2021 Best Exhibition Reputation Analysis (2/5) Another Energy: Likely the best group exhibition in the history of the Mori Art Museum. [Another Energy: Power to Continue Challenging - 16 Women Artists from Around the World] Mori Art Museum
I have excerpted from my annual letters and am posting my [2021 Best 5 Exhibitions] on note for the first time.The introduction is included in every article, so if you want to get straight to the main topic, please feel free to skip it.
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In 2021, I visited 97 contemporary art exhibitions.
（This article was written on December 21, 2021. For details, please check each museum's website.)
This year, I also collected evaluations from those around me and internet reviews to avoid personal bias, using a total score system.
Please enjoy these reviews, which I started in an attempt to be somewhat fair.
That said, this is still within the realm of personal opinion. For details, please see[Evaluation Criteria].
[Evaluation Criteria]
Me Nearly 30 years in the art industry. Part-time work at a certain academic society and museum. From original identity research (a field like this), I have recently been devoted to gender harassment and feminism research. I am taking this on as part of my amateur data analysis.
<25 points available>
Husband An American who worked at a museum in New York for a long time. Currently retired. In our home, he is the contemporary painting commentator.
<25 points available>
Reputation among art professionals the couple has met
<15 points available>
Reputation from the internet, magazines, and newspapers
<35 points available>
I followed magazines and newspapers as much as possible.
For the internet, I manually compiled statistics from Twitter and Instagram. Instagram tends to have five times more, or even more than that. The gap grows every year. Although I call it statistics, some people refuse to have their posts captured, so I did not do so. Please understand.
◇ Special note on this year's research
As I wrote in the Another Energy article, when researching social media, I rarely see opinions of jealousy or anger for almost every art exhibition. While exhibitions are public things and this itself is fine, I found a sample that I, as someone involved in gender research, should pay attention to: most of it is concentrated among men in their 20s to 40s. Even among experts, it is rare. In a related association, there was a scandal involving the chairman. As research material for gender awareness, I am collecting this and looking for a place to publish it.
Unfortunately, I suspect this is a source of hate. Regarding discourse on social media, there is also this paper in the United States.https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abe5641(Translation: Social learning (social approval behavior) promotes the expression of moral outrage and hate crimes)
Writing that lacks substance due to envy and anger, and the characteristic of not being able to face the main subject (in art, the work itself)—this also resembles the tendency of hate. Readers of my letters, are you okay? Have you become like that?
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And to all of you in our parent generation. Comments about how photogenic something is or how trendy it is will expose your lack of intelligence, so be careful.
[About photos]
I have unified this to no photos. (I had a bad experience in the past)
For viewing photos, I recommend each museum's website, the impressions of everyone on note, and
the blog of Art Teller Toni, who has a review collection with images of over 150 exhibitions (this is amazing!).
He has review images posted for exhibitions in all fields.
I was surprised by the amount of photos on note and tried to repost them.
To prevent spoilers, there is little commentary on the works. There are many personal impressions. In no particular order, in the order that the writing flowed easily.
Oops, I forgot to take notes... Someone definitely mentioned it as a best in the Yomiuri Shimbun or Nikkei last week. I also read about it in Ronza.
The Mori Art Museum has a large number of visitors, so it is difficult to research, but there are many voices of praise. It is highly touted as one of the top 3 this year.
It is safe to say that this is the best group exhibition in the history of the Mori Art Museum. Perhaps due to the chaos of COVID, it is being extended unusually. It is a must-see.
We went in July, when it was hazy with rain.
The planning was done by Mami Kataoka (Director of the Mori Art Museum) and Martin Germann (Independent Curator). Ms. Kataoka was recently appointed director and has worked on the Ai Weiwei exhibition, the Makoto Aida exhibition, and others.
On the internet, it is overflowing with good impressions such as "The overwhelming power is the best," "It's thrilling to the top class," "I felt tremendous weight and preciousness in the words and thoughts they spun," "It was the best among the exhibitions I've been to recently," and "I almost cried while walking around the Another Energy exhibition."
In recent years, movements to correct imbalances in diverse identities such as gender, race, ethnicity, and creed, and to emphasize diversity, have spread around the world. In contemporary art as well, over the past decade, attention has been focused on women artists who began their activities in the 1950s to 1970s and have continued to this day. The "Another Energy" exhibition focuses on 16 women artists over the age of 70 who are still challenging themselves around the world, and sheds light on their activities. The ages of the 16 range from 71 to 105 (*1), and all boast careers of over 50 years. In addition, they come from 14 countries around the world, and their current bases of activity are diverse. Regardless of the rapidly changing environments and eras in which they were placed, and the shifting evaluations and trends of museums and the art market, they have continued their own creative activities without being bound by them.
[My impressions]
It is likely the best group exhibition in the history of the Mori Art Museum.
First of all, the concept is incredibly wonderful. The excellence of the works and the flawless curation technique.
The director, in a word, is brilliant. It is perhaps one of the most excellent group exhibitions in Tokyo museums in recent years, not limited to the Mori Art Museum.
