Robert Voit confronts the viewer with an unaltered perspective of the Japanese world, which makes him come back to this country again and again. The contrast between the technologically overloaded everyday life, the cemented landscapes and the instinctive longing of the people for a slice of nature, manifested in artificial greens and painted flowers everywhere, the loneliness of the individual who tries to establish contact with her environment and her surroundings via the display of her mobile phone, are all subjects of Robert Voits „SMILE JAPAN 1997 – 2013“ photographic retrospective. Robert Voit avoids seeing and documenting Japan through the biased view of the moralist and civilisation critic. He shows respect for the socio-political changes of his guest country, its special geographic, economic, demographic and geopolitical challenges that have never been discussed with the outside world but kept within for internal problem solving.

Micheko Gallery also shows a selection of Robert Voit’s latest work from the Sendai region and Fukushima, which he explored in winter 2012 and spring 2013. We will create a special section at the gallery where the visitor will be confronted directly with the efforts of the local population to deal with the triple catastrophe that has hit them in March 2011 and to recreate some kind of normality.

I met Professor Künzli in Tokyo for the first time, when he gave his workshop at Hiko Mizuno college of jewelry in 2003. I had been working as a lecturer at that school for five years. He was already one of the most famous and established artists in the contemporary jewelry world. I attended his lecture and saw some of his works. Then I was simply very interested in the contemporary jewelry scene in Europe, especially in Germany, where professor Künzli was teaching. I showed him some of my works and told him my interest in the Munich Academy of Fine Arts and the professor decided to take me as a guest student for one year. When I was in Japan, I thought that one year would be long enough to learn something, but it was totally different in reality. Of course I also had a big problems with language, foods, the local customs, a new life in a foreign country, etc.. Everything was much more difficult and tough than I had thought in Japan before, but also everything became more positively challenging day by day. The first half year passed by too quickly. One day I suddenly realized that I haven’t accomplished anything and I was upset. That was when I decided to complete my studies at the Academy in professor Künzli’s class.

Did your German/European experience change your approach to creating jewelry?

Yes and No. I saw many “real” pieces in Germany or in Europe, which I had seen only in books in Japan before. Sometimes they are much more wonderful than I saw in photos, but some of them were worse than I expected. In the meanwhile I realized the power of photography. I also realized that it is dangerous to rely on photos too much and to neglect the quality of the real pieces.
Through my life at the Academy I’ve learned “who I can ultimately trust is only myself.”
But I’m not complaining at all. Luckily, I met many talented colleagues and had opportunities to hear their opinions or to experience their point of views. They are always fresh for me, but after all, my creativity comes always only from inside of myself but not from the outside environment. It is like in „Chasing Happiness: Maurice Maeterlinck, the Blue Bird and England“ by Jane Munro. Creating is often lonely labor, although I have many friends or colleagues around me. Fortunately, as long as I have my working bench and tools, I can keep creating my pieces anywhere.

Most of your jewelry includes details that are not so obvious initially to the viewer. Your works need close attention and work much with the Japanese concept of unpretenciousness opposed to the usual ostentatious presence of conventional jewelry that usually uses precious metals and precious stones. Do you think that women, in Europe and in Japan, are ready to wear jewelry that does not reveal at first sight its actual value?

I think that the Japanese market is still dominated by so-called “brand jewelry”. People trust only in the value of the material (gold, diamond etc) or in the brand name, but not much in artist’s idea or design. Last several years, a few new young gallerists have become outstanding, and the situation in Japan is slowly changing. Some of young generation are shifting their interest to the contemporary jewelry. But I think one of the biggest problems in Japan is “absence of collectors.”

How many of your jewelry pieces could be worn by men too, in your opinion? Do you keep in mind a male audience too, when you create your jewelry?

I often get such questions and suggestions. Actually I’ve never thought of this point, because I have always put my priority in creativity. But somehow some of my pieces, especially brooches, are favored by men. In fact, jewelry items for men are limited. Actually ring, necklace, earring are not very easy to wear, but brooch or wedding ring are only exceptional. It could be interesting to focus on jewelry for men for the next theme.

Is there no contradiction that jewelry artists call themselves artists and graduate from art academies but do not want to see their work being handled like other art forms, like sculptures or paintings? Why do jewelry artists limit their own work to just wearable art?

Now I would like not to refer to other jewelry artists but only to me. Your question could be a question to Haiku authors ” Look, there are so many ways to write, like free verse, novel, etc… But why on earth do you use only 17 words (5/7/5.) and limit your possibility? Isn’t it inconvenient? ” Haiku authors dare to choose the form of 5/7/5 and they compress infinite images into such short sentences.  And if you know the rule and the form of Haiku, you can more enjoy and interpret the author’s emotion. Actually I’m also interested in other art fields (painting, sculpture, photography, etc…), but I dare to choose jewelry. One reason is I have technique of making jewelry, and its size controllable by myself suits me. And I think that the jewelry is the interesting existence that can mediate communication of people. The limited way to express my creativity is not really bad but actually challenging.

