ARATANIURANO is pleased to announce "Art/Domestic: Temperature of the Future after Takashi Azumaya", a joint exhibition with YAMAMOTO GENDAI. In memory of curator Takashi Azumaya, who passed away last year, this exhibition is curated by art critic Noi Sawaragi, who long maintained professional and friendly relations with the curator, and presents works of five artists selected by Mr. Sawaragi. 

In 1999 Azumaya curated "Art/Domestic: Temperature of the Time" at Setagaya Art Museum, marking a historical point in Japanese art. Succeedingly he was involved in the foundation of a number of events and institutions to later become central in the art scene of Japan's metropolitan area, such as Yokoyama Triennale, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery and Mori Art Museum, and eventually started his own practice. His achievements as an independent curator include "GUNDAM - Generating future", which first opened at the Suntory Museum in Tempozan and travelled to a number of museums throughout Japan between 2005 and 2007. He was one of the curators of Busan Biennale 2008, where his ability was first recognized internationally, and was appointed to director of the biennale in 2010 receiving much expectation for his career inside and outside Japan. He was an unusual multi-talented figure, being not only a curator, but also a author, a musician, an artist, and a performer. What future we who live in the present shall lead, thinking the future Azumaya envisioned. Through the works of artists who have been engaged in expression feeling the temperature of the time, we hope that this exhibition will be an opportunity to have such thoughts on the future.

"Art/Domestic: Temperature of the Future after Takashi Azumaya" neither presents a group of artists whom Azumaya had closely worked with, nor is an exhibition reconstructed from interpretation as true as possible to his ideas. Such is impossible. Instead, making an introduction with the short text Azumaya left on twitter immediately after the earthquake and nuclear incident, I have selected a completely new group of artists and initiated an exhibition. I accordingly titled the exhibition "Temperature of Future" after Azumaya's first curation "Temperature of the Time" (Setagaya Art Museum, 1999) (=after 1). It is because I attempted to once again measure the temperature of the time, in the world Azumaya has disappeared (=after 2). Also, this single word "future" makes reference to "GUNDAM - Generating future" (Suntory Museum in Tempozan and other locations, 2005), another exhibition that represents the work of Azumaya.
- Noi Sawaragi (Curator)

Exhibition Artists: Shuji AKAGI, Kota TAKEUCHI, Daisuke TAKAHASHI,
Taisei YOSHIMURA, Takashi AZUMAYA

*image (left)
untitled, 2012
digital print, 30x42cm
© Shuji Akagi

Courtesy of YAMAMOTO GENDAI, ARATANIURANO