They are not radical, but sophisticated artists, and there is an energy that conveys heat intensely. Regardless of being over 70, they have energy. I definitely want you to see it.
I liked Phyllida Barlow, Carmen Herrera, and Miriam Cahn, who were the lead-offs.
Phyllida Barlow shows the female body in an unbalanced state that does not go as intended. Miriam Cahn is a Jewish woman. I think the Atomic Bomb series is her masterpiece, so I wanted to see it as a series.
I talked a little with a former curator, and it is clear that the Mori Art Museum has become interesting since the director changed.
Until now, there were many group exhibitions that had questions. In bad examples, I had thoughts about the quality of the Mori Art Museum, such as the Future and the Arts exhibition, the Japanese Architecture exhibition, the Universe and the Arts exhibition, and several Roppongi Crossings.
Excluding the Mori Arts Center because it is not an art museum, what about the art museum?
In that sense, I was made to think that the director's skill is significant.
Just one thing. Another Energy has an impact on the framework, so I react sensitively. Similarly, being a woman and elderly is also a catchphrase that is difficult to speak out about. How nice it would be if we could say that it just happened to be gathered like this. My husband and I were whispering that sometimes the works are not like that.
[Husband]
"Do you remember seeing Phyllida Barlow at the New Museum (New York)? (Me: I didn't remember.) If it were overseas, it would be more of a topic, wouldn't it? I wonder if it will tour. I think it will be highly evaluated now. It's a novel concept and clear. I was made to realize that 'under' has no meaning for art, but 'over' is a unique idea. I also thought about COVID and medical stories."
I was warned for staring at Miriam Cahn too closely. I am sorry to the staff.
[Evaluation from the internet, magazines, and newspapers]
👍96% GOOD
There are many voices calling it the best of the year. As mentioned above, I also read about it in several newspapers.
Regarding the numbers, I manually compiled statistics from Twitter and Instagram. There are some omissions, but I did my best again this year. Instagram tends to have 3 to 5 times more, or even more than that. The gap is widening year by year.Details here
Well, I found this article incredibly interesting, and it says quite a lot of what I wanted to say.
Returning to the subject, ◇ Special note on this year's research
When researching on the internet, one occasionally finds jealous or angry opinions about art exhibitions. While this itself is fine as art exhibitions are public events, I found a sample that I, as someone involved in gender studies, should pay attention to: most of them are concentrated among men in their 20s to 40s.
I suspect this is the source of the hate.
Writing that is hollow, filled with envy and anger. A common characteristic is that they are not engaging with the main subject (in the case of art, the works themselves). The trend is truly the same for the Anno exhibition and the Takashi Murakami exhibition.
I would like to show you actual examples here, but that would be a violation of regulations. This also resembles the trend of hate.
I am collecting these as research material for gender awareness. I am looking for a place to publish them. To my readers, are you okay? Have you not become like that?
In any case, I hope it tours overseas.
Until Sunday, January 16, 2022.
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I bought the official catalog.
It includes two main essays by the two curators who planned this exhibition (Mami Kataoka and Martin Germann), 16 essays by experts from around the world focusing on the personal histories and artistic transitions of each participating artist, installation views and a list of works from the exhibition, as well as artist biographies and bibliographies.
It is a professional volume that allows for a deep, multi-faceted understanding of the activities and works of the artists in the Another Energy exhibition, including their life paths, the social conditions that influenced their work, and their cultural backgrounds.
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I didn't enter, but how about you, readers?
Back again! "Free Admission for the Artist's Generation" Campaign
For a limited time, we are offering free admission to those aged 72 to 106, the same generation as the artists exhibiting in the "Another Energy" exhibition. Please experience the overwhelming energy of these women who are still active today after careers spanning over 50 years in the exhibition rooms.
2021 Best 5 Exhibitions
◇ A masterpiece. A solo exhibition of a super important American artist, I definitely want you to see it [Roni Horn: When You See Water in You, Do You Feel Water in You?] Pola Museum of Art
◇The best group exhibition at the Mori Art Museum [Another Energy: Power to Continue Challenging - 16 Women Artists from around the World] Mori Art Museum
◇It will become a legendary exhibition of our youth [Eugen Studio: After the Rainbow] Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
◇The resolve and romance of one who inherits the dream of Japanese art [Yoichi Umetsu Exhibition: Pollinator] Watari Museum of Contemporary Art
◇This person is what a genius is. The underlying power of sculpture [Mark Manders: The Absence of Mark Manders] Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Runner-up
◇ Jam Session: Ishibashi Foundation Collection x Yasumasa Morimura, M-Style "Fishermen" - Yasumasa Morimura: The Myth of Watashigatari, Artizon Museum
◇ Isamu Noguchi: Ways of Discovery, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
◇ Eiko Ishioka: Can You Design Blood, Sweat, and Tears?, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
◇ The Israel Museum Collection: Impressionism - The Genealogy of Light, Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum
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