How important is your choice of material for your creations?

Because of my technical ability, I often use metals, especially silver. Sometimes I simply enjoy using them. But actually I have no limit in my choice. If my idea fits certain materials, I never hesitate to use them. For example, I have recently made “wine leaf” brooches out of wine bottles. The most important thing is, “Materials must naturally fit to my ideas.”

Since 2011 you live in Milan. Is your daily life in Italy’s fashion and design capital having an influence on the way you look at your art?

To tell you the truth, actually I’m not a very going out type person. I feel happy when I work at my bench, read books quietly, play with my cat at home. In Tokyo, in Munich, or in Milan, I guess I would spend my time almost similarly. But of course there are so many “must-see” great things and Milan is a Mecca of fashion. I can’t ignore that. Maybe I must slowly check the scene around me and take a small step into their field. Anyway, food is just wonderful and I really enjoy Italian cuisine. I only miss German beer!

If someone would ask you to do a special jewelry for her or him, would you work on commission? What information would you need to create something that fits your customer’s personality and taste?

Yes, I will do that. If the customer would get an inspiration from my works and order something to me, it also could be an interesting experience for me and I’m open to hear their ideas or images.

Dear friends of Micheko Gallery,

Visit us at NIGHT ART 2013 on Saturday, 11th May 2013. Most galleries of contemporary art in Munich will be open for you from 11am till 11pm.

Our present exhibition “WAS IT A CAT I SAW?” with art jewelry by Akiko Kurihara and sculptures by Go Segawa will end on Saturday, 18th May 2013 at 4pm.

We have prepared a special event, exclusive for NIGHT ART 2013. Three art students and one artist will interpret SUMI-E, Japanese ink painting, on a “long T-shirt” by MOMA LI the label of Munich based fashion designer Monika Liebetanz. We will prepare four very special changing cubicles for you. You will have a lot of fun!

At 6pm Monica Liebetanz will introduce the young artists and their works. We look forward to seeing you!

Every year in March Munich becomes the central meeting point for the international jewelry art scene. In 2013 from 6th till 12th March, jewelry artists, collectors, jewelry art students and professors from from all over the world will meet to admire and discuss the most recent works of the world’s best jewelry artists.

In the past two years Micheko Gallery has had the pleasure to host for the duration of the „Schmuck“-days the jewelry art of Japanese artists combined with other media like photography or woodblock carvings. This year Micheko is delighted to present Akiko Kurihara for an extended exhibition of her most recent jewelry concepts in combination with the foldable sculptures by Go Segawa.

The apparently odd title of the exhibition, „WAS IT A CAT I SAW?“, a palindrome goes well with the works by Akiko Kurihara and Go Segawa. The subconscious sometimes plays tricks on our perceptions.

The three-dimensional works by Go Segawa are composed by thin polyester foils. On each foil Segawa adds colour or draws a line on a two-dimensional level. Once these foils are being assembled they materialize as three-dimensional sculptures. But is the artist’s work really three-dimensional or is our mind being deceived?

One of the most recent jewelry works by Akiko Kurihara is called „human chain“. This necklace challenges the need for human relationships. On first impression this necklace seems to be made of thorns or barbed wire. On second look the elements of this work of jewelry are made of little human figurines. Is it that we shouldn’t ask for too much human warmth and closeness after all? Are our innermost needs just an illusion?

Akiko Kurihara’s concept behind her recent jewelry art is based on mathematical truths. One of her necklaces visualizes the precise distance between the earth and the moon as well as the respective volumes of the two planets. Mathematics can be transfigured so beautifully into jewelry art.

Akiko Kurihara’s works are more than just jewelry. The concept behind her works is influenced by the Japanese haiku, an ancient form of short form poetry, which is still very popular nowadays. Her jewelry is of depth and timelessness, which makes it into wearable art, equal to all other art forms that are playing a role in today’s art world. Go Segawa goes the opposite way with his foldable sculptures. Usually heavy and not made for frequent location changes, sculptures as art form are transformed by Segawa into something light and playful. Folded and stored in a flat envelope it can be carried anywhere and anytime.

about Akiko Kurihara

Born in 1975 in Sapporo, Japan. A jewelry artist since about 15 years, she has created a multitude of works made of various materials. All her works have in common that it provoces surprise and smiling faces. Akiko Kurihara says about her work: „I expect that humor in my work would connect me to a person wearing my piece, as well as to people seeing the piece.“

about Go Segawa

Born in 1970 in Saitama, Japan. Segawa lives near Paris and dedicates his art to the creation of his portable sculptures.

