[Exhibition Report] Art Tower Mito "Mai Yamashita + Naoto Kobayashi: For Others, and With Others"

[Approx. 4,900 characters, approx. 60 photos]
Art Tower Mito (Ibaraki Prefecture) for the first time and viewed "Mai Yamashita + Naoto Kobayashi For Others, and With Others." I am writing my impressions here.

To start with the conclusion, it was a very "contemporary art"-like exhibition and I was satisfied. There were no explanations in the venue, and the "questions" posed by the many mysterious works provided stimulation that I cannot get from daily life. Also, Art Tower Mito was interesting with many points to comment on, such as its origins and management methods. It is a must-visit spot on a Mito trip!

▶︎Reason for visiting

I got the opportunity to travel for 2 days and 1 night with my two children (both preschoolers). I thought about where to go. 1) Within 3 hours one way, 2) Several places where children can enjoy themselves locally and not geographically far apart, 3) If possible, I also want to go to an art museum...

After much deliberation, I planned my trip around "Art Tower Mito," which I had been interested in but thought I would never have the chance to visit in my life. The deciding factors were that there is a tower on the premises of Art Tower Mito, there is also a lake and park nearby, and I thought I could also extend my trip to Oarai.

▶︎Access

To get to Art Tower Mito, take a bus from Mito Station for about 10 minutes (get off at "Izumicho 1-chome"), and it is about a 3-minute walk from there. If you board from "Bus Stop 4-7 at the North Exit Bus Terminal" of Mito Station, all buses stop at "Izumicho 1-chome."

Address: 1-6-8 Goken-cho, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture

▶︎What is Art Tower Mito?

✔️Overview

Art Tower Mito was opened (in 1990, construction cost 10.3 billion yen) on the site of the former Goken Elementary School to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mito's municipal organization, with the then-mayor of Mito, Kazunobu Sagawa, thinking, "I want to make Mito the number one cultural city in Japan!" It has a concert hall, a theater, and a contemporary art gallery, each of which is operated through independent planning.

The English name of Art Tower Mito is "Art Tower Mito." If you think about it normally, I think it would be something like Mito Art Center. If you write "Art Tower Mito" in English, wouldn't people misunderstand it as referring only to the "tower"? Mysterious naming...

✔️Budget Policy

Mito City established the "Mito Arts Foundation". The foundation's motto is "Into the city, into people's hearts."

The management of the art center is based on a policy of allocating 1% of the annual budget (approx. 900 million yen) to focus on regional revitalization (a first in Japan). Isn't the correct order to decide on the project content first and then allocate the budget? The current policy feels like a very bureaucratic way of thinking...😅

Under this policy, since a certain amount of budget is always allocated, depending on the project content, wasteful expenses may be incurred or the budget may be insufficient. I felt that Mito citizens need to carefully scrutinize the project content and disclosed documents.

Furthermore, Art Tower Mito does not collect art pieces, and it seems they acquire them as needed for special exhibitions. It is interesting how museums have various histories, such as being established through donated works or being founded by spending money to collect pieces with the mindset of "Alright, let's build a museum!"

▼ The Yamato Bunkakan, which collected its collection after the museum's concept was formed

✔️Director of the Art Center, Board Chair of the Foundation

The first director of Art Tower Mito (1988) was Hidekazu Yoshida. He was appointed as the most suitable person due to his critical activities covering all aspects of art. The second director (2013) was Seiji Ozawa, who served as the music advisor for the Mito Chamber Orchestra.

▼ A book I have read about Seiji Ozawa

The first board chair of the Mito Arts Foundation (1988) was Hideo Edo, who served as president of Mitsui Fudosan (a graduate of Mito High School). The second board chair (1998) was fashion designer Hanae Mori. The request was made because Hanae Mori was in charge of the costumes for an opera that Hidekazu Yoshida saw at the Salzburg Festival.

The third board chair is Michio Fukuda, current Chairman and CEO of Adastria (2023). Michio Fukuda is a graduate of Mito's Goken Elementary School, and since Adastria's head office is located in Izumicho, Mito City, he was asked to take the position due to his ties to Mito. My question about why I saw "Adastria" everywhere in Art Tower Mito was answered.

