What is play, exactly? Today's attention to service means that people are now able, with relative ease, to avoid many of the niggling problems that can arise in everyday living. No longer do we even need to look for fun – suddenly it is all around us, at our fingertips. Perhaps, amid all this commercialized play, we need to find ways to break free from constant, stifling spoonfeeding and wander, solving our own problems, and discovering our own fun. Play has been called a “technique of the spirit,”* and indeed, play does seem to be equipped with the ability to mend a broken soul, to restore a sense of being truly alive. Imagine if our actions and ingenuity could transform even tedious-looking things and troubles into rich, imaginative play. That would be a lesson in thought, and yes, a technique of the spirit. Allowing both body and soul to unwind and be excited by contemporary art offers a plethora of paths to spiritual skill.

Participating Artists
Misaki Kawai (Born 1978 in Osaka / New York)
Ryota Kuwakubo (Born 1971 in Tochigi / Tokyo)
Tsuyoshi Ozawa (Born 1965 in Tokyo / Saitama)
Tetsuya Umeda (Born 1980 in Kumamoto / Osaka) 

*Masao Yamaguchi, "'Asobi' no honrai no sugata" ('Play' in its true form) in Warai to Itsudatsu (Smiling and lying), Chikuma Shobo, 1984.

*image (left)
Misaki Kawai
"Doggy Dog", 2011
Installation view: Malmö Konsthall
Courtesy of the artist and Malmö Konsthall, Sweden