• 07 March 2013 – 18 May 2013: AKIKO KURIHARA & GO SEGAWA, „WAS IT A CAT I SAW?“, new Jewelry and Sculptures to go
• 07 June- 27 Juli 2013: ROBERT VOIT, Photographs
• 02 August – 14 September 2013: Group Exhibition with Artists of our Gallery
• 20 September – 16 November 2013: Group Exhibition with KUMI YAMASHITA, FUCO UEDA, MARI INUKAI, KEIKO MASUMOTO, YUKO TAKATSUDO, „Kizuna/Relationships”

Micheko Gallery guarantees you a cultural experience that stands out. We look forward to seing you at our openings.

_________________

ON OUR OWN ACCOUNT: Our success as a gallery does heavily depend on making ourself known and more visible. It is not sufficient to have a good concept, outstanding artists and exhibitions as well as a lot of advertising money. Only word-of-mouth recommendations are really useful. Should you be of the opinion that we at Micheko Gallery are doing a job that deserves being recommended, then please let your friends, acquaintances and work colleagues know. Thank you so much for your continued support! It will help you to gain lots of good karma points too!

During the year end season many of you may have some leisure time to remember some of the art that you ma have seen at one of our exhibitions or at one of the art fairs that we attended. Maybe it has not been sold yet and you would like to buy it. Have a look around on our website to discover our artist’s works.

We are still open until 22 December 2012. After that you can arrange a visit on appointment till 7 January 2013. From 8 till 21 January 2013 our gallery will remain closed while we travel to Japan to meet our artists, hold speeches and discover new talents for you. From 22 January we will open again regularly for you. Don’t forget our present exhibition “Time Travels” – B/W-photography by Hiroshi Watanabe until 2 March 2013.

Best wishes,

Keiko Tanaka & Michele Vitucci

Micheko Gallery presents „Time Travels“, a cross section of his B/W-photographs. Timelessness is what connects Watanabe’s photographic work. The viewer cannot easily put a time on his images. These photographs convey an ageless moment in life that unites the past and the present and brings us in touch with our history.

What motivates Hiroshi Watanabe is best described by himself: „I go to places that captivate and intrigue me. I am interested in what humans do. I seek to capture people, traditions, and locales that first and foremost are of personal interest. I immerse myself with information on the places prior to leaving, but I try to avoid firm, preconceived ideas. I strive for both calculation and discovery in my work, keeping my mind open for surprises. At times, I envision images I’d like to capture, but when I actually look through the viewfinder, my mind goes blank and I photograph whatever catches my eye. Photographs I return with are usually different from my original concepts. My photographs reflect both genuine interest in my subject as well as a respect for the element of serendipity, while other times I seek pure beauty. The pure enjoyment of this process drives and inspires me. I believe there’s a thread that connects all of my work — my personal vision of the world as a whole. I make every effort to be a faithful visual recorder of the world around me, a world in flux that, at very least in my mind, deserves preservation.“

Hiroshi Watanabe, born in 1951 in Sapporo, Japan, graduated in 1975 from the Department of Photography at Nihon University in Tokyo. Watanabe is an internationally renowned photographer and author of ten photo books. His works are< in the permanent collections of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Texas, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, Rochester, New Jersey, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California and at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California.

This is the artist’s first solo exhibition in Europe where a small cross section of Risa Fukui’s
creative work can be seen at Micheko Gallery from 28 September till 24 November 2012.

Risa Fukui, born 1975 and a paper cutout artist from Tokyo, has helped to make the transition for paper cutout art into the 21st century. The complexity and perfection of her work has little to do with the relatively simple cutting tecniques of earlier paper cutout works.

Risa Fukui about her work: „In „cutting“ a „picture“, the most important thing for me is life force. I cut into the paper and shape the image as if I were infusing life into each line, as if I were carving out my own life. We are born into the world, nurtured, grow up, and by raising our own children bring forth a new generation. Living is hard and scary. Life is ephemeral. But in life is found great power and beauty. At life’s essence is an eduring truth that cannot be expressed in words. This is what I endeavor to cut into physical form.“

Risa Fukui’s world gets inspiration by Japan’s rich treasure of myths and legends as well as from the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. The artist shows us creatures, which we see rather seldom as subjects of art: hyenas, wolves, toads and other rather unpopular animals as well as old or uncommon people.
Fukui’s art in Japanese is called „kii e“, paper cutout silhouettes, but what Fukui really creates are „kiri ga“, paper cutout paintings.

