Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015
February 8–March 16, 2014
Press preview: Friday, February 7, 2–6pm
Auditorium, former Rissei Elementary School
310-2 Bizenjima-cho, Nakagyo-ku
Kyoto 604-8023
Japan
www.parasophia.jp
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Lecture
William Kentridge: “Escaping One’s Fate: Commenting on The Refusal of Time“
Saturday, February 22, 1–3pm
Ponto-cho Kaburenjo Theater
130 Hashishita-cho, Nakagyo-ku
Kyoto 604-8003
Japan
Artistic Director: Shinji Kohmoto
Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015 is an international exhibition of contemporary art presented by the Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture Organizing Committee, which is formed by members of the Kyoto Association of Corporate Executives, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, and other important figures of Kyoto’s financial and cultural communities that brings together the rich cultural heritage and the vibrant academic environment of Kyoto. As a prelude to this exhibition, almost exactly a year in advance, we will present the Asian premiere of South African artist William Kentridge‘s large-scale video installation The Refusal of Time (2012). The Refusal of Time is a five-channel video installation with a complex soundscape, megaphones, and a large breathing machine that Kentridge calls the ‘elephant.’ The work was made for dOCUMENTA (13) (Kassel, 2012), where its deep meditation on time and the rich visual experience it offers brought critical and popular acclaim from the hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world. It is appropriate that this important work is shown for the first time in any Asian country here in Kyoto, a city that has strong ties with the artist, with a history including a large-scale traveling exhibition that started in Kyoto and the 2010 Kyoto Prize. On February 22, Kentridge will be coming to Kyoto to speak about the work at a traditional geisha theater within walking distance from the exhibition venue.
For more information about our prelude exhibition, please see the following pages on our website:
Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015
Prelude [Exhibition] William Kentridge: The Refusal of Time (Asian premiere)
Press release: Prelude [Exhibition] William Kentridge: The Refusal of Time
Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015 is scheduled to be held from early March to early May 2015 at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, The Museum of Kyoto, and other locations in Kyoto. While many international exhibitions are government initiatives, this festival was proposed by members of the financial community in Kyoto. This unique background reflects the nature of the city, where the private sector has traditionally led civic development, from infrastructure to culture. Our artistic director is Shinji Kohmoto, who was formerly the chief curator of the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (MoMAK). Kohmoto has curated many radical and engaging exhibitions for more than three decades at MoMAK, and has also played an active part in international exhibitions overseas, including the Venice Biennale and Documenta. Under his direction, Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015 will bring together the rich cultural heritage and the vibrant academic atmosphere of Kyoto and work toward the reestablishment of the city as a cultural capital on a global scale.
Kohmoto’s note about the title of the festival can be read here.
Our second press conference will be held in early April (date and location to be announced on February 7).
Previous events
June 21, 2013: Open Research Program 01 [Lecture] Akira Mizuta Lippit, “Like Cats and Dogs—Cinema and Catastrophe” (full record and English essay available as a free e-book on our website)
July 27, 2013: Open Research Program 02 [Report] Koki Tanaka & Mika Kuraya, “abstract speaking—participating in the Venice Biennale”
September 6, 2013: Open Research Program 03 [Lecture/Performance] Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, M.2062 (Scarlett)
October 14, 2013: Open Research Program 04 [Dialogue] Cai Guo-Qiang in conversation with Akira Asada
October 25, 2013: Open Research Program 05 [Lecture] Kazuyo Sejima
Upcoming events
February 16
Open Research Program/Prelude: Access Program [Narrative Generation] EnJoe Toh
Former Rissei Elementary School, Kyoto
(See here for more lectures in our access program.)
April 4
Open Research Program [Lecture] Chris Dercon, “Art + Architecture for the XXI Century: Tate Modern” (A collaborative project by Parasophia & Future Beauty)
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
(More TBA)
Contact us
General inquiries: info [at] parasophia.jp
Press inquiries: press [at] parasophia.jp
Subscribe to our newsletter (English, Japanese, or both): newsletter [at] parasophia.jp
For more information about Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015 and its related events, visit www.parasophia.jp.
