Welcome to Trans-Cool TOKYO; where the sounds of daily lives are made into an orchestra, a boat is made out of tentacles, and a taxidermied deer is dressed in glass balls. Featuring over 40 works from the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo collection, the exhibition locates the unique identities of 13 selected Japanese artists—both legendary and emerging—within the context of global pop culture.
Yayoi Kusama
The eccentricity in Kusama’s work can be attributed to rather unfortunate circumstances. She has suffered since childhood from psychoneurosis and schizophrenia, resulting in hallucinations where everything she sees is covered in polka dots, or “infinity nets” as she calls them. Her abstract paintings and installations also explore issues of gender and sexuality, often linked to a feminist theme. Her works have been critically acclaimed for their simplistic visual elements in a modernist context.
Kohei Nawa
Known for his works evoking questions of alternate realities, Nawa uses physical items like taxidermic moose and elks, children’s shoes and a statue of Buddha, and layers them with crystal beads, polyurethane resin and even bubbling silicone oil to alter the way they appear.
Yoshihiro Suda
A hyper-realist sculptor, Suda’s work has been lauded for his meticulous detail and precision but frowned upon for the uncommon positioning and miniscule sizes of his work, creating a tension between the traditional and contemporary. Zul Andra
The exhibition is on through Feb 13. SAM at 8Q Singapore Art Museum at 8Q, 71 Bras Basah Rd., 6332 3222. Free.
