March 20 (Fri., a national holiday) to May 31 (Sun.)
6:30 to 24:30 (Plaza B1's opening hours)
The TOKYO MIDTOWN AWARD is a design and art competition that aims to discover and support young talent of tomorrow.
The six winners of the 2019 art competition will display new works they have created for this exhibition on Plaza's B1 floor.
The works will include installation art and paintings. The Roppongi Art Night 2020 will also host special programs by participating artists.
Please enjoy artworks that showcase the individuality and talents of some of today's top up-and-coming young artists.
- Fee:
- Free
- Venue:
- Plaza B1 Metoro Avenue
- Hosted by:
- Tokyo Midtown
Information on the works and artists
Fabrication / CreationTakahisa Furuya
Even if the immense number of things we create survive for tens of thousands of years, we cannot know if their uses and purposes will be comprehended. This piece is based on a study of a clay sculpture, and shows the form of a person who lives so in the moment that they forget even the events of last year.
Highlights
Like the exhibits in an archaeology museum, this piece shows the relationship between memories and remains that stand for many years.
- Born in 1991. From Yamanashi City, Yamanashi Prefecture. Now living in Oume City, Tokyo.
- 2014:
- Graduated from Meisei University, Faculty of Art, Art Department
- 2016 and 2017:
- Rokko Meets Art (Mt.ROKKO CABLE CAR & TOURISM COMPANY, HANSHIN ELECTRIC RAILWAY CO., LTD., Hyogo)
- 2015 and 2017:
- Nakanojo Biennale (Nakanojo Biennale Committee, Gunma)
- 2018-2019:
- The shape of stress (Stitch Co., Ltd., Tokyo)
Giant Squid Byobu (Folding screen)Yuka Miyauchi
The giant squid is the world's largest invertebrate. Research is ongoing into these mysterious creatures that live deep in the ocean. Their very existence is like a supernatural phenomenon, and they inspire feelings akin to reverence. This piece expresses the sensations of taste, vision, touch, smell, and sound that the artist experienced in an encounter with a frozen giant squid.
Highlights
The folding screen was painted using the processed precious ink of a real giant squid. The artist hopes that the piece will convey the impact of these creatures, so shrouded in mystery and rarely seen alive.
- Born in 1985. From the Osumi Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture. Now living in Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture.
- 2007:
- Graduated from Tara Design School, Plastic Art Department
- 2019:
- Won a prize in the 22nd Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art
- 2019:
- Won the Runner-up Prize in the TOKYO MIDTOWN AWARD 2019 Art Competition
Blue of Edge, Red of FormosaNobuyuki Sugihara × Ayaka Nakamura
This work was created using deep blue shells the artists discovered in Iceland and documentary photographs taken in Taiwan, which is also called "Formosa (Beautiful Island)." It depicts the two islands as "boats." The piece brings to Tokyo Midtown lands the artists discovered on their travels.
Note: The piece was created through research funded by the Asian Cultural Council and Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation.
Highlights
This work reveals the contrast between fine art and folklore collected from these two islands, through the blue of the Icelandic shells—like the color of the edge of the world—and the red of the costumes of indigenous people of Taiwan.
- Nobuyuki Sugihara:
- Born in 1980. From Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture. Now living in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture.
- 2005:
- Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting, Oil Painting Course
- 2007:
- Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Department of Painting, Oil Painting Course
- Ayaka Nakamura:
- Born in 1982. From Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture. Now living in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture.
- 2004:
- Graduated from Shinshu University, Faculty of Agriculture
- 2019:
- Cheng-Long Wetlands International Environmental Art Project 2019 (Kuan Shu Education Foundation, Yunlin County [Taiwan])
- 2019:
- Kinokuni Trainart 2019 (Kinokuni Trainart Committee, Wakayama)
walk in progressKoro Ihara
Earthworms can break down inorganic substances like rocks inside their bodies, and through excretion, turn them into the organic substance that is dirt. By contrasting raw earthworm dung with dung fired into pottery, this piece makes you think about the relationship between humans and the circulation of organic and inorganic substances in the ecosystem.
Highlights
The night before the last day of the exhibition, the piece will be placed on the floor and walked on to return the casts to the earth. This performance will tie together the act of walking and the actions of the earthworms.
- Born in Osaka in 1988. From Kodaira City, Tokyo Metropolis. Now living in Tokyo.
- 2011:
- Graduated from Tama Art University, Faculty of Art and Design, Department of Sculpture
- 2013:
- Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Sculpture Course
- 2017:
- Studied in Italy for a year as a Pola Art Foundation Research Fellow
- 2017:
- Won the "Toshiko Okamoto Award" of the 20th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art
- 2019:
- Won the Grand Prix in the TOKYO MIDTOWN AWARD 2019 Art Competition
Bug reportKeita Mori
A drawing created using string, with no preparatory sketch. The tangles and breaks in the string from the composition phase suggest the existence of various "bugs" in the system, and pose questions about the structure of society and its institutions.
Highlights
Unlike lines made with pens or pencils, these lines made with thread form a drawing that expands the horizons of your imagination as you look at it.
- Born in 1981. From Sapporo City, Hokkaido. Now living in Paris, France.
- 2004:
- Graduated from Tama Art University, Faculty of Art and Design, Department of Sculpture, Various Materials Major
- 2011:
- Graduated from University of Paris 8, Graduate School of Art Research Department, Avant-Garde Arts Course
- 2016:
- Walk The Line—New Paths in Drawing (Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg [Germany])
- 2017:
- Strings (Drawing Lab Paris, Paris [France])
- 2018:
- 20th annual "DOMANI: The Art of Tomorrow" Exhibition (The National Art Center Tokyo, Tokyo)
- 2020:
- The Potentiality of Drawing (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo)
Whereabouts of joy / painMami Furuya
When you see clothes left hanging by a window, you might feel uneasy, as though it left its body somewhere. This print of "clothing" displayed hanging freely expresses the joy and pain we can feel throughout our daily lives.
Highlights
The piece is hung up on a hanger so it waves in the breeze and by people's movements. Experience a work that looks different depending on how the viewer moves.
- Born in 1994. From Nirasaki City, Yamanashi Prefecture. Now living in Kodaira City, Tokyo.
- 2018:
- Graduated from Musashino Art University, College of Art and Design
- 2020:
- Graduated from Musashino Art University Graduate School
- 2018:
- International Lithography days (MÜnchner KÜnstlerhaus, MÜnchen, Germany)
- 2019:
- The 44th Annual Exhibition of the Japan Society of Printmaking (Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, Tokyo)
TOKYO MIDTOWN AWARD 2019 art competition winners
Koro Ihara, Yuka Miyauchi, Nobuyuki Sugihara × Ayaka Nakamura, Takahisa Furuya, Mami Furuya, Keita Mori
Official Site
