İstanbul’s The Pill Gallery attends Gendai Tokyo with a group show. For its inaugural participation in the second edition of Tokyo Gendai, the gallery presents From Me Flows What You Call Time, a group show that draws inspiration from Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu’s awe-inspiring orchestral composition and brings together recent works by Mireille Blanc, Dirk Braeckman, Claire Chesnier, Pablo Dávila and Jean-Charles Eustache.
The title is borrowed from one of the exhibited works by Mexican artist Pablo Dávila who used Takemistu’s score sheet of the same name in one of this text-based works which refers to the Japanese composer’s relationship to time and space translated into void and silence in his music.
The booth is orchestrated like a partition in which thoughtfully selected works aim to provoke the questioning of our expectations in dealing with time and the psychological lens with which we process events in our memory.
Tuesday evening in Tokyo’s Roppongi district was buzzing with excitement, despite cloudy skies. Artists, collectors, and dealers flocked to gallery openings, including local favorites like ShugoArts and Taka Ishii, and international names like Perrotin. The event kicked off Tokyo Gendai week, leading up to the second edition of the Tokyo Gendai art fair at Pacifico Yokohama.
While last year’s fair was a success, this year faces challenges with a cooling global art market and the strong dollar potentially complicating sales. However, the expansion of Perrotin and the upcoming opening of Pace Gallery’s Tokyo branch signal a thriving art scene.
The focus in Asia is shifting from Hong Kong to regional markets. For example, Gagosian is opening in Seoul alongside the third Frieze Art Fair. In Japan, new art collectors are emerging, inspired by figures like Yusaku Maezawa, though the market still has room to grow.
Established players like the Mori family continue to shape Tokyo’s art scene. The new Pace gallery, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, is part of the Mori Building’s Azabudai Hills project. The Mori Art Museum’s new branch in Azabudai also highlights the close ties between art and real estate development.
The government’s new tax laws, introduced last year, aim to boost the art market. This year will be a test of their impact as Tokyo Gendai seeks to grow and evolve.
