Exhibition Report: Tokyo Photographic Art Museum "TOP Collection: Serendipity - Unexpected Wonderful Discoveries in Everyday Life"

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I visited the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (hereinafter: TOP) for the "Serendipity" collection exhibition and the "JPS Exhibition." I am writing my impressions here.

To conclude, it was very good. The good points were not only the content of each individual exhibit, but also the sense of challenge from TOP that I haven't felt before. For a collection exhibition, the storytelling (curation) of how it is presented is everything. With high hopes for the future, I give it a 4-star recommendation.

"TOP Collection: Serendipity - Unexpected Wonderful Discoveries in Everyday Life"

TOP holds collection exhibitions periodically. This time, it was different from usual. For a collection exhibition, the title is catchy, the poster visual has a lot of negative space, it uses yellow-green for the text color, and the main featured artist is Yoshitomo Nara, making it quite challenging in various ways. At first glance, the finish makes you think it's a special exhibition. The visuals for the usual collection exhibitions often gave the impression of being somewhat stiff and setting a high barrier to entry.

Serendipity means "making unexpected discoveries through chance and sagacity." Indeed, I think photography is a mass of serendipity.

Even if different people take photos in the same place, those photos express the photographer's cultivated thoughts and emotions, so no two identical works are ever created. In addition, just as the same moment never exists twice, photography captures a moment unique to that time. There is always serendipity in casual daily life, and I think it is something precious.

This way of thinking has something in common with contemporary art. Since the theme itself was something I could resonate with in terms of my own values, my overall satisfaction with the exhibition was high.

Below, I will pick up some works that caught my attention.

I knew of Tokuko Ushioda's work because I saw it at the Yokohama Civic Art Gallery Azamino this year. Simply capturing the refrigerators (masses of daily life) of various people in photos. It was a work perfectly suited to "Serendipity."

A characteristic feature of this collection exhibition was that there was a space where you could take off your shoes to view the works (although I didn't see anyone other than myself actually taking off their shoes and relaxing). I have visited TOP many times, but this was the first time I had seen such an example.

It was meaningful for the TOP, which has a stiff image, to take on such a challenge with a collection exhibition that also has a stiff image, and I was happy about it. Sitting on the grass doesn't directly make the artworks look different. However, in a museum where you basically stand and view photos monotonously, being able to view them in a physically new way was refreshing. This idea itself is serendipity, and I want to applaud the curator who made this decision. My child was rolling around on the grass. This will likely be the last chance to lie on my back and look at the ceiling of the TOP. I was also happy that the museum attendants watched over us with warm eyes.

However, the connection between this green grass and the artworks was low. As ideas I came up with,

1) Hang works that actually feature grass, natural landscapes, or sky scenes (works related to grass) in front, 2) Display works directly above the grass (on the ceiling) so that you can view them while lying on your back, 3) Make the purpose easier to understand by writing something like 'Please take off your shoes and enter. You might see things differently than usual' to encourage people

I thought it would have been better if there were things like that.

The 48th 2023 JPS Exhibition

A public exhibition including open submissions held by the Japan Professional Photographers Society (Japan Professional Photographers Society). It seems to be a gateway to becoming a professional photographer. Photography was prohibited throughout the exhibition (except for those whose works were selected for the exhibition). I had the impression that photos processed with Photoshop stood out, but it was interesting to see works from various perspectives all in one place (you might get various ideas). I think you can finish viewing it quickly. I realized there are various photography organizations like JPS and APA.

Summary

How was it? Unlike the usual TOP collection exhibitions (which are dark, stiff, and focused on study), this one had a challenging structure that could be enjoyed by both those with deep knowledge of photography and those without. I think the TOP museum has been making various attempts in recent years, such as becoming more lenient toward photography.

I thought the catchy curation and ingenious spatial design, rather than just replacing photos in a rigid, repetitive structure, were excellent. The content raised my expectations for future TOP exhibitions.

Today's Museum Meal

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