One of several art spaces that have in recent years started taking advantage of the relatively cheap rent in Tokyo’s garment district, Gallery αM (pronounced ‘alpha em’) is enjoying their new permanent home in the quiet basement space of an old building near Bakurocho Station.
Ran by Musashino Art University, αM is currently celebrating the university’s 80th anniversary with a yearlong program of exhibitions curated by Kazuo Amano. With 8 shows in total, the series is called Metamorphosis – Objects Today, and it aims to examine the work of contemporary sculpture artists who use or misuse materials in new ways. Whether it is wood, plastic, fabric or found objects, all of the artists in the series are identified as working with innovative transformation of materials and objects.
Currently showing is the fifth volume in the series, with Kyotaro Hakamata’s recent creations using plexiglas and other materials. Next in line will be up-and-comer Teppei Kaneuji, with Kengo Kito and Masanori Handa to follow.
It’s definitely worth checking out this space. In the same building you’ll also find Foli Gallery and Art Eat, a café/gallery that serves organic Lebanese food – and within walking distance are many other interesting new spaces including Cashi Gallery, which opened just over a year ago and uses the freezer of the staff refrigerator as one of the exhibition ‘rooms’.
