- Workshop
Eiji Watanabe | Let’s Make a Horse-Head Cane!
EXHIBITIONS
Installation
Venue
Nihonbashi/Bakurocho Area
Etoile Kaito Living Bldg.
1-15-15 Higashikanda, Chiyoda-ku
Date
11:30–18:00 (Fri until 19:00)
Closed on Mon and Tue
*Open Nov 3 (Nat’l hol.) and 24 (Subst. hol.).
Reference Image: Garden of the Appellation, 2017. Installation view at Art Chapel, Amsterdam Sculpture Biennal: ARTZUID 2017. Photo by Eiji Watanabe
Eiji Watanabe is known for his installations using cut out images of plants and creatures from illustrated guides arranged in countless numbers within physical spaces. In addition to presenting his work worldwide, he remains active in creating art spaces with his own hands in various locations, inviting young artists and international artists to collaborate and realize diverse projects.
The centerpiece of this exhibition is the latest rendering of the series Garden of the Appellation, featuring images cut from plant and butterfly field guides arranged across floors and walls. This series began in 1992 and has developed across numerous locations. In plant and butterfly guides, diverse organisms are discovered, named, and classified by observers, accompanied by illustrations and descriptions. For instance, when one learns the name of a plant or mushroom encountered on a walk, it is only then that the object before them emerges as something identifiable within oneself, recognized as possessing individuality. When these confirmed illustrations are cut out and recreated anew in a different space as a “garden of the appellation,” we witness a fresh human-made nature.
The venue will also feature the work CATCH & RELEASE, which expresses phrases connected to the piece using light bulbs, along with interactive installations allowing visitors to engage with the work. Workshops titled “Let’s Make a Horse-Head Cane!” are also scheduled to be held during the exhibition period.
Special Cooperation: Etoile Kaito & Co., Inc.
Cooperation: Tokyo University of the Arts
Map
2 min walk from JR Sobu Line Bakurocho Sta. (Ex. 4)
6 min walk from Toei Shinjuku Line Bakuroyokoyama Sta. (Ex. A1)
E.W_Artist in Residence_Orkney, Scotland 2010
1961 Born in Aichi, Japan. Lives and works in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. 1985 Graduated from Sculpture Course, Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music. 2004–2005 Studied at Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh (grant from Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs). Group Exhibitions: Art Zuid 2017 (Art Chapel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands), 2013 NISSAN ART AWARD 2013 (BankART Studio NYK, Yokohama), 2010 Aichi Triennale 2010 (Nagoya); 2007 All about Laughter: humor in contemporary art, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; 2001 Encounter (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery).
Nihonbashi/Bakurocho Area
Etoile Kaito Living Bldg.