YOKOHAMA2001 is now under way
YOKOHAMA Triennial
YOKOHAMA2001 is now under way through Nov. 11 at the Minato Mirai 21 area in Yokohama, about a 30-minute train ride from Tokyo.The first comprehensive international triennale of contemporary art presents works by 109 artists from 38 countries.
Visitors can find outdoor installations such as the gigantic 6-meter tall “Fruit Tree” by Choi Jeong Hwa, the “Narcissus Sea” with 2,000 mirror balls floating on seawater by Yayoi Kusama, and Yoko Ono’s “Freight Train,” which she brought from Berlin, Germany.
In the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall (10,000 square meters), 76 artists present their works. Because of the sizes, the about 13-meter long dresses (five pieces) created by Chiharu Shiota, the about 10 meter long two lures by Huang Yong Ping were the focus of a number of publications including the Japan Times (a major English language daily in Japan) and several local television networks. Among the video installations, “Memorial Project Nha Trang, Vietnam” by Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba drew much attention. Nguyen-Hasushiba (b. 1968) was born to a Japanese mother and a Vietnamese father. He put several cyclos (Vietnamese local tri-cycle taxi) underwater and filmed an homage to both the cyclo drivers who are increasingly being taken over by car taxis, and the many Vietnamese people who tried to flee the country by boat during the 1970s and ’80s.
The other venue, the Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, is a historical building, which was originally built in 1913. YOKOHAMA2001 is the first show to be held there after the building was renovated this year. Here 23 artists are showing their works. Most of the works are video installations. Tabaimo, the youngest (26 years old) of the 109 participating artists, introduces her latest film “Japanese Commuter Train.” Using six screens (shaped in a hexagon), she ironically documents todays Tokyo scene.
For further information, check www.jpf.go.jp/yt2001/en/
(During the exhibition, which started on Sept. 2, some 100,000 people have visited the show at the two main venues: Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall and Red Brick Warehouse No. 1.)
