Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2010

Yukinori Maeda, Universal Love, 2009, installation. Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo

One reason the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo was built so far from the city center was because it needed a big site, not only to run two exhibitions at a time (as it usually does) but also to store its massive collection of modern art. So what do you do when you have a collection of over 4,000 items gathering dust at the taxpayer’s expense? Occasionally, you wheel parts of it out and put on a themed exhibition like Plastic Memories: To Illuminate Now. The topic in this case is memories removed from their original context of “place” and “time.” Inevitably, the exhibition includes the work of Tomoko Yoneda, a photographic artist who documents locales of historical importance in a way that deemphasizes their significance. Also on display is light artist Yukinori Maeda’s installation Universal Love, which attempts to duplicate his experience in a grassy field using colors.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
Plastic Memories: To Illuminate Now. Various media. Until June 20, free (MS and under)/¥250 (HS, 65 and over)/¥400 (univ)/¥500 (general). 4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku. Open Tue-Sun 10am-8pm, closed Mon. Nearest stn: Kiyosumi-Shirakawa. www.mot-art-museum.jp