Roppongi, Tokyo’s glitzy underbelly of overpriced booze, sleazy clubs and boutique shopping, lives a second life as a hub of art thanks to its diverse array of galleries and museums. Every year, the Roppongi Art Night events raise the area’s art-cred even higher, this year celebrating art, fart and everything in between for two nights instead of the usual one. The programme is packed with mostly free exhibitions, installations and performances taking place over the weekend, with some running into the wee hours for the artsy night owls out there.
During the press preview of the events, we were treated to a magnificent display by the FierS à Cheval theatre troupe, who take their cue from the pioneering horse puppetry of the War Horse play. A brainchild of the Compagnie des Quidams, the internationally celebrated spectacle performance group from France, the show starts off with a rather silly choreography featuring seemingly pregnant dancers prancing around dressed in white overalls. With the flick of the ringmaster’s quill, however, four luminous giant horse puppets burst out of the bulge in the costumes and proceed to canter about in a spellbinding display of song and dance. Be sure to catch one of their performances this weekend – you can see their schedule here.
We also look forward to seeing Choi Jeong-Hwa's 'Love Me' sculpture, which features a glossy pink balloon shaped in the form of a giant pig with moving wings. Not quirky enough for you? Then look out for Lyota Yagi's delightfully weird 'Takoyaki Sequencer', which creates a loop of music generated by the cooking patterns of a real takoyaki machine, and Mizuki Hiramoto's flash-mob style 'Sushi Performances', where seemingly ordinary members of the crowd suddenly stack up on each other at the sound of a whistle and form human sushi rolls. 'Latex sculpture' artist Saeborg will also bring her famous pigs out of the pen for an exhibition, with a limited run of 100 piglet figurines up for sale.
Taking over the Roppongi Hills Arena, the main display sees superstar sculptor and installation artist Kohei Nawa collaborate with 'plant hunter' Seijun Nishihata and fashion-focused avant-garde 'balloon art' duo Daisy Balloon. The Hills/Cafe Space in Roppongi Hills is also worth checking out for the all night party kicking off on Saturday night, featuring an exciting line-up of local spinners. For a quieter evening, head over to the Grass Sqaure lawn, where the supergroup Chim-Pom will be holding a seminar on contemporary art (to be moved to the International Design Liaison Center in case of rain). You can also look forward to music in the form of a bossa nova quartet fusing the music of Japan and Brazil, and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra's string section, accompanied by the trombone to serenade you with 'calisthenics music' for a fresh Sunday morning start.
The full programme can be viewed on the official website.
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