The art program "New Art Experiences Illuminating the Future of Bunkamura 2025," co-sponsored with Shibuya Fashion Week Spring 2025, kicked off on March 13th at the currently closed Bunkamura cultural complex in Shibuya.

This art program will be held for the second time, following last year's event, as a special event that utilizes Bunkamura, which has been closed for a long period of time. The adjacent Tokyu Department Store Main Branch will close on January 31, 2023 after 55 years in business. A 36-story complex called the "Shibuya Upper West Project" is scheduled to open on the site in 2029. Bunkamura will also undergo large-scale renovation work during the same period, aiming to reopen for business in 2029.

The theme of this year's event is "Street." Three participating artist groups will each attempt to unravel the transformation of the city from their own perspectives through an artistic approach.

An installation by graphic artist Misa Kono entitled "Light Emitting × Interference × Appreciator" that welcomes visitors to the art program.

At the main entrance on the first floor, the spacious entrance space is being utilized to exhibit an installation by graphic artist Misa Kono titled "[Emission x Interference x Viewer]."

Left: Visitors pass through the "Viewers' Passage (center)" Right: Visitors' shadows move on the screen in the "Interference Passage (right side)"

Utilizing RGB lights, the entrance corridor is divided into three: the "luminous corridor (left side)," the "viewer's corridor (center, white floor area)," and the "interference corridor (right side)." When visitors pass through the central corridor, vivid light is created, and their shadows are projected onto the screen on the right side.

Graphic artist Misa Kono

Regarding the work, which he said was "inspired by quantum mechanics," Kono said the following:

"In the double-slit experiment in quantum mechanics, it is known that the results change depending on the perspective of the viewer. I believe that artworks also show different expressions depending on the viewer's viewpoint. Although we see scenes created by light and shadow in our daily lives, we may not be very conscious of it. I hope that through this work, viewers will be reminded of how light and shadow change space. The main message I want to convey is that shadows are not always dark. Shadows are colored depending on how the light hits them, and beautiful phenomena are created. This work visualizes that moment."

Large-scale installation "rode work shibuya" by SIDE CORE

In the atrium space on the basement floor, a large-scale installation called "rode work shibuya" by the street art artist unit "SIDE CORE" is on display. Materials and lighting used at construction sites are assembled into a chandelier-like shape. It is a three-dimensional work that combines footage of skateboarders gliding through the gaps in the streets of Shibuya with noise (sound) collected from the city.

SIDE CORE member Toru Matsushita

SIDE CORE member Toru Matsushita had this to say about the installation work:

"This installation is an attempt to pick up fragmented phenomena that occur in the city and visualize them. The chandelier-like works make use of lighting used at road construction sites. These were also used in the reconstruction efforts after the Great East Japan Earthquake and were manufactured by a manufacturer in Sendai. What's unique about them is that they receive signals from a radio-controlled clock in Fukushima and flash lights (red and blue LEDs) at regular intervals. Through the synchronization of this light, we express the theme that 'light in different places is connected by invisible radio waves.' We also collected sounds of the city that we hear without even realizing it, such as the sound of skateboards and flowing water, and incorporated them into the sound installation. By experiencing the sounds we hear casually in our daily lives anew, this work allows us to face the city from a new perspective."

SIDE CORE's work "Study for Soft Architecture"

Additionally, clay artworks are also on display inside the closed cafe "Deux Magots Paris." In cities such as Shibuya, where redevelopment is underway, reinforced concrete buildings are replaced in a short space of time, and architecture can be seen as a fluid structure. The clay architecture created in the venue looks like it is in the process of being built, or dismantled. The clay used to create the artworks is said to have been mixed with red soil (containing iron), which is said to be the origin of the name Shibuya.

SIDE CORE's work "day by day"

The three-dimensional work is made by piecing together fragments of things that are left behind in the city, such as broken bicycles, entwining ivy, and walls with graffiti painted over them, which are often overlooked unless you pay attention. It is displayed on chairs and tables that remain in the closed cafe "Deux Magots Paris". There are also several small mouse works that he made in the past using red clay from Sarugaku-cho that are hiding there. It is fun to wander around the store looking for the works.

Enrico Isamu Oyama《FFIGURATI #652》2025 Artwork ©︎Enrico Isamu Oyama / EIOS Photo ©︎Shu Nakagawa

In the outdoor exhibition, a large mural "FFIGURATI #652" by artist Enrico Isamu Oyama is painted on the exterior wall of Bunkamura, which was exposed during the demolition of the main Tokyu Department Store. Two works, each about 9 meters square, are lined up and created using the street art technique called "Quick Turn Structure" with a black and white base.

Artist Enrico Isamu Oyama

Regarding the production process, Oyama said the following:

"This is the largest piece I've ever done. It's painted at a height of about 30 metres, and the work was created as a team, riding in a gondola used for cleaning buildings. We had only two weeks, so we had to plan ahead and keep an eye on the weather. Originally, this wall was hidden by the building next door (Tokyu Main Store), and was not normally visible. However, with the redevelopment it was suddenly exposed, and has been left as it is without any maintenance. This change has created a slightly different space in the city of Shibuya, and I think I was able to incorporate that extraordinary atmosphere into the work."

"Unraveling the Streets with Documents" displays books and video materials related to street art. It features 12 books and the film "TAKI183" (2006), which depicts young people growing up through street art in Shibuya.

Oyama will also be exhibiting books and video materials related to street art in an exhibition titled "Unraveling the Streets with Documents" in the former Bunkamura recording studio on the first basement floor. This summer, he plans to open a reference room called "LGSA by EIOS" in Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya, which will display about 500 books related to street art that he has personally collected, and this exhibition is a preliminary project for that.

During the event, there will be a performance by dancer Aoi Yamada, who performed a solo dance at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, as well as talk events featuring artists and experts. We hope you will come and experience this new art experience that illuminates the future of Bunkamura.

Venue

Interviews and writing

Editorial Department: Takashi Fujii

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