The artist is very well known and popular in Japan. A museum in her native city of Shizuoka, near mount Fuji, has recently dedicated her comprehensive work show. In nearly five weeks of the duration oft he exhibition, more than 6,000 visitors came to see her works. Many japanese fashion labels work with Fukui. Her designs can be seen on clothes, shoes, kimonos, book covers and even cars. Recently Risa Fukui has created paper cutout animations with her own storyline.

Micheko Gallery is showing a small cross section of Risa Fukui’s extensive creative work for the first time in a solo exhibition in Europe. Her works have previously only been exhibited in group shows outside of Japan.

During the coming weekend we will start the new art season together with our fellow galleries. OPEN ARTruns from 14. till 16. September and is the highlight of the Munich art gallery scene. More info at www.openart.biz.

We show Tomohide Ikeya’s latest photographic works. We look forward to seeing you!

We are open

• on 14th September from 3pm till 9pm
• and on 15th and 16th September from 11am till 6pm.

Without any additional comments we would like to invite you to enjoy this video:

New photographs from Tomohide Ikeya’s series “Breath” and “Moon” can be seen at his new solo exhibition at Micheko Gallery from 22 June till 22 September 2012.

Leeloo #01,2011, © Tomohide Ikeya/courtesy Micheko Galerie

Micheko is delighted to present new works by fine art photographer Tomohide Ikeya. The Japanese artist has continued to work very hard since his very successful exhibition at Micheko Gallery in the summer of 2010 and has now added stunning new photographs to his series „Breath“ and „Moon“.

Ikeya cultivates his passion for the sea and scuba diving. His personal photo projects are all connected to the (under)water world in a metaphorical sense. Ikeya photographs his models in „butoh“-dance postures or, more death like, semi-immersed in dark waters, where life embraces death.

Ikeya’s concept behind his work cycle „Breath“ is based on water as the element that donates life and energy. But too much of it turns the blessings we get from it into death and destruction. We realize how short the time is that we can manage without breathing and ultimately, how little control we actually have over the essential things in life. Tomohide Ikeya visualizes the essential strength of this element in his very own and visually challenging ways.

Ikeya’s work cycle “Moon”, which he elaborates alongside with “Breath”, has at first an unsettling effect on the viewer. Despite all aesthetic aspects of these photographs, the models are as pale as drowned corpses, discovered and documented after that the dark Tsunami has released them from his deadly grip. Here too Ikeya dedicates his work to the aesthetics of death and fugacity.

Ikeya writes about “Moon”:

The gravitational force of the moon creates high and low tide and has pushed evolution to begin. The sun symbolises „the birth of life“ and the moon means „rhythm of life“. Without the moon there would be no evolution.

 When the moon shines at night, life and death blend in. The night has its role assigned by the universe. When the moon quietly shines over the sea, all life embraces the eternal course of time. Time cannot be disturbed or manipulated.

Hair, which remains long after a body has died and turned to dust, veils a body under the moonlight. In my work cycle, „Moon“ symbolises the human desire for life and hair represents the continuation of life beyond death.

Even though Ikeya had started “Moon” quite some time before the tragic earthquake and tsunami of March 11^th, 2011, his images receive a new meaning in view of this catastrophe that has fundamentally stirred and changed Japan’s society.

Kathmandu 2012 © Thomas Kalak 2012

We would like to invite you to the artist talk with Thomas Kalak on Saturday, 16 June 2012 at 4pm at our gallery.

Thomas Kalak will dedicate his artist talk to the ever valid subject of authenticity in photography. Based on a photographic experiment made by Thomas Kalak during a trip to Kathmandu in early 2012, Kalak attempts a different approach to this subject and looks forward to a lively discussion.

Thomas Kalak is a fine art photographer and book author who feels particularly at home in Asia. His photo book “Same same, but different” from 2008, unfortunately out of print, shows Kalak’s talent to the the “invisible”, usually overlooked, in the streets of Bangkok. The Kunstmuseum Pablo Picasso in Münster, Germany, dedicated Kalak a solo show in 2011 entitled “Bangkok Cable Ways”.

There is limited availability of seats. Please reserve your seat by 13 June 2012 calling us at +49 89 3816 9388 or sending us an email at contact@micheko.com.

Toshio Enomoto, born 1947 in Tokyo, belongs to the generation of Japanese after-WWII-photographers such as Shomei Tomatsu or Imei Suda, just to mention two of the most prominent representatives. We would stretch this blog a bit too much if we would write extensively about Enomoto’s complete photographic oeuvre so far, so we will concentrate our post on Enomoto’s visual language and its effects on our western viewing habits.

