Press Release 2023/08/2

Opposite the Sun Is Where the Blue Sky Lies
Works from the Hara Museum and the Hara Rokuro Collections
Part II: Saturday, September 9, 2023 – Monday/national holiday, January 8, 2024
Following its consolidation with the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (in Tokyo) and subsequentrenovation and relaunch in 2021, Hara Museum ARC has organized exhibitions that draw upon its rich naturalenvirons for keywords that express aspects of art making and appreciation. Now in our third year, we are
currently holding Opposite the Sun Is Where the Blue Sky Lies, an exhibition that showcases works from theHara Museum Collection of contemporary art and the Hara Rokuro Collection of traditional East Asian art intwo parts, each corresponding to the spring-summer and the autumn-winter seasons.

【1】■Highlights of Part II(1) Contemporary artworks, collected over the last 40 years, by such artists as Shigeko Kubota who pushed
the envelope of sculptural expression and refused to be pigeonholed by the prevailing term "female artist,"and by "anti-art" artists who challenged the conventional artistic norms of their day.
(2) A new selection of Koetsu-bon, rare Noh songbooks printed with wooden movabletype in the calligraphic style invented by Honami Koetsu (presented to the public for the first time).
(3) Yoshitomo Nara's My Drawing Room which was relocated from the now-closed Hara Museum ofContemporary Art. As this installation will be on loan in its entirety during Part II, a special alternate
installation by the artist will be on display from September 9, 2023 to January 8, 2024.
*** Meet the Artist: Yoshitomo Nara to Be Held on Saturday, December 2, 2023!
Details about this event will be announced on the Hara Museum ARC website.

■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, theautumn color of the leaves and the stark black of Arata Isozaki's architecture presents an awe-inspiring sightnot to be found elsewhere. Averting your gaze from the white glare of the sun, you will notice that the blue ofthe sky becomes deeper the further away you look, becoming its deepest and most beautiful at the furthest
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. Also, continuing its first public appearance in thisspace from Part I, is also Bird-shaped Celadon water pitcher vase with inlay work that was unique to theGoryeo Dynasty in Korea and not 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 II also features a collaborative diptych by Goshun, a student of Yosa Buson, andMaruyama Okyo who put an emphasis on preparatory sketches, as well a new selection of Koetsu-bon, Nohsongbooks printed with wooden 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 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,
Claes Oldenburg, Ushio Shinohara and 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 and others
Part I (From March 24 to September 4, 2023)
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

Parts I and II
Anish Kapoor, Void / Yayoi Kusama, Mirror Room (Pumpkin) / Tatsuo Miyajima, Time Link / Yasumasa
Morimura, Rondo (Twins) / Tabaimo, Midnight Sea and others2

■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 II Autumn-Winter

【3】

【4】

【2】
【図版 3】【5】

Traditional East Asian Art (Part II)

【8】

【6】

【9】

【7】

3
【図版 7】

Parts I and II

【10】

【11】

This work will be on loan during Part II.
[1]
Ushioexhibit
Shinohara,
StrawberryBattle ofZebra and Lions, 1992
A specialby the artist
will be displayed
instead.
(from
September
9,
2023
until
January
8,2024)
Shinohara photo by Shinya Kigure

【12】

【13】

acrylic on canvas 210 x 360 cm ©Ushio + Noriko[1] Ushio Shinohara, Strawberry Battle of Zebra and Lions, 1992 acrylic on canvas 210 x 360 cm ©Ushio+ Noriko Shinohara[2] Mika Ninagawa, PLANT A TREE, 2011 C print 48.5 x 72.8 cm ©mika ninagawa[3] Arakawa, Look at It No.3, 1968 acrylic, felt pen on cotton canvas 124.5 x 183 cm © 2023 Estate ofMadeline Gins. Reproduced with permission of the Estate of Madeline Gins.
[4] Shigeko Kubota, Duchampiana: Bicycle Wheel One, Two, Three, 1990 3 in. LCD monitors, bicycle wheels,
motors, wooden stools, video heads, video discs, video disc players 148 x 64 x 39.5 cm each © 2023
Estate of Shigeko Kubota/ Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS)[5] Christo, The Umbrellas, Joint Project for Japan and USA, 1986 pencil, charcoal, cloth, crayon, pastel on
paper 67.3 x 78.2 x 4.3cm © ADAGP, Paris & JASPAR, Tokyo, 2023 G3248[6] Landscape of Mt. Fuji, Shiba Kokan, Edo period color on silk 142.2 x 81.1cm[7] Seaside landscape with sunrise, Yokoyama Taikan, Meiji period color on silk 127.2 x 40.8cm[8] Field with the moon, the subject called "Musashino" in Japanese, Edo period ink and color on gold-leaf
paper 172.2 x 360.0cm[9] Bird-shaped Celadon water pitcher vase, Goryeo dynasty[10] Yoshitomo Nara, My Drawing Room, 2004/2021 312 × 200.5 × 448 cm 🄫Yoshitomo Nara *This
work will be on loan during Part II. A special exhibit by the artist will be displayed instead.
[11] Yasuhiro Suzuki, Bench of the Japanese Archipelago, 2014/2021 mixed media 🄫Yasuhiro Suzuki[12] Yasumasa Morimura, Rondo (Twins), 1994/2021 mixed media ©Yasumasa Morimura[13] Yayoi Kusama, Mirror Room (Pumpkin), 1991/1992 mixed media 200 x 200 x 200 cm 🄫Yayoi
Kusama* Regarding Plate 5, The Umbrellas, Joint Project for Japan and USA by Christo and Plate 13, 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.

