Things to do in Tokyo this week

This festival dedicated to all things (you guessed it) design and art, Designart Tokyo is back for its second edition and set to take over central Tokyo from Aoyama to Shibuya, Nakameguro and Roppongi for a fortnight in October. The brainchild of designer Akio Aoki, artist Shun Kawakami and architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, it'll see shops, galleries, cafés, restaurants and a wide range of other venues host work by more than 70 artists from both Japan and elsewhere. The list of exhibitors and venues is set to include artists such as Yuko Nakayama, Akira Fujimoto, and Hiroshi Yoshizoe, and shops such as the Fred Perry Shop Tokyo, Hay, and Conde House. 

A two week pop-up restaurant and bar by artist collective Chim↑Pom has just opened in Kabukicho. The restaurant will feature a menu devised from a list of last meals requested by death row prisoners, and display works by Austrian avant-garde artist Hermann Nitsch. The restaurant event also includes performances by BLACKSMOKER, KILLER - BONG, Fuyuki Yamakawa, Kairai bunch, Aida Makoto, Dengeki Network and more. Be sure to check the event schedule to know who’s performing when. Note: This is a one-off event, not to be confused with another restaurant in Kabukicho called Ningen Restaurant.

Artist hitch from the collective WHOLE 9 is holding his first solo exhibition in Tokyo. As hitch’s style is to incorporate his love of hip hop into his work, his team of painters often collaborate with music artists such as PUNPEE and SIRUP. WHOLE 9, on the other hand, has also done work overseas as well as for international brands such as adidas.  This exhibition is yet another nod to hip hop culture – so anyone with an appreciation for vibrant murals and street art should drop in at this exhibition. 

The sister-and-brother duo SHIMURAbros, known for creating art based on all things film, have brought their exhibition to Tokyo after a brief tour overseas. The duo use a combination of still images, sculptures and videos to connect the history of filmmaking with modern motion picture technology – this is evident in their works such as ‘X-RAY TRAIN’, which was inspired by the 50-second silent film ‘Train Pulling into a Station’ by the Lumière brothers. For this exhibition, the element of reflective light is used in a majority of the installations to create a mesmerising display that would make the observer question their perception and contemplate what it means to look at something versus seeing it. 

Catch Korean conceptual artist gimhongsok as he presents his latest solo show at Perrotin Tokyo. Featuring seven of his artworks, this exhibition showcases the artist's main interests and recent works including three bronze balloon-shaped sculptures from his series 'Inadequate (EVERY, DAY, ACTS, LIKE, LIFE)', as well as a wall mural, two oil paintings and a cast resin sculpture.  For those interested in getting a further insight on the artist and his works, Perrotin Tokyo is hosting a free talk with gimhongsok and Mori Art Museum's chief curator Mami Kataoka on September 22 between 2-3pm. The talk will be conducted in English with Japanese translations and no reservation is required. 

This sprawling exhibition examines the creation and impact of the classic sci-fi anime film ‘Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise’. Released in 1987, ‘Royal Space Force’ was produced by Gainax, who would go on to make the hugely influential television series ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’. At this exhibition, you’ll be able to see the production process of the now cult classic, with the secrets of its stunning visuals and groundbreaking production methods revealed through a large collection of shooting scripts, behind the scene photographs and more.

A collaboration between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Ueno’s Tokyo National Museum, this exhibition traces the connection between inspirational French-American painter, sculptor and chess player Marcel Duchamp and Japanese art. Here, the works of Duchamp, who is widely credited with utterly changing the course of 20th-century art history, are displayed alongside Japanese art, in order to re-evaluate the latter through his perspective. The exhibition will be split in two parts: the first features over 150 of Duchamp’s works and materials as part of an international tour supervised by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, while the second part is titled ‘Rediscovering Japan through Duchamp’. Here, Japanese artworks will be shown, alongside Duchampian keywords such as ‘ready-made’, for a whole new interpretation.

  Born in Hong Kong and currently working in Taipei, artist Lee Kit is known for his installations which use tablecloths, curtains and other everyday items to expand on the concept of ‘paintings’. His installations for the Hong Kong pavilion at the 2013 Venice Art Biennale were met with critical acclaim and led to him being regarded one of the leading artists in the Asian art scene. This exhibition, Lee’s first solo in Japan, is set at the striking Hara Museum – we can’t wait to see how Lee will transform this iconic building with his works.