I encountered the Adastria head office near Art Tower Mito. The "Tetsu Bunka Sozo General Incorporated Foundation," chaired by Michio Fukuda, plans to open "Tetsu Art Plaza" in the fall of 2025, which will renovate the former Kawasaki Bank Mito branch building across from the head office and include a museum and cafe. With more art attractions, the number of tourists is likely to increase.

▶︎ Impressions of "Mai Yamashita + Naoto Kobayashi: For Others, and With Others"

I felt that the main visual was a missed opportunity because it didn't convey the quality of the exhibition at all. It only depicts a new, visitor-participatory installation that uses the outdoor plaza of Art Tower Mito.

Looking only at the visual, I thought, "Is this a natural-themed exhibition?" I went in without fully understanding the overview, but in the end, it was quite interesting.

There was no explanation at all at the entrance to the venue, which made me a bit flustered. The work that greets visitors right away is 《telepathy》. It is a work where they performed telepathy 1,000 times and succeeded 10 times.

Besides that, there is 《1000WAVES》, where they just count waves. 《infinity》, where they just walk along a road to create an "♾️" pattern, and 《Candy》, where they just lick a bowling-ball-sized candy; all of them are endlessly funny.

The background of the works can be explained in detail if you ask the gallery attendants. I had the impression that it was like Yasuhiro Suzuki's way of thinking, but sharpened even further toward contemporary art.

My child's favorite was 《When I wish upon a star》, saying, "The cushions are so comfortable, I could stay here forever." This was a work where a shooting star lasting less than a second was stretched into a video of about two minutes, which you watch while lying on a cushion.

Overall, I enjoyed it, thinking, "This is really contemporary art." In particular, the group of works in the first room were silly and were my favorites. It reminded me of the meaningless games I played as a child, like counting the number of steps for no reason.

However, because there are no captions for the works at all it was an exhibition that challenged one's imagination. I thought that for people not interested in art, it would either be something they could enjoy by saying "What is this? (lol)" or something they would finish by thinking "What is this..." and finding it incomprehensible.

The exhibition venue is on the second floor. It doesn't look like there is an elevator on the first floor, but there was an elevator inside a hidden door. Therefore, those with wheelchairs or strollers can also go up to the second floor.

I went on a weekday. There were only one or two other groups of visitors besides me. Therefore, I was able to view it smoothly even with children. The attendants were also kind to the children, which I appreciated. Also, the admission fee of 900 yen is inexpensive and welcome.

The entire building has a slight "box-like" feel (likely a remnant of it being built to commemorate the 100th anniversary), but I got the impression that the exhibition was managed thoroughly without compromise.

▶︎ Summary

What did you think? I enjoyed it with the impression of "the contemporary art." There was no concrete message, and the style of simply and silently posing "questions" was to my liking. I was also able to visit Art Tower Mito for the first time, and it was interesting to learn about the background of its establishment. I thought it was a must-visit spot for a trip to Mito.

▶︎ Today's Museum Food

▶︎ Bonus (Symbol Tower, etc.)

The Symbol Tower was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the city's incorporation and stands 100m tall (a bureaucratic and simplistic idea...). The tower is composed of 57 titanium equilateral triangular panels, and there is an observation deck at a height of 86.4m (Adults: 200 yen). The repetition of the same shape extending infinitely seems to be inspired by Brâncuși's "Endless Column".

▼ Brâncuși Exhibition (Artizon Museum)

Also, I was bothered by the fact that the official name is mundane, such as "Tower," "Symbol Tower" (and inconsistencies in notation are scattered about). If it is the symbolic icon of Art Tower Mito, shouldn't they have given it a more distinctive name that you could remember after hearing it once? It's strange that this is what passes...

The architect of Art Tower Mito, including the Symbol Tower, is Arata Isozaki. His major architectural works include the Nara Centennial Hall, the Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, the Hara Museum ARC, and the Yufuin Station building.

The collective nickname for the three facilities—Art Tower Mito, Mito Civic Center (opened in July 2023), and Mito Keisei Department Store—is MitoriO. The reason the first and last letters are capitalized is apparently because they considered impact and appearance (I don't really get it...😅).