Press Release 2023/06/26

Opposite the Sun Is Where the Blue Sky Lies
Works from the Hara Museum and the Hara Rokuro Collections
Part I: Friday, March 24 – Sunday, September 3, 2023
Part II: Saturday, September 9, 2023 – Monday/national holiday, January 8, 2024
Celadon vase with long neck on globular body and Celadon glazed incense burner will be back from theTokyo National Museum and on display from March 24 to April 26.
Celadon glazed incense burner is making its first public appearance since the Meiji era, along with rare Nohlibrettos appearing for the first time ever.
Starting next spring, Hara Museum ARC will present the exhibition Opposite the Sun Is Where the Blue Sky
Lies in which selected works from the Hara Museum Collection of contemporary art and the Hara Rokuro
Collection of traditional East Asian art will be showcased in two parts, one in the spring and summer andanother in the autumn and winter.

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■What Does This Exhibition Offer?
(1) Works by contemporary artists collected by the museum over the past 40 years and selected under thetitle and catch phrase, Opposite the Sun Is Where the Blue Sky Lies. These include artists whose radicalexpression ran counter to traditional artistic values, such as Shigeko Kubota who refused to be limited to thecategory of "female artist" and created work that expanded the boundaries of sculptural expression.
(2) Artwork collected by the Meiji era businessman Rokuro Hara and showcased at the Kankai Pavilion. Theseinclude the Celadon vase with long neck on globular body, a designated National Treasure, and Celadon
glazed incense burner, both returning home from the Tokyo National Museum where they are normallystored. The Celadon glazed incense burner is being presented to the public for the first time since the Meiji
period. As an additional attraction, rare editions of Noh librettos (utaibon) referred variously as Koetsu-bon
will be shown to the public for the first time ever.

■About the Exhibition
If you visit Hara Museum ARC on a clear, cloudless day, the first thing you will notice is the expansive sky
spreading out before you. The contrast between the blue of the sky and the deep green of the mountains,the autumn color of the leaves and the stark black of Arata Isozaki's architecture presents an awe-inspiring
sight not to be found elsewhere. Averting your gaze from the white glare of the sun, you will notice that theblue of the sky becomes deeper the further away you look, becoming its deepest and most beautiful at thefurthest points opposite the sun.
If the sky were the art world, then the sun would be where the mainstream and more orthodox expression
dominate, while the areas opposite the sun are where artists break new ground by defying conventional
wisdom and current values, adopt different points of view, question social and artistic trends in their own
quiet ways and dive deep within themselves to find new ways of expression. The works by such artists fromJapan and abroad, including Shusaku Arakawa, Shigeko Kubota, Gilbert & George and Joseph Beuys, arepresented in Galleries A, B and C.
On display in the special exhibition space Kankai Pavilion will be works by Shiba Kokan, who devoted himself
to Western painting and science during the Edo period when Japan was closed to the world, and Yokoyama
Taikan, who rejected the traditional reliance in Japanese painting on line and pioneered an original style thatwas pejoratively dubbed “morotai” or “vague” at the time. Making its first appearance in this space is also
Bird-shaped Celadon water pitcher vase with inlay work that was unique to the Goryeo Dynasty in Korea andnot seen in Chinese celadon. This work warrants special attention for the use of black and white clay to form
the feathers, the elegant lines that delineate each feather and the beauty of the thick celadon glaze. Part IIalso features a collaborative diptych by Goshun, a student of Yosa Buson, and Maruyama Okyo who put anemphasis on preparatory sketches, as well a new selection of Koetsu-bon, Noh songbooks printed withwooden movable type in the calligraphic style invented by Honami Koetsu.
So why not come to Hara Museum ARC where you can turn your gaze away from dazzling sunlight and enjoy
the beautiful blue sky and gorgeous details of the museum buildings spreading out before you?

