Metropolis Japan

The National Art Center, Tokyo: Universal / Remote

Mar 06, 2024 at 10:00am ~ Jun 03, 2024 at 6:00pm

The National Art Center, Tokyo, is pleased to present the exhibition entitled Universal / Remote. It’s an exhibition that examines various things and phenomena which have entered the spotlight, or come to our attention for the first time, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The exhibition is intended to reframe themes often explored in contemporary art thus far, such as global capitalism and digital society, from the two perspectives of worldwide scale (as expressed by the word “universal” as well as the prefix “pan-,” which appears in many words including “pandemic”) and non-face-to-face isolation (as in “remote” work, school and so forth).

The exhibition title Universal / Remote references prevailing conditions in the 21st century as capital and data flow freely on a global scale. Conveying comical aspects of the excesses of surveillance and high tech networks, as well as the profound isolation of human beings, works in this exhibition seem to grapple head-on with the current era and with the post-COVID world. The exhibition presents the works of 8 artists and a group of 3 artists that address the state of society in the 21st century as shaped by the conditions described above, focusing on two concepts, “Constant Growth at a Pan-Global Scale” and “The Remote Individual.”

Universal / Remote features a large number of works by artists based outside Japan. In addition to video art by Xu Bing, a renowned, globally active contemporary artist based in New York and Beijing, the National Art Center, Tokyo presents works by Hito Steyerl (in collaboration with Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze and Miloš Trakilović), who has been at the forefront of the international art scene since the 2010s; Trevor Paglen, who integrates cutting-edge science and technology with contemporary art; and Evan Roth, who applies a hacker mind to the creation of art in diverse media. Works by the Danish photographer Tina Enghoff, who spans the fields of photojournalism, fine art, and activism, and the up-and-coming South Korean video artist Jeamin Cha will be exhibited in Japan for the first time. We are also pleased to present a work by Maiko Jinushi that encompass both of the showʼs two key concepts, and new works by Daisuke Ida and Natsuko Kiura including those created especially for this exhibition.

Opening hours: 10am-6pm
*Until 8pm every Friday and Saturday *Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Closed on Tuesdays *Open on Tuesday, April 30

Admission fee:
General ¥1,500
University student ¥1,000
Admission is free for those under the age of 18, including high school students (student ID or proof of age required).
*Entrance is free for those with a disability certificate (including one accompanying person).

Check their website here