The difference between Japanese and Western viewers in interpreting what is seen is particularly accentuated in his Sakura pictures of his series “Kagirohi” (which roughly means “light shortly before dawn”). Our western eyes interprets the cherry blossoms as a symbol of new life, the awakening of nature after a long winter. We enjoy the blossoming of the cherry trees and the remaining flora and wish for a possibly long, warm and sunny spring. Japanese people on the other hand celebrate “hanami”, the viewing of the falling cherry blossoms”. This means that they enjoy the ephemeral beauty of the white or pink cherry blossoms while they are falling to the ground, while they die. This reminds them of the limited time all living things have on earth.

A new beginning versus the ephemeral, two completely different views of the same spectacle of nature.

Despite the apparent opulence of his sakura pictures, Toshio Enomoto reduces the view purely on the essential. Like in all Japanese art forms, the principle of “Perfection through Reduction”. His pictures of the world of Maikos and Geishas in Kyoto seem to reflect a certain familiarity in our in visual memory. On the surface we recall the cliché pictures that we would spontaneously associate with Japan, would we be asked and had no time to reflect. At a second look though, we realize that Enomoto is not serving us with our own cliché about Japan. On the opposite, his photographs allow us a deep glimpse into the collective Japanese soul, in a way that only a Japanese photographer can fix with his camera and that remains mostly inaccessible to our western eyes and minds.

Enomoto’s works have been shown before in a solo exhibition in the Netherlands. At Micheko we showed some of his Sakura b/w-photographs in our theme-exhibition “Sakura” in 2011.

Micheko brings contemporary art from Japan to the French Riviera. The Easter weekend is one of the loveliest times of the year to spend some time in Monte Carlo and nearby. Micheko will spend these days under the neon lights of the Grimaldi Forum at the 3rd ART MONACO, which is establishing itself as a regional art fair. Come visit us from April 5th till April 8th. On request we will send you a free entry ticket.

Micheko will add to this extraordinary event, with two special events:

from 12am till 6pm Keiko Tanaka will introduce interestes visitors to MONKIRIGATA, Japanese cutout art. You will learn to create beautiful and decorative patterns, which can be used in many different ways. Unfortunately Monkirigata is not yet for younger children. We will admit only participants from 15 years of age.

from 7pm till 8pm Japanese drummers of the group TAMPOPO will rock visitors with their beats. Nobody will stay still at their beats. That’s a promise.

Come visit us at NIGHT ART 2012. For more information visit the NIGH ART website.

• Extended till 04 February 2012: KATSUMI HAYAKAWA with his amazing sculptural paper landscapes - “PAPER WORKS: NEW HORIZONS”
• 08 February till 07 April 2012: KENICHI YOKONO, woodblocks and prints that address the “Horror Pop” of contemporary Japanese culture: “JAPAN WONDERLAND EXPLOSION”
• 14 March till 18 March 2012: AKIKO KURIHARA & MARI IWAMOTO: new approaches to Jewelery design, presented unter the (still) mysterious title“151″
• 13 April till 16 June 2012: TOSHIO ENOMOTO, B/W-photographs from his book ”KAGIROHI” from 2008, and a selection of new works
• 22 June till 22 September 2012: TOMOHIDE IKEYA, new photographs, new series: “BREATH, WAVE, MOON“
• 28 September till 24. November 2012: RISA FUKUI, papercut art: “KIRI GA”
• 30 November till 02 March 2013: HIROSHI WATANABE, B/W-photographs, pure poetry that sends the viewer on a time travel: ”TIME TRAVELS – 時間旅行”

Micheko Gallery guarantees you a cultural experience that stands out. We look forward to seing you at our openings.

_________________

ON OUR OWN ACCOUNT: Our success as a gallery does heavily depend on making ourself known and more visible. It is not sufficient to have a good concept, outstanding artists and exhibitions as well as a lot of advertising money. Only word-of-mouth recommendations are really useful. Should you be of the opinion that we at Micheko Gallery are doing a job that deserves being recommended, then please let your friends, acquaintances and work colleagues know. Thank you so much for your continued support! It will help you to gain lots of good karma points too!

Kenichi Yokono dedicates his work to Japanese Manga culture and uses traditional woodblock carving methods to create works that incorporate manga, anime, horror movies and other stereotypes of the Japanese Pop culture. The results are icons of (more or less) subtle cruelty and threat, which contrast the sugar sweet, doe-eyed characters of popular manga and anime stories.

laughing bears, © Kenichi Yokono, courtesy Micheko Galerie, limited Edition woodblock print

Although Yokono’s works are fully functional woodblocks, ready to be used for printing, but he usually exhibits them as objects of art by their own right. This method allows the work to maintain its exclusivity as a hand made, tangible piece of art through which the artist retains a palpable presence. Although Kenichi Yokono has produced for his solo exhibition at Micheko Gallery some limited edition prints that originate from his woodblock carvings.

