October 12, 2016

The Exhibition of the Yokohama Museum of Art
Collection 2016 Part 2
Depictions of Yokohama
Superimposing Images
Listen to the Wind: Reflecting Natural Signs in Art
The Transformation of Shapes
This edition of the collection exhibition consists of four sections.
The first, Depictions of Yokohama, was overseen by themuseum’s Education Project team. The display focuses on many different
aspects of the city of Yokohama, including the high-rise buildings in theMinato Mirai 21 district, which is also home to the museum. The artists,representing a wide range of generations, depicted the Yokohama
landscape using a variety of viewpoints and techniques. The works include
some places that have undergone drastic changes, and others that arestriking vestiges of the past. Some viewers may view these scenes withnostalgia, as the works overlap with personal memories and reminiscences.
During the exhibition, we are also offering a special program in which
volunteers escort viewers to the places depicted in the works.

KOKURYŌ Tsunerō
Harbor View with Flying Zeppelin, 1993
donated by the artist

The second, Superimposing Images, focusing on the theme ofentwined and overlapping things, sets out to enhance the way in which
viewers perceive the works. Among the displays are Fukuda Miran’s Wind
God and Thunder God and Landscape, which are being shown for the firsttime since they were acquired by the museum. Using masterpieces fromevery era and region of the world, Fukuda upends our image of the original
and presents us with a new viewpoint. Meanwhile, Nakahara Kōdai’s
ConS:KConWS_6p asks us if it is possible to view something purely as a“shape” without being affected by its social significance or context.
In the center of the third section, Listen to the Wind: Reflecting
Natural Signs in Art, is Kumai Kyōko’s three-dimensional work Thick Growth ’99.
To create a resonance with Kumai’s work, the display also features paintings

FUKUDA MiranWind God and Thunder God, 2013
donated by the artist

that make use of natural motifs.
The final section, The Transformation of Shapes, is located in the photography gallery. It
presents Dada and Surrealist photographs from the early 20th century that employ experimental techniques
to change ordinary things into extraordinary images as well as photographic self-portraits by Lucas Samarasand Morimura Yasumasa, who transform their bodies into various forms.

Sections
1. Depictions of YokohamaWith shade provided by zelkova trees and a fountain, Grand
Mall Park, located directly in front of the Yokohama Museum of Art, is a
popular rest area for office workers during the week and families onweekends. This section, divided into four themes, focuses on works that
depict the Yokohama area. The museum (opened in 1989), located in thecenter of Minato Mirai 21, has seen the passage of time along this new area.
This exhibit begins with works focusing on this area, home to toweringbuildings like the InterContinental Yokohama Grand Hotel (1991) andYokohama Landmark Tower (1993).
The exhibit also traces port scenes such as Kaigan-dōri andYamashita Park, which lie at the heart of Yokohama’s history, and the hilly

HARADA Masamichi
From the Series “Yokohama”, 1986-98

landscape of Honmoku, Yamate, and Sankeien Garden. Coastal views of ships andthe port, and the verdant hills of Honmoku and Yamate, which provide acommanding view of the area, are familiar sights in Yokohama. This section
concludes with a series of woodblock prints by Ishiwata Kōitsu, who depicted
twilight with rich gradations.
Painters and photographers have captured the city’s landscape andpeople throughout history, and turned the results into works of art. We hope thatyou will enjoy looking at these works as you recall your own memories ofYokohama.
(1) The Construction of a New Landscape: Minato Mirai 21(2) Port Scenes: Kaigan-dōri and Yamashita Park
(3) Hilltop Views: Honmoku and Yamate(4) Scenes of Twilight: Ishiwata Kōitsu’s GazeISHIWATA Kōitsu
View of Koyasu-machi, Kanagawa(Greengrocer’s Shop), 1931

2. Superimposing Images
When the state and appearance of a work suddenly catch our eye, do we only see the surface?
Every work of art is woven out of multiple layers made up of the things that the artist thought, attempted, andwanted to convey. The atmosphere of the era in which the artist was active, their ethnicity, nationality, andcultural history also frequently seep out from the depths of the work. When we the viewers add our own
memories and feelings, the fertile juxtapositions contained in the work sparkle vividly, becoming something
real that communicates with us in the present.

