On December 23, 2021, the digital art collective TeamLab unveiled ‘Megaliths in the Garden,’ an interactive work of art at the One ITA shopping mall in Xujiahui, one of the largest commercial districts in Shanghai. This permanent exhibit shows the birth, bloom, and fall of the white magnolia and other local flowers throughout the year, and also changes in response to visitors’ movements. 

In ‘Megaliths in the Garden,’ the flowers that bloom in the area throughout the year are born and die in eternal repetition from hour to hour. When people approach each piece, the flowers fall, and when they stay still more bloom. The plants will also change to suit the particular season. How would you like to visit Shanghai to see this incredible digital art piece?

The online art exhibition for artists from the current era ‘Creator’s Show Up Gallery Online’ has announced the creation of a new original catalog, along with a contest to decide the best work from among the exhibitors’ booths.

The original catalog will include the works of all exhibitors of the online gallery. The cover features a key visual drawn by najuko. For those wanting to be included in the catalog, register as an exhibitor on the site, and then register for a booth. Sales will begin on January 20, 2021 for a limited time only. 

Contest Details

A new contest is being held under the theme of ‘the emergence of new talent.’ Winners can snag prizes regardless of fame or achievements prior, and the top prize is ¥100,000 and a YouTube thumbnail created by singer-songwriter John/TOOBOE. 

To commemorate the start of Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2 on January 9, 2022, some powerful new wall art filled with storyboards and other imagery from the series has appeared in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya train stations for a limited time!

These incredible images will only be available to see until January 9, so if you’re near any of these stations, be sure to check them out! Starting on January 4, a countdown video of ‘favorite scenes’ as chosen by six popular creators will be posted to the official anime Twitter account (@anime_shingeki).

Storyboards featured in this wall art comes from episodes 76 to 80 of the anime series. The largest board is 22.5 meters in length.

©諫山創・講談社／「進撃の巨人」The Final Season製作委員会

A collaborative pop-up shop between the character Chiikawa and the Hanshin Tigers baseball team will open at Shinsaibashi PARCO for a limited time, from December 23, 2021 until January 5, 2022.

Goods

A5-size Sticker Sheet

Face Towel

Tote Bag

Pin & Acrylic Stand in Capsules (6 varieties)

Pin & Acrylic Stand in Capsules (6 varieties)

Baseball Cap

T-shirt

T-shirt

PARCO Online Store Limited Edition T-shirt

PARCO Online Store Limited Edition T-shirt

Restaurant Bonus Campaign

Holographic Sticker

Holographic Sticker

Holographic Sticker

Instagram Present Campaign: B2 Poster (Not for Sale)

Limited-Time Items

Happy Chiikawa Bag 2022 (Year of the Tiger)

Purchase Bonus: A5-size Clear Folder (Soba)

Illustrations featured in this collection were drawn by original Chiikawa creator nagano, and these items will only be available at the pop-up store and the PARCO Online Store.

KAMU k=k, the sixth space in the private contemporary art museum KAMU Kanazawa, will officially open on December 17, 2021. The location was created as a multi-purpose exhibition space, and it’s first project will be ‘TALISMAN in the Woods’ by Ayako Suwa, active in the field of food art. The work is seat in Hakusan and Kanazawa and revolves around the themes of nature, cities, and water circulation.

TALISMAN in the woods ©Ayako Suwa Courtesy of KAMU kanazawa 

In the year and a half since its opening in 2020, KAMU Kanazawa has continued to inspire with unique spaces inspired by artist’s individuality. The opening of ‘KAMU tatami’ in October made a big splash, and ‘KAMU k=k’ will only be a limited space for around four years. This follows the museums philosophy that the role and shape of a city changes over time, meaning that the museum should change along with it. 

KAMU k≐k Courtesy of KAMU kanazaw

The space is five meters high, and seven meters wide and deep, giving a theater-like atmosphere. Giving a wildly different impression than it’s surroundings, visitors can enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime art experience. 