■Featured Artists and Works (slated)
Part I
Contemporary Art: Ai Weiwei, Masako Ando, Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Jean Dubuffet, Gilbert & George,
Zhang Huan, Jörg Immendorff, On Kawara, Lee Kit, Surasi Kusolwong, Jim Lambie, Roy Lichtenstein,
Yoshitomo Nara, A.R. Penck, Jean-Pierre Raynaud, Tokihoro Sato, Yoshihiro Suda, Rufino Tamayo, Miwa
Yanagi and others
Traditional Art: Celadon vase with long neck on globular body, Celadon glazed incense burner, Bird-shaped
Celadon water pitcher vase, Koetsu-bon Noh song book, Birds and Flowers, Kano school, Tier of boxes
decorated in maki-e with design of hydrangeas, Waka poem "Kokin Waka-shu," first part of "Spring" chapter
with painted ground and butterfly design, Hon'ami Koetsu and others
Part II
Contemporary Art: Karel Appel, Arakawa, Arman, Armando, Andy Warhol, Cesar, Christo, Willem de Kooning,Shigeko Kubota, Tetsumi Kudo, Robert Mapplethorpe, Yasumasa Morimura, Ernesto Neto, Mika Ninagawa,Noguchi Rika, Claes Oldenburg, Tokihiro Sato, Mark Rothko, Ushio Shinohara, Rufino Tamayo, Antoni Tàpiesand others
Traditional Art: Landscape of Mt. Fuji, Shiba Kokan, Seaside landscape with sunrise, Yokoyama Taikan, Field
with the moon, the subject called “Musashino” in Japanese, Bird shaped celadon water pitcher vase, Koetsubon Noh song book, Waka poem "Kokin Waka-shu," first part of "Spring" chapter with painted ground andbutterfly design, Hon'ami Koetsu and others
Part I and II
Anish Kapoor, Void / Yayoi Kusama, Mirror Room (Pumpkin) / Tatsuo Miyajima, Time Link / Yasumasa
Morimura, Rondo (Twins) / Yoshitomo Nara, My Drawing Room / Tabaimo, Midnight Sea and others■Outdoor Installations
Visitors can now enjoy the following installations whose relocation has been completed from the Hara
Museum of Contemporary Art (Tokyo) which closed two years ago.
Yoshikuni Iida, Breath of Wind (1980) / Isamu Noguchi, Pylon (1959-81) / Nobuo Sekine, Phase in the Sky(1980) / Minami Tada, Chiaroscuro No. 2 (1980)

■Images for Publication
Part I Spring-Summer

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Part II Autumn-Winter
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Traditional East Asian Art (Part I)

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* Note: As of April 27, the display of these two items has ended.

Traditional East Asian Art (Part II)

Traditional East Asian Art (Part I and II)

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Part I and II[16] *This work will be on loan during Part II.
A special exhibit by the artist will bedisplayed instead.

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[1] Yoshitomo Nara, Eve of Destruction, 2006 acrylic on canvas 117 x 91 cm 🄫Yoshitomo Nara
[2] Celadon vase with long neck on globular body, Southern Song dynasty, 13th century Longquan ware
23.5 cm photo by Norihiro Ueno *On display in Part I (from March 24 to April 26, 2023)[3] Celadon water pitcher vase, Goryeo dynasty, 10-14th century porcelain *On display in Part I (from March24 to April 26, 2023)[4] Gilbert & George, Grown Up, 1986 photograph 241.3 x 151.1 cm ©Gilbert & George[5] Jean-Pierre Raynaud, Croix, 1972

paint on wood and iron 144.5 x 127 x 50 cm ©ADAGP, Paris &JASPAR, Tokyo, 2022 G3063[6] Tadanori Yokoo, Post War, 1985 silkscreen on ceramic 240 x 240 cm ©Tadanori Yokoo[7] Miwa Yanagi, My Grandmothers: AI, 2003 LightJet print 180 x 240 cm ©Miwa Yanagi[8] Ushio Shinohara, Strawberry Battle of Zebra and Lions, 1992 acrylic on canvas 210 x 360 cm ©Ushio +Noriko Shinohara photo by Shinya Kigure[9] Mika Ninagawa, PLANT A TREE, 2011 C print 48.5 x 72.8 cm ©mika ninagawa[10] Birds and Flowers, Kano school, pair of six-fold screens, ink on paper Momoyama-Edo period, 16th17th century *On display in Part I (from March 24 to mid-June, 2023)[11] Bird-shaped Celadon water pitcher vase, Goryeo dynasty photo by Shinya Kigure *On display in Part I(from March 24 to mid-June, 2023)[12] Tier of boxes decorated in maki-e with design of hydrangeas, Edo period, 19th century[13] Landscape of Mt. Fuji, Shiba Kokan, Edo period 18th century color on silk 142.2 x 81.1 cm *On
display in Part II (slated).
[14] Seaside landscape with sunrise, Yokoyama Taikan, Meiji period, 20th century color on silk 127.2 x
40.8cm *On display in Part II (slated).
[15] Waka poem "Kokin Waka-shu," first part of "Spring" chapter with painted ground and butterfly design,
Hon'ami Koetsu Edo period, 17th century ink on paper decorated with floral design in gold and silver
paint 33.2 x 372.2 cm[16] Yoshitomo Nara, My Drawing Room, 2004/2021 312 × 200.5 × 448 cm 🄫Yoshitomo Nara photo byShinya Kigure *This work will be on loan during Part II. A special exhibit by the artist will be displayedinstead.
[17] Yasuhiro Suzuki, Bench of the Japanese Archipelago, 2014/2021 mixed media 🄫Yasuhiro Suzuki
photo by Shinya Kigure[18] Yasumasa Morimura, Rondo (Twins), 1994/2021 mixed media ©Yasumasa Morimura photo by
Shinya Kigure[19] Yayoi Kusama, Mirror Room (Pumpkin), 1991/1992 mixed media 200 x 200 x 200 cm 🄫Yayoi
Kusama photo by Shinya Kigure* Regarding Plate 5, Croix by Jean-Pierre Raynaud and Plate 19, Mirror Room (Pumpkin) by Yayoi Kusama,permission to print is required not only from Hara Museum ARC, but also from the respective copyrightholder. Please contact us for details.