This section, based on the keywords “superimposing” and “superimposed,” is divided into four
themes. The first theme, “Faces,” focuses on two series of portrait prints made by adding and subtracting
images. In the second, “Landscapes,” we introduce some paintings in which human forms are juxtaposedwith landscapes to create a kind of trompe l'œil effect, and also some contemporary works in which multiple
photographs are superimposed on a map. Then, by broadly interpreting the word “superimposed,” in the third
theme, “Traditional Iconography,” we examine how various subjects and masterpieces from art history havebeen reused over the years. This leads us to the final theme of “Circles,” in which we focus on the “shape” ofvarious ideas and symbols that have been juxtaposed in civilization.
(1) Faces(2) Landscapes(3) Traditional Iconography(4) Circles

3. Listen to the Wind: Reflecting Natural Signs in Art
The illuminated, three-dimensional object in the center ofthe gallery is Kumai Kyōko’s Thick Growth ’99. Kumai weaves together
pieces of industrial-type, stainless-steel wire to express natural elements
such as the wind and the air. In this work, she wove wire together one
strand at a time to create beautiful curved lines, representing the windblowing through a grassy thicket. The result evokes our sensorial
memories, reminding us of the cool air in a moonlit field and even thesound of grass swaying in the breeze.
The Japanese view of nature, based on Buddhism,
includes the concept of five elements (earth, water, fire, wind, andKUMAI Kyōko
Thick Growth '99, 1999
donated by the artistaether), which make up all things in the world. In ancient times, artists
honed their sensibilities with these elements, capturing the spirit ofnature through their art, and striving to listen to its voice. Higashiyama
Kaii’s Trees vividly contrasts gnarled trees and the clear sky, conveying
the unquestionable life concealed in the desolate old tree. Itō Akira’s
Imaginary Landscape depicts the constantly changing entities of clouds
and water based on shapes created by sprinkling charcoal powder onwater. Open your heart to the breath of the air and earth, the signs
conveyed by the trees and plants, and the voice of the wind in these
artists’ works.

HIGASHIYAMA Kaii
Trees, 1984
donated by the artist

4. The Transformation of Shapes
Some 180 years have passed since the birth ofphotography, which has now become an indispensable part of ourlives. Easily integrated with printed matter or electronic media,
photography’s ability to record and transmit a subject or event hasexerted tremendous influence on us. It is also an outstanding mediumof expression. Photographers and artists active in a variety of eras andregions, have demonstrated their creativity and artistry, and continuallydeveloped new types of photography that defy conventional wisdom.
Focusing on the transformation of images in this section,
we present two techniques that grew out of Dada and changed the nature

László MOHOLY-NAGI
Photogram with Drinking Straw, 1939of photography. The first, the photogram method, is a way of making
pictures without the use of a camera, and the second, photomontage, isa means of combining multiple images. There are also photographic
techniques that convert ordinary things into extraordinary images,
such as distortion and solarization, which grew out of the Surrealist
movement, and works by photographers and artists who transform theirown bodies.
In the last display in the gallery, we present the animator
Alexandre Alexeïeff’s work Night on Bald Mountain (Une Nuit sur leMont Chauve), produced with a pinscreen. Enjoy this fantastic world set
to Mussorgsky’s symphonic poem of the same name.
(1) Photograms and Photomontages(2) Distortion and Solarization(3) Physical Metamorphosis and Transformation(4) Alexandre Alexeïeff: Night on Bald Mountain

André KERTÉSZDistortion No.40, Paris, 1933

Outline
The Exhibition of the Yokohama Museum of Art: Collection 2016 Part 2Dates:

October 1 (Sat.)-December 14 (Wed.), 2016

Open hours:

10:00-18:00 (Last admission at 17:30)*Open until 20:30 on October 28, 2016 (Last admission at 20:00)

Closed:Thursdays (Except November 3), November 4 (Fri.), 2016

Organizer:

Yokohama Museum of Art

TicketAdults¥500 ( ¥400)

University and high school students¥300 ( ¥240)

Junior high school students¥100 ( 1¥80)Children under 12Free*( )＝Group of 20 or more (pre-booking required)* Free Admission on November 3, 2016.
*Free Admission for high school and younger student with valid ID on every Saturday.
*Visitors with disability and one person accompanying them are admitted free of charge.
(Please present a certificate at the entrance.)*Collection gallery is available with a ticket of Special Exhibition.
*Contact
Ms. Miyano, Ms. Fujii, Ms. Nagahama
Public Relations, Yokohama Museum of Art
3-4-1, Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama. 220-0012 JAPAN
TEL:+81(0)45 221 0319

FAX:+81(0)45 221 0317

E-mail: pr-yma@yaf.or.jp