IHJ Art Programs/ Concerts 2006

The International House of Japan, in association with Taka Ishii Gallery and gallery.sora, are pleased to announce a new project by Los Angeles based artist Dean Sameshima. Presently in Japan on a 6 month US / Japan Creative Artist Residency, Sameshima is spending his final two months working on an exhibition within the space of gallery. sora. From Thursday, August 3, gallery.sora will be open to the public during regular gallery hours (2-7pm). Deanfs working process will continue during the month of August and visitors to the gallery may happen upon the artist at work, may find an installation in progress, or perhaps
view a completed body of work. The exhibition content will not be fixed in advance of or during the exhibition itself. A closing party and
Artists’ Talk to celebrate the conclusion of Sameshima’s residency in Tokyo and the close of the exhibition will be held on Saturday, August 26, from 7:30 PM.

Dean Sameshima -work is firmly rooted in a West Coast conceptual photographic tradition. Sameshima utilizes a conceptual vocabulary to mine intimate terrain. The artist’s structural / conceptual devices include repetition, seriality and appropriation; a selection of past photographic series includes the documentation of anonymous landscapes and architectural facades (in fact sites of covert sexual activity), the re-photography of images published in fashion magazines (objects of idealized self-identification), as well as the appropriation of “self portraits” from internet websites.
Dean Sameshima’s work has been featured in museum exhibitions including “Log Cabin”, Artists Space, New York (2005), “Will Boys be Boys?”, a traveling exhibition organized by Whitney Museum of Art curator Shamim Momim (2004-present) and “LA on My Mind : Recent Acquisitions,” Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2002). An artist’s monograph, “Dean Sameshima” was published in Japan by fashion label Hysteric Glamour (2002). Vitamin(PH) upcoming (Phaidon Publishing)

• Dean Sameshima: http://www.deansameshima.com/
• Dean Sameshima blog: http://hattenlove.blogspot.com/

IHJ Artists’ Forum　
Experimental West Coast Music and its Flirtation with Asia
Talk/CD Concert by Edward Schocker

Japan-US Friendship Commission Creative Artist composer Edward Schocker will explain the contemporary trends and history of West Coast American Music, using excerpts from CD recordings and a live performance to demonstrate and enliven the subject. This artist talk will illustrate how the West Coast (especially California) became a land where composers could break away from European trends and create a musical style of their own. By presenting musical examples and the philosophies of important 20th Century composers like Colin McPhee, Henry Cowel, Harry Parch, John Cage, Lou Harrison and their experiments with Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and other Asian music, Edward will show why this area is one of the creative centers of the world. No prior knowledge of music will be needed to enjoy this artist talk. Come with open ears.
The lecture will be in English with Japanese translation. The venue and co-sponsor is Yukobo Art Space Admission is free but reservations should be made through the International House of Japan (Tel: 03- 3470-3211; Fax: 03-3470-3170).
This program is funded by the Japan-Us Friendship Commission.

• Youkobo Artspace : 3-2-10 Zenpukuji, Suginami-ku, Tokyo, 03-5930-5009. From the north exit of Nishi Ogikubo Station, JR Chuo Line, take the Oizumi Gakuen or Kamishakuji Bus from bus stop No. 2. Youkobo is right in front of the Zenpukuji stop.　http://www.youkobo.co.jp/

IHJ Artists’ Forum 　
Marco Breuer
Notes, Queries
Talk and slide presentation by the artist

Marco Breuer makes photographs without using a camera. The German-born, New York-based artaist works with photographic paper directly, subjecting it to a range of destructive forces. Using slingshots, razor blades, paint strippers, and hot coals, Breuer creates photographic prints that are direct records of physical interaction with the material. Instead of pictures that illustrate something outside of themselves, we are confronted with images that speak of their own coming-into-being. In this slide lecture Breuer will discuss his work, his book SMTWTFS, and his most recent exhibition in New York City titled Notes, Queries. Marco Breuer has exhibited widely throughout the United States and Europe. His work is in numerous collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the New York Public Library; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart, Germany. He teaches in the MFA program at Bard College. His publication SMTWTFS received wide critical acclaim and a Photo-eye Award for Best Photography Book of 2002. He is currently in Japan on a Japan-US Friendship Commission /NEA Creative Artists Exchange Fellowship.

Commemorative Concert Celebrating the International House of Japan Re-Opening
An Evening of Gagaku Music

Although gagaku, the traditional ensemble music and dance of the Japanese Imperial court, has changed significantly during its thousand year plus history in Japan, its intriguing rhythms, elegant dances and fascinating instrumental timbres still hold deep enchantment and appeal to the modern ear. To help celebrate the re-opening of the IHJ and renovation of its main structure, the renown gagaku performance group, Reigakusha, will perform a program of traditional and contemporary gagaku music. Explanation of the pieces and instruments will be provided in both English and Japanese. Come enjoy this stunning music while viewing the IHJ garden in the splendor of early April.