Photo Exhibition

My Neighbors
by Kimimasa Mayama
(Main Bar and Masukomi Sushi Bar)

Saturday, February 4 to March 2, 2012

Let me introduce "My Neighbors" in Northern Japan. They live in the mountains, fields, and wetlands around my home. When I hear about heavy snows or winter storm warnings, I head to the forest to call on the Ezo Owl. When temperatures fall to minus 20 centigrade, I visit the winter nesting grounds of the Japanese Red-crowned Crane. When the trout and salmon run in autumn, I'm off to the Shiretoko Peninsula, to drop in on the Brown Bear. I enjoy spending time in nature and sometime meeting "my neighbors". The encounters are priceless and evoke memories of the thrill I felt when I first started my work as a photojournalist.

Kimimasa Mayama/ Photojournalist
Born in Otaru, Hokkaido, he started his career as a staff photographer for Jiji Press, then worked for Reuters, before becoming freelance photographer. Mayama has covered many of the world's major stories including, the downing of KAL 007, Philippine presidential elections, June Democracy Movement in South Korea, Kobe Earthquake, Aum's nerve gas attack, Sumatra tsunami, war in Afghanistan, and reports from Iraq. In addition, he has covered 7 Olympic Games and 3 FIFA World Cups.

The Exhibition Committee

WHITE FLOWERS Exhibition
Photographs by Hiroyuki Arakawa

Main Bar and Masukomi Sushi Bar
Jan. 7 to Feb. 3 2012

Hiroyuki Arakawa was surrounded by flowers from his earliest memories. His mother was an "Iemoto" (grand master) of Japanese Tea and Flower arrangement. When she passed away, Arakawa started seeing flowers again, especially WHITE FLOWERS. Through his photographs, the reality and immortal beauty of the flower became an emblem for peace and perfection. Unlike the original, his flowers never to die, they remain White Zen moments of tranquility and emotional pleasure.

Hiroyuki Arakawa is one of the leading Japanese photographers of his generation. The roster of his commercial clients include the hip and famous from film, music, world politics, royalty, and fashion. In March of 2011, Arakawa collaborated with fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. Yohji chose two WHITE FLOWERS, the Dandelion and the Chrysanthemum, to print on the fabric for his Autumn/Winter 2011/12 Paris Collection.

The Exhibition Committee

Photo exhibition by Koji Mizutani
MERRY GO ROUND
Main Bar and Masukomi Sushi
Dec. 3, 2011 - Jan 6, 2012

MERRY PROJECT is an art-communication project seeking to spread a wave of happiness through the theme smile is an universal language. "What is MERRY for you?" We asked this simple question to people all over the world and collected over 30,000 smiles and messages. Each person who participates becomes part of a large network linking the earth with happiness. In this exhibition, umbrellas are displayed with the smiling faces of children from Banda Aceh (Indonesia), Sichuan (China), Kobe, Tohoku and other places that have experienced natural disasters.
MERRY PROJECT is an official partner of UN Decade of Biodiversity 2011-2020.

Koji Mizutani/ Art Director, Graphic Designer, and Director of MERRY PROJECT
Born in 1951 in Nagoya, he began his career as a designer at Nippon Design Center and in 1983 established Mizutani Studio Co. Ltd. He has won numerous awards for his work along with serving as an international jury member at the 9th ADC International Exhibition in NYC. In 1999 he created the NPO MERRY PROJECT, with the message that "Smiles of children are our hope to the future. MERRY PROJECT was feature in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics with 1644 smiling umbrellas in the center of the Olympic Stadium.　
http://www.merryproject.com

The Exhibition Committee

FOR A NEW CLEAR ERA
Photo exhibition by Noritoshi Hirakawa
FCCJ Main Bar
November 5 – December 2, 2011

The incident at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant has been the catalyst in making us aware that the Nuclear Power industry, will continue to place Earth and our future existence in crisis. Seismologists around the world have deemed Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant as Japan’s most dangerous nuclear facility for inhabitants in the surrounding areas and Rokkashomura Nuclear Reprocessing Plant has been virtually a failure. Many have strong feelings about nuclear technology and its use as a weapon for destruction. This has brought forth the conviction that A NEW CLEAR ERA is about to break.

Contemporary artist Noritoshi Hirakawa, born in Fukuoka and based in New York since 1993. Hirakawa has shown his artworks over 300 exhibitions throughout the world. His works (through the use of various medium: from photography, video, sound work, text, performance to film) have dealt with wide-ranging and challenging themes from physicality, gender, mass media, religion to contemporary art itself. Varying as they may be, at the core lays his agenda of unrelenting questioning and issuing proposals to institutionalized concepts such as the social system and the individual, and the individual and its free will.
http://noritoshi.com

The Exhibition Committee

Symphony of Light: fantastic world of dull glass art
Glass art exhibition by Takako Anezaki
Masukomi Sushi and other locations in FCCJ
November 5 2011 - January 6 2012

Gorgeous and bright dull glass, changes its face every moment, sometimes cold, then warm. Dull glass seems to be a painting or magician's fantasy. Thick dull glass, I'm enchanted by the refractions with its many layers inside. The glass momentarily changes its face at every viewpoint. It is so fantastic and mysterious. When we look the dull glass art, suddenly the cold material warms our hearts, then we are enchanted into a dreaming world. What a magnificent healing power it has! Come and look and touch my glass art!

Takako Anezaki, born in Nagasaki prefecture, entered world of dull glass art in 1994 and never looked back. Anezaki has exhibited at several venues including Art Wave Tsukuba, Asahi Gallery International Competition of Art in Ginza, Salon Blanc at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, Japan Stained Glass Artist Association Exhibition in Ginza, along with an ongoing show at Yatugatake Yagyu Club Gallery in Nagano. She is also the recipient of the New Artist Award from Salon Blanc International Art Competition and Asahi Shimbun Award at the Asahi Ginza Exhibition.

The Exhibition Committee