[category]
[title]
Tokyo is full of unexpected art spaces, but sometimes the best places to get your art fix are the city’s reliable and renowned museums and galleries. One of the biggest names in the scene is Nanzuka, a contemporary art space that’s been a fixture in Tokyo’s art world since 2005. The gallery is now gearing up to open a brand-new flagship space in the Shibuya Axsh building on Saturday September 12.
The new gallery will revolve around the concept of ‘social friendship’, with the aim of creating an open, welcoming space accessible to everyone who wishes to enjoy art. The gallery’s key visual is designed by iconic Japanese contemporary artist Keiichi Tanaami, who also happens to be the featured artist in the gallery’s inaugural exhibition.
The solo exhibition, titled ‘Do Not Bomb’, will showcase works exploring Tanaami’s memories of war through early pieces from the 1960s to previously unreleased artworks created shortly before his death in 2024.
Tanaami’s artwork often draws on his personal memories while also reflecting the collective memories of postwar Japanese society and culture. Highlights from the exhibition include new paintings, silkscreens, collages and animation works, as well as noteworthy pieces like Theater of Internal Organs (1987), a painting inspired by Frederick Ruysch’s illustrated catalogue Thesaurus Anatomicus.
There’s also the Pleasure of Picasso series (2020-2024), created after the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as miniature wood carvings depicting the processes of life.
You’ll be able to catch Keiichi Tanaami’s exhibition from September 13 through October 17. The new Nanzuka flagship is located on the third floor of Shibuya Axsh, alongside Nanzuka Public and Nanzuka Taken.
For more information on the gallery and exhibition, visit Nanzuka’s website.
More from Time Out Tokyo
First look: Google just opened its flagship Omotesando Store
Starbucks just opened a new waterfront café in this retro heritage building in Yokohama
Tokyo Disney, Universal Studios Japan and more amusement parks are raising prices
It’s official: Tokyo is the best city in the world for Gen Z in 2026
Starbucks Japan is releasing adorable gacha capsule toys at stores across Tokyo
Want to be the first to know what’s cool in Tokyo? Sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates from Tokyo and Japan.