TOKYO.- Tokyo Arts and Space (TOKAS) presents a series of exhibitions “ACT (Artists Contemporary TOKAS)” that showcase noteworthy efforts by mainly artists who have previously participated in other TOKAS programs.

This exhibition, “Of the Land,” focuses on the theme of the connection between people and the land. It features artworks by Fumiaki Akahane, Akane Kukita, and Sanae Yamada, each exploring “of the land” from a different perspective through soil, plants, and natural phenomena.

Since ancient times, people have expressed their connection to the land through myriad forms, including rites and festivals, figurines, and ornamental patterns. Today, though regional landscapes are in constant flux and the distinct identities of places are being eroded, we continue to sense our presence in specific environments through scents in the air, the wind on our skin, and the sensation of the ground beneath our feet. The respective practices of three artists offer an opportunity to rediscover how we, as beings of the land, are inextricably bound to it, and reconsider what that relationship means.

Artists

Fumiaki Akahane

Born in Nagano in 1984. Lives and works in Nagano. Captivated by the world beneath the soil, Akahane uses painting combining materials such as wood, fabric, and sand to depict a realm alive with fungi, slime molds, and insects, together with his inner world that resonates with it. This exhibition will feature an installation composed of large-scale paintings and sculptural works, comprising new pieces. Together, they evoke an underworld governed by fungi, an unknown world into which viewers may enter and dissolve.

Akane Kukita

Born in 1987, grew up in Aichi. Lives and works in Chiba. Kukita is interested in the ornamentation found in architecture and craft, creating sculptural works derived from these decorative patterns. By extracting these motifs from their original context and reconstructing them through various materials, including ceramic, metal, and acrylic, she invites new ways of seeing these forms. For this exhibition, she presents a new installation inspired by the ornaments of Buddhist altars, as well as feature works that reflect on natural order and the power of repeating forms.

Sanae Yamada

Born in Gunma in 1987. Lives and works in Tokyo. Yamada conducts research and fieldwork on land and natural disasters, exploring the relationship between people and the natural environment through video and installation. For this exhibition, she presents a new video installation inspired by the jishin-mushi (earthquake creature) and the namazu catfish from Japanese folklore. The work reflects on disasters—which have influenced human activity and exposed the structures of an era or a society—through the lenses of history, culture, and geography.
Support: Toshiaki Ogasawara Memorial Foundation

Organizer: Tokyo Arts and Space, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture. Cooperation: CAVE-AYUMI GALLERY.