Born in 1972 in Kanazawa, Japan, Yokono was trained at the Kanazawa College of Art from where he graduated in 1997. He has had solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Vienna and Amsterdam, participated at numerous international group shows and was the recipient of the 2005 Asian Cultural Council Fellowship award and the Tom Eccles Prize. The artist lives and works in Tokyo, Japan.

Blue Lines, 2011

Katsumi Hayakawa, born 1970, constructs tri-dimensional worlds made of paper. His works are abstract representations of our de-individualised cities, in which we live and work but do not manage to establish relationships. The buidlings of our cities are the containers and décor of the “absence of existence, the absence of nothingness and the absence of the absence of absence”.

Hayakawa’s works could be interpreted as urban landscapes or as integrated circuits of microchips. These are both ends of the same man-made universe that reveal themselves to the viewer. The contrast between the real and the virtual, simulated reality.

There is a lot of the Buddhist concept of all things being connected in the universe in Hayakawa’s paper works.

Hayakawa is more commonly known for his geometric paintings, which he calls “virtual abstractions”. But he was dissatisfied with the medium, which was not suited to fully express his artistic concepts, so he decided to to shift to sculpture for his more recent works. Hayakawa uses paper cubes and squares that he pastes onto watercolor paper. These works seem casually arranged but they remind us of landscapes, integrated circuits or labyrinths but still leave us in doubt if what we see represents what we mean it is. This is Hayakawa’s way to remind us of the information tsunami that has overrun us  a long while ago.

Micheko will be showing a cross section of its photo artists. There will be new works from Tomohide Ikeya and some previews to our exhibition highlights in 2012! Come see us at Nofound Photofair from 11 till 14 November 2011.

Friday, 21 October 2011 1500h – 2200h

Saturday, 22 October 2011 1100h – 1800h

Sunday, 23 October 2011 1400h – 1800h

We show “My Affection for Idols” by Natsuki Ohtake.

In parallel to our present exhibition “My Affection for Idols” by Natsuki Ohtake, we present from Wednesday, 12 October 2011 till Sunday, 16 October at 02:00 am the “Fusion Art”-installation “TOKYO DREAMS” by Kenji Mikami, Chikashi Kasai und VOQ.

"Tokyo Dreams", fusion art installation by Kenji Mikami, Chikashi Kasai and VOQ

Installation artist Kenji Mikami merged photography by Chikashi Kasai in his temporary work. The musical background of this installation called“TOKYO DREAMS” is provided my japanese DJ and music artist VOQ. He mixed just for the occasion Tokyo street noise with Japanese traditional and modern sounds. The viewer steps into a hot and humid Tokyo summer night and through the art mix experiences a new and unexpected world. Manga meets Sex, meets Music, meets Lust for Life.

It’s a pity that everything will be deinstalled after only four days and one long night.

To be seen and experienced at Micheko Galerie from 12 till 15 October 2011 at regulär opening hours and during the Munich Long night of Museums (tickets available at Micheko Galerie).

Since we opened Micheko Galerie in June 2010 we have had most visitors at around our closing time at 07pm. While at 2pm,our opening hour, only very few if any visitors found their way to our gallery.

We will now change our opening hours effective 01 October 2011:

On Mondays we remain closed.

From Tuesday till Friday we will be open for you from 3pm till 8pm.

On Saturdays we will open from 11am till 4pm.

And, of course, you can arrange private appointments too. On Sundays too, should this suit your time schedule.

“My Affection for Idols” with new work by the japanese textile artist Natsuki Ohtake will be on exhibition from 23 September till 19 November 2011. 

Join us for the opening on Thursday, 22 September 2011 from 7 till 9pm. This is also a great opportunity to meet the artist personally as she will be present at her first solo showing in Europe.

Here is more detailed information about Natsuki Ohtake and her work.

It is now time to pack the pictures, give the gallery walls some fresh paint and to prepare for the new exhibition with works of Natsuki Ohtake. We have already sent all invitations for the opening party on 22 September 2011 from 7 till 9pm.

Micheko Galerie will remain closed till 22 September 2011!

The opening hours are:

Friday, 09 Sept. from 1400h till 2100h

Saturday and Sunday, 10/11 Sept. from 1100h till 1800h.

Shibuya #09

Nobuyoshi Araki sold prints of his photographs on the streets and published his first photobooks all by himself. Rinko Kawauchi, one of the most popular female contemporary photographers, became well known overnight by publishing three photobooks simultaneously.

Photobooks by Japanese photographers, especially from the 1960s and ’70s, cost several thousand Euro nowadays.

Toshio Enomoto, born 1947, had his German debut at our SAKURA exhibition last March. His black & white photographs are part of collections of various museums and many of his editions are already or nearly sold out.

