PHOTOGRAPHY: TOKYO
Tokyo Photo 2013
This weekend, Tokyo hosts the largest photography fair in Asia – Tokyo Photo. The fair exhibits rare vintage prints and also the latest digital pieces available for sale from around two dozen galleries from 11 cities across the world, including Gagosian Gallery in New York. Special exhibitions include Pictures from Moving Cars created by Tate Modern curator Simon Baker, featuring the works by Daido Moriyama, Joel Meyerowitz and John Divola. And if the images on show aren’t memorable enough, this year the event is held at Tokyo’s beautiful 600-year-old Zojo-ji Temple. Cameras at the ready.
Zojo-ji, 4-7-35 Shibakoen Minato-ku. Open daily 12:00-19:00. Until 30 September.
tokyophoto.org
ART PRIZE: UK
The Threadneedle Prize Exhibition
The Threadneedle Prize competition, entering its sixth year, is a high-profile platform for emerging artists to showcase their works and win the grand prize of £30,000 (€35,800). The show’s diverse span includes this year’s joint-winners Clare McCormack and Lisa Wright. McCormack’s work “Dead Labour/Dead Labourer” honours her late grandfather on a large-scale woodcut portrait constructed from scaffolding planks. Wright, on the other hand, depicts teenage awkwardness in her oil-on-canvas painting “The Guilty’s Gaze on the Innocent”. Head down to the Mall Galleries near Trafalgar Square to see more than 100 other paintings, sculptures and installations from 95 local and European rising talents.
Mall Galleries, The Mall. Open Monday to Sunday, 10.00-17.00. Until 12 October.
threadneedleprize.com
EXHIBITION: ITALY
Waterhome: We is Somebody Else
US artist James Krone presents his first solo exhibition at Milan’s Brand New Gallery. Waterhome is named for Krone’s aquarium which became algae-infested from neglect. Reflecting the spread of nature, the artist has layered canvas with monochromatic colours and allowed pigments to bleed through the flaws in the material to become incidental dots on the reverse side. Think algae – but more elegant. Through his unique painting process, Krone hopes to prove that beauty can emerge in the most unexpected of places.
Brand New Gallery, Carlo Farini 32. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11.00-13.00 and 14.30-19.00. Until 9 November.
brandnew-gallery.com
LIGHT INSTALLATION: HONG KONG
Jenny Holzer: Light Stream
Light Stream, a new installation in Hong Kong by US artist Jenny Holzer, features her text-based works for the first time in Chinese. Holzer’s works are characterised by large-scale public projections of text and explore themes of transparency, sexuality, morality and power. For Light Stream, she has selected phrases from her early series – Truisms, Living and Survival – that will be presented on electronic signs. The combination of English and Chinese texts embodies cross-cultural dialogue and the exchange of ideas between east and west.
Pearl Lam Galleries, 601-605, Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central. Open Monday to Saturday, 10.00-19.00. Until 2 November.
pearllam.com
MUSIC: GLOBAL
The Stepkids: Troubadour
Resembling three hairy music college students doesn’t quite convey the effortless soul cool of the Stepkids’ records when they appear in person. But without that studious “muso” attitude, the Connecticut trio who are on tour across Europe next week, might not have actually been able to reproduce the perfectly 1970s (trying very hard not to say “groovy” here) vibe found on the recent slab of psychedelic funk and disco that is new album Troubadour. Pick up the record this weekend and check out the band live as they hit Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK from next week onwards.
“Troubadour” is available to buy now. The Stepkids website for full tour dates.
thestepkidsband.com
