In Akita, I saw it! Contemporary Art

“Minebane! Contemporary Art” was held from July 25 to September 7 of this year at two venues: the Akita Museum of Art and the Akita City Senshu Museum of Art. It is an exhibition that introduces the unique and diverse world of contemporary art from the Taguchi Art Collection (hereinafter referred to as Taguchi Art) through a total of about 100 works. I actually went to Akita and fully enjoyed the charm of Taguchi Art. In other words, I saw it in Akita! Contemporary Art.

The title “Minebane” is an Akita dialect word meaning “must see.” The exhibition was divided into four themes: “Nature’s Workings,” “Human Workings,” “Color,” and “Monochrome,” and as those themes suggest, a wide variety of contemporary art works were on display.

First, when I visited the Akita City Senshu Museum of Art, my heart raced at the sight of Zanele Muholi’s large self-portrait on the large pillar outside the entrance, and the three-dimensional work by Jose Dávila displayed inside the museum, which could be glimpsed between the pillars. As I proceeded to the exhibition space, Julian Opie’s “Shahnoza, pole dancer. (lightbox)” (2006) appeared immediately. Next, Yoshitomo Nara’s “Cosmic” (2007) jumped into my eyes.

Throughout the exhibition, there are many large works that you can only take in fully by stepping back two or three paces. Since Taguchi Art collects works with the premise of exhibition, it is characteristic that many works of a size that can completely change the atmosphere of the entire space are housed.
As I moved further in, there were Elmgreen & Dragset’s three-dimensional work “Super Models, Fig. 7” (2007), which is impressively installed with a mirror that distorts what is reflected, and video works by Kiyoshi Takahashi. In Satoru Aoyama’s “Just a piece of fabric (VS877800A)” (2021), I could see the message emerge by shining an LED light on the thousand-yen bill made of embroidery, and in Roy Lichtenstein’s “Mirror in six panels #1” (1970), I could see the image emerge by taking a photo with the flash on, providing a space for an active viewing experience. Such experiences were very fulfilling, giving me surprises and discoveries about the works.

The last room was a spectacular, open, and spacious area with colorful works larger than a person’s height lined up along the entire wall. Because each individual work had such a great impact, looking at the whole room made me feel the power of contemporary art once again.

Impact of “Monochrome” works

Next, I visited the Akita Museum of Art. When I proceeded to the exhibition space on the first floor, like the Akita City Senshu Museum of Art, many large-sized works were on display. Diverse works such as Subodh Gupta’s three-dimensional work “Sun Flower” (2010), in which various sizes of ladles are stuck into a stainless steel bucket, Yuken Teruya’s “Notice - Forest (Tiffany)” (2009), Takashi Murakami’s “Girl with Yellow Straw Hat” (2010), Hiroshi Sugimoto’s “Sea of Japan, Hokkaido” (1986), and Oscar Oiwa’s “Iceberg” (2007) were truly “gathered together.” Depending on the work you look at, there are intense colors or gentle color schemes, and there are easy-to-understand yet diverse highlights, making it enjoyable even for those seeing contemporary art for the first time.

As you climb the spiral staircase surrounding "Mobile n°1" (2025), created by Xavier Veilhan to complement the architecture of the Akita Museum of Art designed by Tadao Ando, and proceed to the upper floor, the exhibition space for the permanent large-scale mural "Events of Akita" (1937) by Tsuguharu Foujita appears. In fact, this is a massive mural measuring 3.6m in height and 20.5m in width. I had an overwhelming experience standing before a mural so large it even inspired a sense of awe. At that moment, feeling a bit anxious about whether I could immerse myself in the world of Taguchi Art Collection again, I moved on to the next exhibition.

Climbing even higher, there was a final exhibition space themed around "monochrome," featuring Tomoko Sawada's "FACIAL SIGNATURE" (2015). As far as the eye could see, portraits of the artist with different makeup and hairstyles appeared, and I was immediately drawn into the world of contemporary art. I wonder if this was also calculated to be seen after the large mural.

My earlier anxiety was unnecessary. As I moved deeper inside, I encountered impactful works even within the concept of monochrome, which strips away color, such as Teppei Kaneuji's work "Gray Paddle #17" (2014), which looks like a combination of disparate objects; Yoko Ono's "Play It by Trust" (2015), where the tabletop is a chessboard that you can actually sit at and touch; Chiharu Shiota's "State of Being (Dress)" (2013); and Gavin Turk's "Giraffe" (2021), an homage to Maurizio Cattelan's installation of a fresh banana taped to a wall.

Contemporary art is open to everyone

When people hear "contemporary art," many are put off by preconceived notions that it is "incomprehensible" or "difficult." The Taguchi Art Collection exhibition I visited this time was something I really want those people to experience. I encountered many works that didn't make me feel like I "had to think" about something, but rather made me "start thinking" as questions naturally arose when I looked at them.
Currently, the Takahashi City Nariwa Museum in Okayama Prefecture is holding "World Signposts: Yabai Contemporary Art #MoreTaguchiArtCollection" until January 18, 2026. Since all the exhibited works are different from those in Akita, you will be able to experience the fun of contemporary art through different pieces. Whether you like art or have no interest in it, I hope you will see it with your own eyes and feel the diverse world of contemporary art.

Text and Photos: Ayane Matsumi

[Exhibition featured in the article]
"Minebane! Contemporary Art: Taguchi Art Collection" (Ended)
Period: July 19 – September 7, 2025
Venues: Akita Museum of Art, Akita City Senshu Museum of Art

[Currently held Taguchi Art Collection exhibition]
"World Signposts: Yabai Contemporary Art #MoreTaguchiArtCollection"
Period: September 20, 2025 – January 18, 2026
Venue: Takahashi City Nariwa Museum (Okayama Prefecture)
Opening hours: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM (Last admission at 4:30 PM)
Closed: Every Monday (open if it is a public holiday, closed the following Tuesday), Year-end and New Year holidays (December 28 – January 4)
Admission: General 1,200 yen, High school and university students 600 yen (Free for elementary and junior high school students)