We have some remaining copies of his book “Kagirohi” (2008). This photobook shows a selection of his works from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s of which we have some in our collection for sale. The book can be bought for 70 Euro at our gallery. Some art book dealers are already selling it at a much higher price.

Secure your personal copy by calling +49 89-38 16 93 88 or by writing to contact AT micheko.com.

Please visit also Toshio Enomoto’s website to learn more about his works.

Kagirohi (2008)

Satomi Shirai views her work as an attempt to create photographic images that translate the assimilation processes of outsiders in a new environment, and the physical and psychological changes they experience. Originally the artist intended to document her own life as a Japanese person living in New York, but soon achieved the transformation of her images into symbolic, partly surreal works, which speak for anybody who’s also experiencing their own personal integration in a foreign country.

Shirai takes close-ups of doll houses, dismantled and put together again the wrong way, to talk about the incompatibility of certain habits, customs and points of reference in a new environment, a neat analogy for a theme so close to her heart.

Shirai never mentions the inherent eroticism, which is always subtly and innocently present. But it’s precisely this eroticism, which attracts viewers to her work and leads to a desire to discover more about the many allusions and reminiscences the artist has worked into her photographs. For example, the air humidifier that reminds us of the manholes in New York’s street canyons, or the Greek newspaper casually hanging over a folding chair, and the book on Oscar Wilde, whose very sexuality led to a life in transit and death in exile.

Irrespective of which detail is noticed first, it’s always just the beginning of an extended dialogue with the picture. While one viewer may get upset, another is magically drawn into Satomi Shirai’s slightly chaotic New York world.

breakfast

cleaning

More information is available here, should you be visiting Tokyo during the next two weeks.

© Muga Miyahara/courtesy Micheko Gallery

Her latest work cycle, which Satomi calls “HOME FROM HOME” is about cramped domestic conditions, where the inhabitants of these mostly tiny places appear and disappear, vanish and seem to even lose their own identity. Often the people shown in Satomi’s pictures can’t be recognized. They are anonymous inhabitants of faceless living spaces and yet one can discover so many reminiscences in her images about national origins, cultural uniqueness and individual personal histories.

Cindy

To help and support the victims of the largest ever recorded natural disaster in Japan, the Micheko Gallery has therefore decided to collaborate with its artists, to launch a special charity sale of selected works, both new and existing, in a variety of formats. Prices vary between 20 and 150 Euro.

The proceeds will be transferred to the Japanese Red Cross.

Japan may be a rich and developed country, but people who lost their homes and possessions are literally left with nothing, and need outside help.

Please support us in our efforts and visit our gallery: Theresienstrasse 18, 80333 Munich.

Here are some of the photographs available in our charity sale:

© Mami Kiyoshi

© Mami Kiyoshi

© Muga Miyahara

© Muga Miyahara

© Yumiko Kinoshita

Did you know that the Hanami tradition is believed to have started in the Nara period (710-794) and was imported from the Chinese Tang dynastic custom of celebrating the blossoming of the plum trees.

Initially Hanami was was only celebrated at the imperial court. When the Samurai adopted the tradition under the various shogunates (1192-1867) it became a customary practice for all Japanese.

The Sakura season begins as early as January in Okinawa and ends in Hokkaido, northern Japan in May or June. In Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka the Sakura season starts at the end of March or beginning of April.

We have selected a fine collection of Sakura photographs from Muga Miyahara, Satomi Shirai, Ryo Ohwada, Toshio Enomoto and Yumiko Kinoshita.

We are delighted to introduce Robert Voit, a German photo artist much admired by us. This also starts a new chapter at Micheko, which in the future will also present western artists who have strong artistic positions related to Japan or more broadly to Asia.

Come join us at the opening on Thursday, 3rd of March, 2011. The exhibition lasts from March 4th till April 10th, 2011.

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Wir stellen Ihnen Schmuck-Arbeiten von Akiko Kurihara vor. Selten sah man Schmuck, der mit einem derartigen Understatement und Augenzwinkern auf gängige Stilrichtungen in der Schmuck-Kunst entworfen wurde.
Frau Kurihara gehört zu den Namen, die Sie sich merken sollten. Jetzt sind ihre Arbeiten noch erschwinglich

Außerdem gibt es spezielle Editionen unserer Fotokünstler Tomohide Ikeya und Yumiko Kinoshita. Fotografien in limitierter Auflage in einem Format, das auch in kleinen Wohnungen Platz hat. Viele von Ihnen hatten nach kleineren Formaten von Tomohide Ikeyas “Breath”- Serie gefragt. Hiermit kommen wir Ihren Wünschen mit zwei Motiven aus “Breath” und einem Motiv aus “Dark Waters” nach. Diese Arbeiten wurden jeweils auf Blättern im Format A3 plus (48,3 x 32,9 cm) gedruckt.