■About Hara Museum ARC[20] Jean-Michel Othoniel, Kokoro, 2009
photo by Shinya Kigure[21] Kankai Pavilion photo by Sadamu Saito[22] Hara Museum ARC photo by Shinya Kigure[23] Open-view Storage photo by Sadamu Saito[24] Café d’Art

Hara Museum ARC opened in Shibukawa, Gunma in 1988 as anannex to the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Shinagawa,Tokyo, which opened in 1979. When the Hara Museum closed inJanuary 2021, Hara Museum ARC was re-launched as the solevenue integrating the functions and activities of both museums
and offering viewers with the opportunity to experience art
surrounded by verdant nature against a backdrop of expansive
blue skies.
The Hara Museum Collection includes a wide selection ofcontemporary art by Japanese and overseas artists dating fromthe 1950s onward. The collection began around the time the Hara
Museum of Contemporary Art opened and was amassed by
Toshio Hara, chairman of the Foundation Arc-en-Ciel under which
the museum operates. It encompasses a diverse range ofexpression, from paintings and sculptures by masters who
spearheaded the major art movements of the 20th century such
as Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art, to works in the areas ofphotography and video by artists active in the art scene of the21st century.
The museum also houses the Hara Rokuro Collection, a collectionof early modern Japanese paintings, crafts, and Chinese art
acquired by Rokuro Hara (1842-1933), the great-grandfather ofToshio Hara, who contributed to the industrialization of Japan
during the Meiji Era. Notable holdings include a National
Treasure-designated celadon vase representing the epitome ofChinese porcelain; an Important Cultural Property-designatedmasterpiece of the bijin-ga (beautiful women) genre showing awoman passing through a reed portiere, considered a precursor tothe ukiyoe paintings of beautiful women; the masterful Landscapeof Yodo River by Maruyama Okyo; and partition paintings thatoriginally adorned the Nikko-in Guest Hall at Mi′idera temple byKano Eitoku and other artists of the Kano school.
The buildings that comprise Hara Museum ARC were designed by
Arata Isozaki, winner of the 2019 Pritzker Prize, considered theNobel Prize in the field of architecture. Gallery A, with its
impressive pyramid-shaped roof that echoes the peaks of Mount
Haruna, and Galleries B and C, which face the front garden like
extended wings, comprise exquisite spaces in which
contemporary artworks can shine. On the other hand, the Kankai
Pavilion, whose design was inspired by the traditional shoin-zukuri(drawing room) style of the Nikko-in Guest Hall at Mi'idera (Onjoji)
temple in Shiga prefecture, is a quiet Japanese-style space where
the skill of master craftsmen is apparent in every feature of theinterior.
Within the expansive grounds of the museum, visitors can enjoy astroll while enjoying various outdoor art installations by Japaneseand overseas artists such as Andy Warhol and Olafur Eliasson.
In the Open-view Storage, a part of the Hara Museum Collection
is on display for viewing mainly by curators, critics, educators andresearchers. The facility may also be viewed by the general publicthrough guided tours. In either case, a reservation is necessary.
Please note that reservations for English-language tours of theOpen-view Storage are also accepted, subject to staff availability.
Please inquiry at least five days prior to your visit. Periodic tours
are also conducted for Hara Museum ARC members.
With its high ceiling and large windows, the Cafe d'Art provides a
restful setting where visitors can enjoy a wide selection ofsandwiches, pasta and other dishes made with fresh, local[25] Museum Shop photo by Shinya Kigure
produce and ingredients, as well as special treats such as
homemade ice cream from the neighboring Ikaho Green Bokujo. Visitors can partake of the cafe's signature
Image Cake which features a varying motif inspired by the current exhibition.
The Museum Shop offers a full selection of products that bring the enjoyment of contemporary art into daily
life, from exhibition catalogues and related publications to original museum and designer goods andaccessories. Modern goods made with traditional Japanese craftsmanship and items created by Gunmabased artists are also periodically introduced.

