Ueno is an area teaming with museums, a great place to view many works of art. But art isn’t only about appreciating great masters from afar. How about a spot where you can enjoy art really up close? The tiny shop located on campus at Tokyo University of the Arts could be just the place to bring you closer to “art” by making it more accessible.
On display are works created by popular artists and students of Tokyo University of the Arts and everything is “on sale”
Geidai Art Plaza is located just inside the Masaki Gate, usually referred to as Kuromon (Black Gate), which served as the entrance of the former Tokyo Fine Arts School.
Once the word “art” is mentioned, we tend to brace ourselves.
We might feel that our lives are disconnected to art. But if there were a place
where we could actually stop by to touch and buy art, just like treating ourselves
to something sweet, or purchasing a small piece of jewelry, we might start
feeling closer to art.
The “Geidai Art Plaza” is
exactly that kind of place. The shop was refurbished and opened in October 2018
just inside Tokyo University of the Arts’ Masaki Gate, also known as the
Kuromon (Black Gate). The Geidai Art Plaza is run jointly by Tokyo University
of the Arts (Geidai) and Shogakukan Inc., a Japanese publisher. On display are
some 1,300 items; works by Geidai students, alumni, professors and lecturers, alongside
some original items. The most unique feature is that every piece of work on
display inside the store is up for sale. Visitors can enjoy the artwork, and if
they like something, buy it, and make it part of their lives. The project is the
brainchild of Shogakukan’s Masato Kawauchi, who came up with the system based
on his own experience.
“I liked visiting Geidai’s Graduation Works Exhibitions back when I was working as a magazine editor. There was a time when I encountered a piece of work that I really liked. I asked, and surprisingly, I was able to purchase it. That experience and the joy I felt at the time inspired me to launch Geidai Art Plaza.”
Inside the shop: works on the wall are part of the permanent exhibition. Works for the special exhibition are displayed in the central area.
On display inside the shop are a variety of works covering the latest pieces by popular artists, rising stars flexing their artistic muscles and “artists in the making” who are studying at Geidai. There is a wide array of material and techniques. You can find accessory items such as necklaces and rings; small-sized art that can fit the palm of your hand and aptly named “Tenohira-e (palm pictures)”; glass art; music; paintings; pottery; cast metal; cutlery; and much more. There are plenty of amusing items, too. You will rack your brains trying to find a way to display that unique statue at home. Some pieces make you want to delve into their background, ask the artist “Where did you come up with that motif?” The prices range from a few thousand yen to tens and hundreds of thousand yen. You get a sense of the different personalities, just by the way the artists price their own work.
The “Tenohira-e” collection was designed to offer affordable paintings. O JUN, professor, Tokyo University of the Arts, came up with the name.
Works of art come to life based on a specific theme
Anna Stefaniak’s “Lost”, from the special exhibition “Glass Wonderland”. Fine metal pieces are laid on cotton-textured glass powder.
Works on display at the Geidai Art Plaza are roughly grouped into those for the permanent exhibition and works for themed special exhibitions. Examples of special themed exhibitions include “Glass Wonderland” (February to March, 2020) and “Hana to Tsubomi (Flowers and buds)” (March to April, 2020). In general, special exhibitions put together by museums are a collection of art curated along a certain theme. At the Geidai Art Plaza, chief art director Kumiko Ito and her team go to artists that fit the theme and request artwork to exhibit and sell. Sometimes they will be happily surprised by a delivery made just in time for the deadline to find that the artist has come up with something that “goes way beyond imagination”. According to Ito that is what makes Geidai Art Plaza so special. On the other hand, the permanent exhibition consists of work of carefully selected artists. There is no set timeframe for display and sales. If you chance upon something you like, that is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
Top: “steamy mirror”, graduation work by Haruna Oikawa using glass, and others. Bottom: “sweet smell”, necklaces by Mai Yamamoto made from glass and natural stones.
When you step inside the store and cast your gaze upon the numerous pieces of work, you might feel that you are being tested for your taste and aesthetic sensibility. But that is part of the fun. It is all right to drop by for a casual look around. Feel free to pick up something as a way of supporting a young artist. You might want to make a “future investment” and display your “find” in your room, dreaming happy dreams. What you don’t need when visiting Geidai Art Plaza, is a deep knowledge of art, preconceptions that muddle your sensitivity. What you want to do inside this space where unique works of art jostle each other in peaceful harmony, is to discover your favorite piece of art. If you like it, take it home with you. Geidai Art Plaza is a place that lets you enjoy a carefree art experience.
That’s Geidai President Kazuki Sawa on those biscuits(1,200 yen), drawn by Chiharu Sakazaki, a Geidai alumnus, the illustrator who designed the penguin on the Suica pre-paid money card. The package was designed by Katsuhiko Hibino, a modern artist, who is the current Dean of Faculty of Fine Arts.Parked right beside the terrace in front of the shop is the kitchen car “NoM cafe”. Stop by to enjoy a cup of tasty chai or pour-over coffee made to perfection.
Text: Takahiro Okuda Photos: Kuniko Hirano
Geidai Art Plaza
Address: On campus of the faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts 12-8 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo Hours: 10:00-18:00 Closed: Mondays (When a national holiday falls on a Monday, open on Monday and closed on Tuesday) https://artplaza.geidai.ac.jp/
Note: Information in this article current as of February 2020.
