‘Mariko Mori anticipated the zeitgeist’: curator Alexandra Monroe on her new show and how Japan's art scene has changed
The US curator who helped shape the narrative of Japan’s post-war art has returned to Tokyo to collaborate on a show by the acclaimed artist
Curator Alexandra Monroe speaks about the evolution of Japan's art scene in her new Mariko Mori retrospective show at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. The show, a collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, marks a significant transformation in the country's museum landscape.
Monroe, a US curator with three decades of experience, notes that Japan's museum ecology has experienced tremendous growth since the 1990s. Post-war society, defeat in World War II, reconstruction, and Americanization all played a role in shaping Japanese art, with artists like Yoko Ono, Yayoi Kusama, and On Kawara contributing to the field. New museums, experimental galleries, and international galleries representing Japanese artists have all played a part in this growth.
The Mori Art Museum, under the trailblazing leadership of Mami Kataoka, has become a global institution, hosting influential exhibitions by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Ai Weiwei, and Lee Bul. Monroe praises the Benesse Art Site Naoshima for its role in elevating Japan's status as a contemporary art superpower.
Japan's model of public funding for art museums, which balances regional and international context, is worth emulating, Monroe suggests. She admires institutions like the Nagoya City Art Museum, Ashiya City Museum of Art and History, and Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, which have made remarkable collections of various artists' works.
However, Monroe also observes a recent retreat from Japan's post-war identification as an international country. Despite this, she believes that collaborating with international institutions can help bring Japanese artistic contributions to worldwide recognition. The Guggenheim's Asian Art Initiative and the UBS MAP G, among others, have facilitated these collaborations.
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