■Information
Title: Opposite the Sun Is Where the Blue Sky Lies: Works from the Hara Museum and the Hara Rokuro
Collections
Dates: Part II: Saturday, September 9 – Monday/national holiday, January 8, 2024
Part I: Friday, March 24 – Sunday, September 3, 2023Venue/Organized by: Hara Museum ARC
2855-1 Kanai, Shibukawa-shi, Gunma 377-0027
Tel: 0279-24-6585 E-mail: arc@haramuseum.or.jp official website: https://www.haramuseum.or.jp
Hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm (last entry at 4:00 pm)
Closed: Thursdays (except on holidays), January 1 *The museum is closed for winter break from January 9(Tues.) to mid-March 2024.
Admission (slated): General 1,800 yen (1,500 yen*), Students 1,000 yen (700 yen*) (high school anduniversity) or 800 yen (500 yen*) (elementary and junior high) *Online booking price.
*Free for Hara Museum members / For residents of Gunma Prefecture: Free admission for elementary andjunior high school children every Saturday during the school term. Special discounts are available.
Directions from Tokyo: By train: Take the Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki, change to the Joetsu / Agatsuma
Line, and disembark at Shibukawa. From Shibukawa, ARC is 10 minutes away by taxi or 15 minutes by bus(take the bus going to Ikaho Onsen or Ikaho Harunaguchi, get off at "Green Bokujo Mae" and walk about 7minutes). By car: 8 kilometers (about 15 minutes) from the Kan-etsu Expressway Shibukawa Ikaho
Interchange (in the direction of Ikaho Onsen).
●Selected Japan Rail (JR) Train Schedules*Current as of March 2023. Please check the relevant time tables for the most recent information.
Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen (Weekdays, Weekends and Holidays)
Depart Tokyo Station on Hakutaka No. 553 at 7:52 → Arrive at Takasaki Station at 8:42 → Depart on theAgatsuma Line bound for Omae at 8:53 → Arrive at Shibukawa Station at 9:19 → Take the Kanetsu Kotsu
bus bound for Ikaho Harunaguchi at 9:25 → Arrive at Green Bokujo at 9:40.
Depart Tokyo Station on Toki No. 317 at 10:40 → Arrive at Takasaki Station at 11:31 → Depart on theAgatsuma Line bound for Naganohara Kusatsuguchi at 11:44 → Arrive at Shibukawa Station at 12:08 →Take the Kanetsu Kotsu bus for Ikaho Onsen at 12:14 → Arrive at Ikaho Green Bokujo at 12:29.

Limited Express "Kusatsu" (Kusatsu No. 31 runs only on weekends and holidays)
Depart from Ueno Stationon Kusatsu No. 31 at 9:00→ Arrive at Shibukawa Station at 10:38 → Take theKanetsu Kotsu bus bound for Ikaho Onsen at 10:55 → Arrive at Green Bokujo at 11:10.
Depart from Ueno Station on Kusatsu No.1 at 10:00 → Arrive at Shibukawa Station at 11:36 →Take theKanetsu Kotsu bus bound for Ikaho Harunaguchi at 11:42 → Arrive at Green Bokujo at 11:53.
Depart from Ueno Station on Kusatsu No. 3 at 12:10→ Arrive at Shibukawa Station at 13:50 → Take theKanetsu Kotsu bus bound for Ikaho Harunaguchi at 13:55→ Arrive at Green Bokujo at 14:06.
●Highway Bus/JR Bus “Joshu Yumeguri-go”
Shinjuku Station ⇔ Shibukawa Station, Ikaho, Kusatsu Onsen
For up-to-date departure times, please go to JR Bus Kanto’s website at
http://www.jrbuskanto.co.jp/e6_1/pdf/e6_1.pdf (in Japanese)■Press Enquiries
Email:press@haramuseum.or.jp