-12- 2

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'Tracing Wind and Waves - the Pencil of Natural Phenomenon'

Tuula Narhinen was artist in resident at AIT for two months with the support of FRAME and The Finnish INstitute in Japan. She was the fourth artist from Finland to be hosted by AIT.

Tuula's works cross the boundaries of installation, photography, biological research and tool-making. In several works she uses fundamental photographic techniques of tracing images onto photo-sensitive surfaces. In other works she has intervened into the wilderness in order to create 'drawings' with animals or with wave patterns. The resulting works are often shown together with their processual materials and instruments.

Tuula has exhibited her works in museums and galleries, including Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Finland and Gallery Sculptor, Finland.

Tuula worked on a new project in Japan called 'Bokeh', using kanji script and camera lenses.

For more information see her website.

2010-10-15

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'Space, Image and the Image of Space'

Artist Sonia Khurana gave a talk at AIT.

She was in Japan participating in the 2010 Aichi Triennale, Nagoya.

For more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Khurana

2010-8-26

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 AIT ARTIST TALK #46: " Using things the wrong way makes me feel better"

by Israeli Artist Ariel Schlesinger

Ariel Schlesinger is currently artist in resident with AIT in Tokyo,
supported by The Ishibashi Foundation. Born in Israel in 1980, Ariel lives
and works in Berlin.
 
Ariel makes works of exquisite detail and subtlety as sculptures and
installations. Ordinary objects or situations are altered by the addition of
an unexpected material or circumstance, creating small ruptures in the
fabric of our everyday reality. Alternating between the objects functions
such as in the bicycle work where the wheels of a bicycle are filled with
butane gas, which is slowly released as a flame from the wheel’s air intake.
Two pieces of white paper rotate against each other on a table without ever
collapsing in an eternal mechanical dance. Huge Oriental carpets are rolled
up and burnt over a fire for many hours, and then unfurled in the gallery as
an eerily mesmerizing ‘painting’ or process work. Ariel’s works suggest many
contexts and situations including the tensions of his native region, but
never dwell on this alone.
 
Ariel has shown in museums including De Appel Holland and The Museum of
Modern Art Warsaw as well as in several galleries in the U.S., Europe and
Israel.

Ariel will introduce his works using slides. The talk will be in English
with consecutive translation into Japanese.

[Biography]　
Ariel Schlesinger, born in Jerusalem, 1980 and lives and works in Berlin.
He has received awards from Künstlerhäuser Worpswede, Germany 2009, Cité
Internationale des Arts, Paris, 2007 and America Israel Cultural Foundation,
New York 2003-4, amongst others.

Selected solo exhibitions
2010: Galerija Gregor Podnar, Berlin(Germany)
2009: Dvir GALLERY, Tel-Aviv(Israel)
2008: Galerija Gregor Podnar, Berlin(Germany), “Togetherness” (with Jonathan Monk),
 Dvir GALLERY, Tel-Aviv(Israel)
Selected Group exhibitions
2010: “Christmas in July”, Gallery Yvon Lambert, New York(U.S.), “I'm Not Here.
An Exhibition Without Francis Alÿs”, De Appel Art Center, Amsterdam(Holland)
2009: “Magic Show”, Hayward Gallery, London(U.K.), touring exhibition, various venues
across U.K.,
Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw(Poland)
2008: “Can art do more?”, 5th Jerusalem Biennial and “Signs of Life”, Israel Museum,
Jerusalem(Israel)

[Weblinks]
・Galerija Gregor Podnar(Berlin)　
www.gregorpodnar.com/_index.php?p=p_78&sName=ariel-schlesinger
・Dvir GALLERY(Israel)　
www.dvirgallery.com/artists/artist_multimedia.asp?contentCatID=7&contentPageID=8&artistID=27

[Outline]
Date and Time: SAT, July 17 2010, 14:00 - 16:00
Organized by: Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT]/ Supported by: Ishibashi Foundation
Venue: AIT Room Daikanyama

2010-7-17

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AIT ARTIST TALK #45: "Journeys to the Memory of Place"
by British Artist Simon Starling

AIT will host a talk by the British artist Simon Starling on March 31st, starting 19:00.
This talk is supported by The Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, where Simon
Starling will hold a one person exhibition in 2011.

Simon Starling (b.1967) was the winner of The Turner Prize in 2005, and is currently in Japan
visiting Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo researching towards his exhibition next year.
 
Starling uses various research methods to draw out episodes and histories, exposing
the changing relationships, conflicts and mobility of culture.
His works manifest the passage of time and processes. This research based attitude
is perhaps similar to the anthropologist or explorer who journeys towards some truth.
In this talk Starling will introduce his works, which extend the horizons of the imagination
and contemporary art now.

【Outline】
Date and Time: Wed., March 31 2010, 19:00 - 21:00
Organized by: Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT]/ Supported by: The Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art
Venue: AIT Room Daikanyama 

2010-3-31

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