TALISMAN in the woods ©Ayako Suwa Courtesy of KAMU kanazawa 

The first exhibition held in “k≐k” will be “TALISMAN in the Woods” by Ayako Suwa. Ripples will spread outside of the museum, following the theme of water circulation. Visitors will be asked to pay attention to how nature silently impacts daily life, and will be inspired to create connections with the world around them. In this exhibition, Suwa will share insight on water from Hakusan, a city supplying water to huge areas of Ishikawa Prefecture. This three-dimensional work was created by the artist during 2020 during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. Using Cedar branches and leaves from Hakusan, the installation is on a massive scale consistent with the new space.After the exhibition, the talismans displayed in the work will be returned to the soil of Hakusan to connect the exhibition with local nature. 

©Ayako Suwa Courtesy of food creation

©Ayako Suwa Courtesy of food creation

Through crowdfunding, guests can snag a piece of Suwa’s work along with other special items. In addition to simply owning a piece of art, upon the death of these talismans, guests can participate in the ritual of returning these pieces to the forest. 

TALISMAN ©Ayako Suwa Courtesy of food creation

Interactive digital art collective TeamLab will hold the Kairaku-en (Japanese Garden) Festival of Light at one of Japan’s three most beloved gardens located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture from February 1 until March 31, 2022. A total of eight creative works showcasing the ‘longevity of life’ will be on display, utilizing the greenery of the surrounding 180-year-old garden itself. One work will illuminate over 1,500 plum trees, while another will see giant cedars interacting to guests’ presence. During this period, the Mito Ume Festival (February 11 – March 21) will also take place at the gardens. The festival has been held continuously for over 120 years.

Kairakuen is one of the three most famous gardens in Japan and was built by Tokugawa Nariaki during the Edo period (1842). The other two gardens are Kenroku-en in Ishikawa Prefecture and Koraku-en in Okayama Prefecture. In 1922, Kairaku-en was designated a National Historic Site and also a National Place of Scenic Beauty. In 2022, the garden will celebrate its 180th anniversary, and features over 3,000 plum trees of over 100 varieties. 

TeamLab’s ‘Digitized Nature’ art project utilizes technology to ‘turn nature itself into art in its natural state’ without destroying or uprooting any of the plants or trees. It can be difficult for humans to imagine the world that will exist after their particular life ends, and this installation hopes to show the beauty that is possible even after a hundred or a thousand years. Through the combination of human creations and nature itself, TeamLab wants to remind people what is possible when we live side by side in harmony with one another. 

Auto Moai, known for creating evocative works of faceless people, is making an appearance at the Seibu Ikebukuro main store from December 9 to December 14, 2021! A limited-time exhibition will welcome guests to peruse the creator’s works, and certain items will be on sale to the general public. There will also be an 8-meter-long piece of art at the venue! Seibu and Sogo are using the work of Auto Moai for their 2021 Christmas promotion, and the artist’s works will be featured on wrapping paper and gift bags. 

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Jointly, the Creators on Demand event will also be held at the Seibu Ikebukuro main store. This event was designed by artists and creators from a number of different fields to make art more accessible and enjoyable to the public. Merchandise will also be available at the venue. 

The Human Miracle Company launched ART BASE ZERO next in October 2021 to highlight up-and-coming artists. Inspired by 90s street culture in Tokyo, their new exhibition with CHRIS, whose works are made using a decollage technique, will open at Tokyo Hinode Pier from December 4 until December 26, 2021. 

Selected Items

CHRIS is a contemporary artist inspired by Tokyo street culture of the 90s. He uses the decollage technique, which utilizes cutting, tearing and removing pieces of an original image. At first glance, his style seems to be normal paintings, when in fact he uses pasting and forming printed materials to express them in new three-dimensional ways. To get this effect, he shapes them over and over again over a long period of time. In addition to participating in domestic and international art fairs and holding solo exhibitions, CHRIS has collaborated with fashion brands such as Columbia, GOD SELECTION XXX, GUESS, atmos, and more. 

