Spiral on Aoyama-dori is the venue for “Matsuri, Matsuru”, the second installment of the Ascending Art Annual series featuring young women artists. This free exhibit in the Spiral Garden explores the theme of matsuri, which commonly means festival. However, matsuri can also mean, among other things, worship and cohesion. The artists’ works are explorations of the matsuri impulse in our modern era in which artificial intelligence and the internet of things influence our lives. The works are unsettling, amusing and thought-provoking.
Some of the works require the viewer to interact with them, too. Touch the eerie funerary robots to start them chanting. Take selfie with the digital-age namahage, an ogre who scolds lazy children and wicked people. Ask gallery attendants about the works that are for sale.
Within the spiral of the exhibit space, visitors can observe the works at a leisurely pace while having a meal or drinking specialty coffees and cocktails.
Elizabeth S @elizabeth.scally
You will see many of my stories on Japan Travel are about places and events outside of big city centers and tourist destinations. While I highly recommend the big name sights and experiences, I encourage visitors to see and feel the atmosphere off the beaten path, too.