Frau Kinoshita weckt schon jetzt Frühlingsgefühle mit jeweils einem Diptychon (ca. 20 x 40 cm) und einem Triptychon (ca. 20 x 60 cm) aus ihrer Sakura-Serie “Transient”.

Die Preise für unsere Weihnachts-Editionen schreien gerade danach, mit ihnen in das Sammeln zeitgenössischer Fotografie einzusteigen.

Natürlich bewirten wir Sie mit japanischem Tee und Gebäck. Wir erwarten Sie am Samstag, den 27. November 2010 zwischen 11 und 19 Uhr.

We are particularly proud about the attention that this exhibition is receiving because it all happened without PR!

Should you be interested in reading this article please switch to the German version of our blog.

A woman. Sleeping. Dreaming?

Fish. Many fish. Even more fish. Wet, cold, slick.

Shuddering feelings of revulsion.

A woman. Sleeping. Dreaming. A nightmare?

“When I was a child”, writes Muga Miyahara, “I hated eating fish. But my father always insisted by shouting? ‘Eat a fish! Eat a fish!’ That only made me feel mental agony…”

This childhood memory was the inspiration for “A Memory of a Fish is there…” one of the artist’s most famous photo cycles. There, in numerous variations, he shows a naked woman and fish, thus dealing with the trauma of his youth. The viewer may share the feelings of disgust Miyahara associates with fish or he may interpret the photographs in his own way. Regardless, they remain both surreal and disturbing.

Contrary to tradition in Japanese photography, where reflections of individual experiences do not play an important role, the works of Miyahara are expressions of his very personal feelings. The artist wants to visualise what is invisible to the human eye. His photographs show the things behind the things, and open invisible layers for the viewer. Apart from his personal experiences, he is inspired by Japanese mythology or particular aspects of Japanese culture.

A good example is the cycle “Shinatsuhiko”, named after the ancient Japanese wind deity. Miyahara shows a young woman throwing leaves in the air and blowing them away. The artist interprets the forces of nature very traditionally as a person, in the same way as his ancestors did, or in the way that the Greek god Zephyr is known to Europeans, for instance. But this perception is – not only in Japan – fairly lost. An invisible layer.

Miyahara’s interpretation of tradition is most noteworthy in his works titled “Tokonoma”. The term refers to a built-in recessed space in a typical Japanese house, usually decorated with a calligraphic or pictorial scroll and an Ikebana flower arrangement. In Miyahara’s vision the Tokonoma becomes a stage presenting a cornucopia of different objects, inviting the viewer to explore a variety of ideas and thoughts. Although the arrangements are zen-like, very pure and simple, they have the effect of disturbing the viewer rather than expressing serenity and tranquillity. A lonely artificial leg, an empty shirt on strings, or knives hanging from the ceiling. Everyone can discover the invisible layers behind the objects for himself. The picture of three bombers and an ascending explosion cloud can – apart from obvious associations with war, air raids and nuclear attacks – be the starting point for various reflections about violence.

Another invisible layer reveals Miyahara’s cycle “Sakura”, about the cherry blossom, one of the most important symbols of Japanese culture. The unusual and mysterious style of these photographs derives from the camera the artist used, a “Hermagis” from the late 19^th century. It gives the pictures – otherwise probably rather unspectacular – their sepia brown colour, and the camera obscura perspective provides a certain archaic quality. Here the cherry blossom is less a symbol of spring and beauty, but a reminder of life’s transience.

Finally , we return to Muga Miyahara’s understanding of human nature and the human body. The cycle “MIMI” illustrates his belief that the human body can also reflect a person’s character. He translates this theory into aesthetically graphic compositions of naked bodies clad with fresh edible items. A surreal (and again, sometimes disturbing) invisible layer is revealed to the viewer, in particular in the strangely beautiful photograph of an octopus tentacle lying on the torso of a naked woman. There is a close connection between beauty and the beast., and Miyahara’s work explores this fine line, lurking somewhere in life’s invisble layers.

We will show nearly 40 photographs from his series Tokonoma, A memory of a fish is there, Mimi, Shinatsuhiko, Garden, Sakura and Studio.

Muga Miyahara has a passion for old, large format analogue cameras and still processes his photographs in a photo lab. His “Studio” works were even hand coloroured. Hence it will become a feast for a all friends and collectors of analogue photography, in addition to the “parallel world” experiences one will get when watching the exhibition.

We will hold an opening reception on 28th October, 2010 from 7 till 9pm at our gallery. Muga Miyahara will fly in from Tokyo, just to attend the opening. He looks forward to some nice discussions about his work.

Take advantage of the extension of the show and come visit us.