Art Scope, a mécénat activity of Daimler Foundation Japan, provides contemporary artists from Japan and Germany the chance to experience life within a different culture. The Hara Museum has been a partner in the Art Scope program since 2003, hosting an exhibition to showcase the results of that artistic exchange. For this exhibition, we feature the German artists Rita Hensen and Benedikt Partenheimer (Japan, 2012) and the Japanese artists Ryosuke Imamura and Satoshi Ohno (Germany, 2013). Each artist will present new works created since the completion of their residencies.

It's safe to say that since ancient times, humans have been creatures that travel. The tradition of religious pilgrimages was already an old one in eras when travel was beset with hardships. Over time as the means of transport progressed, travel took on various forms. For example, during the 18th century, for the English upper classes, the "Grand Tour" became the finishing touch in the education of their children. In modern Japan, the overseas "school excursion" is a standard part of the school curriculum. And now in the 21st century, travel – both business and vacation –has become a vital factor in the economic activity of every country.

Climate, landscape, language, ethnicity, culture and society –these are aspects that make travel the precious and significant experience that it is. How then do the sights and feelings experienced as part of the Art Scope program stimulate the work of these artists upon returning home? Of the paintings, photographs, installations and other artwork that appear in this exhibition, those "remains of their travel" may be directly reflected in some, but harder to discern in others. The results may be described as four approaches by four individuals to crystallize the experience of travel not in the form of an impression or a travel report, but in the form of artwork. In so doing, they reaffirm the delightful diversity of contemporary art and invite us to rethink what it means as humans to "travel."

*image (left)
Benedikt Partenheimer,
Vending Machine 04, Japan 2012, 2012
Color photograph, 120 x 143 cm
© Benedikt Partenheimer