Held triennially and currently in its 6th iteration, Roppongi Crossing is an exhibition staged by the Mori Art Museum that attempts to comprehensively survey the Japanese contemporary art scene. The theme this year is “Connexion” and, as in the past, the museum has done a fantastic job curating some terrific art that is relevant to the many social and political issues of today.
“Life today seems freer and more convenient than ever before, as we embrace diversity, and reap the benefits of rapid technical advances,” declares the museum. The exhibition focuses on these connections, but also the divisions that they create.
In one room, the art unit 目［mé］has recreated what almost looks like a real-life version of one of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s seascapes. Except instead of calm, these waters are rough and choppy. In another space, the artist Aono Fumiaki, who primarily creates assemblages from things destroyed in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, presents us with forces of new life.
By joining polar opposites and fusing the heterogeneous, 25 different Japanese artists offer us clues to adjusting our views and perhaps forming new connections.
Roppongi Crossing 2019 is on view at the Mori Art Museum through May 26, 2019.