4

■About Hara Museum ARC[14] Jean-Michel Othoniel, Kokoro, 2009
photo by Shinya Kigure[15] Kankai Pavilion photo by Sadamu Saito[16] Hara Museum ARC photo by Shinya Kigure

Hara Museum ARC opened in Shibukawa, Gunma in 1988 as an annex to
the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Shinagawa, Tokyo, which
opened in 1979. When the Hara Museum closed in January 2021, Hara
Museum ARC was re-launched as the sole venue 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 of contemporary
art by Japanese and overseas artists dating from the 1950s onward. The
collection began around the time the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
opened and was amassed by Toshio Hara, chairman of the FoundationArc-en-Ciel under which the museum operates. It encompasses a diverse
range of expression, 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 of photography
and video by artists active in the art scene of the 21st century.
The museum also houses the Hara Rokuro Collection, a collection ofearly modern Japanese paintings, crafts, and Chinese art acquired by
Rokuro Hara (1842-1933), the great-grandfather of Toshio Hara, who
contributed to the industrialization of Japan during the Meiji Era. Notableholdings include a National Treasure-designated celadon vaserepresenting the epitome of Chinese porcelain; an Important Cultural
Property-designated masterpiece of the bijin-ga (beautiful women) genre
showing a woman passing through a reed portiere, considered aprecursor to the ukiyoe paintings of beautiful women; the masterfulLandscape of Yodo River by Maruyama Okyo; and partition paintings thatoriginally adorned the Nikko-in Guest Hall at Mi′idera temple by Kano
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 the Nobel Prize inthe field of architecture. Gallery A, with its impressive pyramid-shapedroof 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 shoinzukuri (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 skillof master craftsmen is apparent in every feature of the interior.

[17] Open-view Storage photo by Sadamu Saito

Within the expansive grounds of the museum, visitors can enjoy a stroll while enjoying various outdoor art installations
by Japanese and 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 public through guided tours. In either case, areservation is necessary. Please note that reservations for English-language tours of the Open-view Storage are also
accepted, subject to staff availability. Please inquiry at least five days prior to your visit. Periodic tours are also conductedfor Hara Museum ARC members.

5[18] Café d’Art menu selection

With its high ceiling and large windows, the Cafe d'Art provides a restful setting
where visitors can enjoy a wide selection of sandwiches, pasta and other dishes
made with fresh, local produce and ingredients, as well as drip coffee carefully
prepared by hand. Visitors can partake of the cafe's signature Image Cake whichfeatures a varying motif inspired by the current exhibition.
The Museum Shop offers a full selection of products that bring the enjoyment ofcontemporary art into daily life. These include original museum goods, exhibition
catalogues and related publications and modern goods made with traditional
Japanese craftsmanship, not to mention the periodic introduction of items createdby Gunma-based artists.

[19] Museum Shop

■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, 2023
*One change of exhibitions will take place at the Kankai Pavilion during Part II of the exhibition.

Venue/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, December 28 and January 4), January 1 *The museum is closed forwinter 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. For online discounttickets, go to https://www.e-tix.jp/haramuseum_arc/en/*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 7
minutes). 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 July 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 the Agatsuma
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.

6

Depart Tokyo Station on Toki No. 317 at 10:40 → Arrive at Takasaki Station at 11:31 → Depart on the Agatsuma Linebound 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 the Kanetsu 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 the Kanetsu 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 the Kanetsu 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)●By Chartered Helicopter
Approx. 35 min. from Tokyo Heliport to Ikaho Onsen Nagamine Heliport and approx. 10 min. by taxi from
Ikaho Onsen Nagamine Heliport to Hara Museum ARC* Please contact the respective helicopter charter company for details.

7Membership Program
The Hara Museum ARC membership program was set up for those who want to make the enjoyment of art a
bigger part of their life. By presenting their membership card, members receive free admission, discounts at
the Café d'Art and Museum Shop and invitations to members-only events such as tours of the Open-View
Storage. The aim of the program is to allow members to experience art from a variety of perspectives whileproviding support for the museum's activities. For details, please go to our website.
https://www.haramuseum.or.jp/en/membership/
Ongoing Event
SHOP@CAFE: Painting Maniac Bunta Inoue
Venue: Cafe d'Art and The Museum Shop at Hara Museum ARC
Dates: July 7, 2023 (Fri.) - January 8, 2024 (Mon.)
Hours: Cafe d'Art 10:00 am-4:30 pm, Museum Shop 9:30 am-4:30 pm *Closed on museum holidays.

■Press Enquiries

Email:press@haramuseum.or.jp8