Mirrorbowler will hold their first large-scale indoor solo exhibition at Shinsaibashi PARCO in Osaka from December 19, 2021, until February 13, 2022. 

Along with some truly massive pieces of artwork, the artists behind the creations will also hold workshops and release limited-edition goods at the venue to commemorate the event. Mirrorbowler is known for their expert use of light and reflection, and have participated in creating artwork for outdoor events, fashion shows, and CD jackets in the past. 

Past Works

Past Works

Beginner Origami Art (Star)

Intermediate Origami Art (Sphere)

Mockel

Space Plant

Original Merchandise

Mirrorbowler 2022 Calendar

Mirrorbowler Journey to the Stars Mirror

Mirror Ball Caricature Book

The theme for the exhibition is “to create something that does not exist anywhere, that has no proper name, that will never be the same twice, and that will never look the same to different people.” 

Mirrorbowler’s work features light and shadow as central themes, and guests are invited to look beyond what is in front of their eyes to find something deeper and more hidden. This imagery will be blended with sounds, scents, and hidden items just asking to be found.

While there is no set route to experience the exhibition, the creators hope visitors will wander back in forth to see things from different angles. Tickets are available to preorder now, so don’t miss this memorable event!

Starting in 2005 to add more color to Yokohama’s winter season, the ArtRink event held at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse combines artworks and ice skating for a bright and colorful way to spend a cold day. The 17th annual event will be held from December 4, 2021, until February 20, 2022, and will feature two artists: Moeno Ootsu and unpis, both taking part for the first time. The theme for this year’s art is ‘Stepping Out in Slippers.’ 

Moeno Ootsu

unpis

Message from the Artists

Hello. 

For this event, we’ve created an everyday space, ‘home,’ in a very not-everyday space: ArtRink in Yokohama.

Guests should come on an adventure that begins at the front door, then dance on ice through the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and more!

You might discover something new among the familiar furnishings and snippets of daily life.

We hope that once you leave ArtRink and return home, you’ll try to keep dancing from time to time.

Just have fun. Dance with us!

Whether you’re wearing skates, sneakers, or slippers…

Just take a step and have the best possible time this winter.

Kae Tanaka will hold a solo exhibition at Hotel Koe Tokyo in Shibuya from November 26 until December 10, 2021. The artist has recently collaborated with popular girls group Nogizaka46 and actress Rio Uchida, and is skyrocketing in popularity throughout Japan.

Collaboration Goods

Overalls

Overalls

Socks

Hoodies

Tote Bag

Kae-chan Soft Vinyl Figures in Limited-Edition Color (By Lottery)

Over the past year, Hotel Koe Tokyo has been supporting the solo exhibitions of up-and-coming artists. This ima no koe (The Voices of Today) initiative is helping to highlight local talent that may otherwise be overlooked. 

Kae Tanaka is a Tumblr-based illustrator who has garnered large amounts of attention across social media. Collaborative goods created in conjunction with the hotel will be available, all of which are unisex and created by the French brand Le Pigeon Voyageur. A special Kae-chan vinyl figure will be available by lottery. 

Known for his work on the Final Fantasy series, Yoshitaka Amano is one of the most beloved artists in Japanese popular culture. From November 5 until November 30, an exhibition displaying many of his works is open at the Kikka Gallery in Omotesando, Tokyo. Online lottery sales of many Amano works shown in the exhibition began on November 20. 

While overseas fans know him best for Final Fantasy, Amano is also the creator of many iconic characters such as Gatchaman, Tekkaman, and Casshan. 

The PREMONITION OF HAPPINESS exhibition boasts 111 paintings and 3D works on display, all of which are one-of-a-kind. A number of colorful works drawn on traditional Japanese paper and bamboo plates are also attracting guests, based on his fine artwork CANDY GIRL, which he has been working on since 2015.