Modern art is cool

ひさしぶりですね！

Okay, that was a little corny, but it has been quite some time since I've written on this blog. I wonder how professional bloggers manage to post on a schedule; once you lose motivation, it doesn't come back for a long time! Just like any writing I've done, I got kind of bored so I stopped posting on this blog, but currently I'm in the midst of a real life moment that's even more boring, so I decided to come back and post something. And besides, it's not like a month is all that long in the grand scheme of things. It just feels that way.

Part of the reason I stopped posting was because originally, I wanted to use this blog to kind of reflect on my journey of personal growth (or lack thereof) while I'm in Japan, but life hasn't proven as dramatic as I'd expected. After over three months of studying in Japan, I've come to feel like this is my life now, and I've settled into something of a routine. Unfortunately, real life not being a movie, it's not so easy to identify the pivotal points of personal growth. But that's not to say I haven't done some cool things in Japan worth sharing. I have, and I'd like to share one of them in this post!

Last Friday, I went to the city of Yokote, which is about an hour south of AIU by train. I wasn't expecting to go, but I spontaneously got invited, and had no reason not to, so it just kind of happened. And I'm glad it did! It's hardly big enough to be considered a city, but I really enjoyed my time there, largely owing to one particular place: The Akita Modern Art Museum.

I absolutely loved it there; I've always liked Japanese art more than Western art, and modern art is no exception. Even in the 20th and 21st centuries, Japanese art has retained staple characteristics of the Japanese aesthetic. Of course, it looks good when I write that, but I'm not an art critic, and all that really means is that Japanese art focuses on natural landscapes, and I prefer that to Western art which, in many cases, focuses on people and environments made by people. In contrast, even when Japanese art has people and human-made structures, they pale in size and importance to the natural world. Even in modern art, where the buildings and creations of humankind start to hold more prominence, the paintings I saw tended to show modern architecture either being taken over by nature, or standing on its own, devoid of people. One artist had a particular theme of painting empty, abandoned, human-made places (like rooms and stairwells, for example) with a single bird somewhere in the painting, which I thought was interesting. Another painted decaying buildings, overrun by growing plants, trees, animals, and general greenery. I would include pictures, but a lot of the exhibit prohibited photography, so I don't have that much to show.

Another exhibit I saw did allow some photography, so I'll start with photos from that exhibit.

I made these photos extra large so they'd be more visible, because they really are worth checking out. This exhibit was my favorite part of the museum for sure, although sadly it closed a few days ago. It was made by an artist born in Akita named Tomoko Konoike. My Japanese, unfortunately, was not god enough to read the plaques at the exhibit and the brochure that I took from the museum, but from what I could read and gather from the exhibit itself, she made this exhibit thinking about nature. A lot of the paintings have what seems to be a cycle of life theme, incorporating different organisms and natural scenery and occurrences in a way that they all seem to be connected. Although I didn't get any pictures of these particular pieces, a lot of her art also revolves around wolves, some of which have human appendages. The use of animal pelts creeped me out a little bit at first, but I got the sense that Konoike has a profound respect for nature, and a deep understanding of humanity's place within the natural cycle of life. 

I looked a little online, and found that a lot of her previous art revolves around similar themes. One of her more well-known pieces is a girl surrounded by floating wolves, with only her legs visible:

It looks pretty freaky, but I read a very interesting article (that I will link at the end of this post) that states the message of this work is more about protection and empowerment; the girl is strengthened, rather than contained, by the wolves. I just thought that was cool, and it seems to fit with the overall theme of Konoike's work. I can't tell if it's just because I'm naturally inclined to think that everything in Japan is more exotic, but her work struck a chord with me that never really gets struck by Western artists. I couldn't read what it was about, so theoretically I knew less about the exhibit than any I've seen in a Western museum, but the attachment I felt to Konoike's art was stronger than what I normally feel for Western works. The greater respect and awe that Japanese artists tend to have towards the natural world also instills Japanese art with a general sense of wonder that, again, Western works don't usually make me feel. 

Or maybe I'm just overreacting because of the sheer excitement of being in a foreign country, which I feel whenever I leave the AIU campus. 

Regardless, I loved the Akita Modern Art Museum, and I'd love to go back once their new exhibit opens in January!

Also, I had some Yokote yakisoba.

 

Japanese food continues to amaze me and my tastebuds! The dish is boiled noodles with a sunny-side-up egg, some beef, and a special sauce that I don't know, but tastes amazing. I can already tell that I'm gonna miss Japanese food so much when I leave...

I sort of pulled this post out of my brain in a frenzy of boredom and inspiration, so I hope it's not too boring or rushed. I just wanted to share my cool experience with Japanese modern art. On that topic, here's the link to the article about Tomoko Konoike if anyone is interested: https://metropolisjapan.com/dances-with-wolves/