Tokyo is currently undergoing tremendous change. The 2011 earthquake has put even more urgency on city planners and developers to ensure their buildings are quake-proof. In addition, the government is making way for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and all its accompanying facilities. That means many old buildings are being torn down and the face of Tokyo is changing at a dizzying rate.
As a statement of simply existing – being alive and witnessing these turbulent times – a group of over 70 artists have banded together and taken over an office building slated for demolition. Titled BCTION, for roughly a month and a half artists have staged installations on all 9 floors, repurposing the “dead space of the city” into a splendid art gallery.
The 7th floor space includes work by Aruto Watanabe, Hideyuki Katsumata, RtypeL and more.
BCTION will be up through this weekend (ending Sept. 28, 2014) in Kojimachi (Gmap). Admission is free but you have to reserve tickets online. All images are from BCTION’s instagram account, where you can see even more.
the 8th floor includes work by JONJON GREEN
on the 9th floor is work by New York’s Meguru Yamaguchi (studio visit here)
the 5th floor occupies an installation by tha
an installation by COLORGUNG on the 2nd floor
on the 6th floor, a mural by art unit WHOLE9
On the 1st floor, a mural by YOU, meaning anyone can draw on it
Related posts:
The Mirror: 30 Major Artists Descend Upon an 80-Year Old Office Building in Ginza
CC4441 | a new gallery space in Tokyo made from stacked shipping containers
urban farming and corporate culture collide in this Tokyo office building
Miyanoyu: a 70-Year Old Tokyo Sento Renovated into an Art Gallery and Cafe
September 28, 2014 at 11:15 am
I really REALLY enjoyed it! Thank you for the info! ^o^/
Some of my pictures can be seen on my blog here: http://www.color-lounge.com/blog/2014/09/bction/
Cheers!
September 29, 2014 at 9:32 am
@Cédric – these photos are great! So glad you were able to make it.
September 28, 2014 at 2:19 pm
Now imagine, seeing these wall paintings: why no do a similar thing with a NEW office building, e.g. for a creative agency, before carpets and furniture are brought in? This fine art deserves to persist longer than until demolition.