Dates｜May 26th － June 20th, 2021
Venue｜ MEM  map
Open hours｜13：00 – 19：00
Sponsor｜The Tokyu Foundation
Closed on Mondays

[Regarding COVID-19 Prevention Measures]
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, NADiff A/P/A/R/T has shortened their hours of operation. When visiting please follow these requests.
Please refrain from visiting if you have cold-like symptoms such as fever, cough or runny nose.
Please disinfect hands upon entry and wear a mask in the venue.
Please be aware that those who do not cooperate will be asked to leave.
Please practice social distancing.
Please do not touch the exhibited works.

Natsuko Tanihara is the recipient of the Gotoh Memorial Culture Newcomer Award. In collaboration with the Ueno Royal Museum Gallery, MEM is proud to present the Tanihara’s work completed during and after her yearlong research grant in France.

The exhibition at the Ueno Royal Museum Gallery will center around Tanihara’s new work, Book of Genesis (2021) completed with her newly gained perspective after returning from France, and This Impure World (2015), her large-scale oil paintings for which she received the VOCA Shoreisho (Second Place Prize). MEM will exhibit Tanihara’s new pastel portraits on paper of Parisian locals, completed during and after her year aboard.

During her stay in Paris, Tanihara spent her time traveling around Europe to see art that she had only seen in printed materials ranging from classic works of the Northern Renaissance to works by cutting edge contemporary artists. She says that this firsthand experience connecting with these distantly familiar European masterpieces became a turning point which challenged her identity as an artist. She returned to Japan with a newfound confidence in her own work, that her paintings are products of “her current self” with a sense of fulfillment and ownership over “anything that [she produces].” The two exhibitions will present her oil paintings on velvet and pastel works on paper. We invite you to see both of these exhibitions.

[Related Event]
Gotoh Memorial Culture Award Exhibition
Natsuko Tanihara “An Artist of the Floating World”
Dates｜Wednesday, May 26th to Sunday, May 31st  By invite only
Open to the Public from Tuesday, June 1st to June 6th
*In accordance with the State of Emergency in Tokyo, the museum is closed until May 31st and only open to related parties.
*Those who are interested in viewing the exhibition from May 26th to May 31st please email the day before by 4PM. Please include your desired time of visitation, number of planned attendees, their names and contact information for one representative (email address or phone number). We will send an invitation after confirmation.
Time｜10:00 – 17:00 (final admission is 16:30)
Venue｜ Ueno Royal Museum Gallery (1-2 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
Sponsor｜The Tokyu Foundation
Cooperation｜The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited, The Jean Pigozzi Collection, Kazuaki Watanabe
Free admission

[Talk Event]
Guest｜Takahiro Kaneshima (ACK Program Director, Visiting Professor of Kyoto University of the Arts)
Date and Time｜Sunday, May 30th Saturday, June 5th *Date changed
Venue｜Ueno Royal Museum Gallery
Free admission, no reservation necessary, seating available up to 15 people

*The exhibition at the Ueno Royal Museum Gallery and the talk event may be subject to change.
*For those interested in visiting the Ueno Royal Museum Gallery please be sure to check this link.

[New Publication]

Natsuko Tanihara “An Artist of the Floating World”
Size｜280×225mm
Pages｜64 pages, 35 plates
Text｜Yasuyuki Nakai, Yasumasa Morimura
Language｜Japanese
Published by MEM
Supported by The Tokyu Foundation
2021

“An Artist of the Floating World” Ueno Royal Museum Gallery

“A Castle on the Paper” MEM, Tokyo

Installation views: Photo by Kazuo Fukunaga