Famous Japanese artists. Hokusai - the world of Japan

The Peak Leisure Club, Hong Kong. Competition project, first prize (1982-1983)

The architecture has a very important property - readability. She always personifies time, the development of society, our aspirations and dreams. It is created by people and for people, and it is architecture that allows you to experience the diversity cultural characteristics different countries, peoples, ornate history. Any event leaves its mark on architecture. But sometimes it goes far ahead, reflecting futuristic dreams ahead of its time. This architecture waits in the wings on paper for many decades before taking shape and being reborn from an idea into a building. This is what happened with the ideas itself influential woman in the world of architecture - Zaha Hadid. Her ideas for homes of the future have spread throughout the world, inspiring and captivating the imaginations of millions of people.

"Paper" architect

Architectural bureau OMA of Rem Koolhaas. Cover of the first edition of the art magazine Viz (1978)

In 1980, Zaha created her own architectural bureau, but her career did not immediately take off. Her projects win competitions around the world, but face many problems, ranging from the impossibility of implementing ideas technologically to political or economic difficulties. Hadid is not lucky. Several decades before global recognition, she will be able to implement only a few projects.

Project opera house Cardiff Bay Opera House (1994) won the construction competition three times, but was eventually rejected due to a conflict with the client, who was skeptical of Hadid's design

The beginning of success

Fire station of the company - manufacturer of designer furniture Vitra. Weil am Rhein, Germany (1994)

Next completed project- residential complex Spittelau Viaducts in Vienna (1994-2005). The whole house is literally stuffed with interesting solutions: there is an overpass with a pedestrian path running through it, and underneath it along the entire length of the building there is a subway line that comes out onto the surface of the earth directly from under the building.

Residential complex Spittelau Viaducts. Vienna, Austria (1994-2005)

Another project has become a symbol of modernity and prosperity United Arab Emirates- Sheikh Zayed Bridge, the first president of the UAE, who ruled the country for 38 years - since 1971. Hadid's bridge design was inspired by the sand dunes of the United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Zayed Bridge. Abu Dhabi, UAE (1997-2010)

The length of the bridge is 842 meters, height is 60 meters, throughput- 60 thousand cars per hour. The bridge is very durable and can withstand wind gusts of 160 kilometers per hour.
At the turn of the millennium, Zaha Hadid begins to receive more and more orders. Then the project of a parking lot and station in Strasbourg and the Bergisel springboard in the Austrian Innsbruck, part of the Olympic arena, were implemented. The construction of the ski jump took 15 months and about 15 million euros. For this work, Zaha Hadid received the Austrian State Architecture Prize.

Hoenheim-North station and parking. Strasbourg, France (1998-2001)

Ski jump Bergisel. Innsbruck, Austria (1999-2002)

The first female architect in history

Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati. Ohio, USA (1997-2003)

The glass façade of the building's first floor invites you to look inside, and the concrete floor of the hall erases the boundary between the sidewalk and indoors. “Urban carpet” is what Hadid calls the building concept, which involves every visitor in the play of stairs, tiers and ramps. In this room, the feeling of space is completely different; because of its unusualness, it is very difficult to understand where the floor, ceiling and walls are.

The ornate staircases of the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Arts

It was this “urban carpet” that became Hadid’s ticket to the “red carpet” modern architecture, turning her into the world's most sought-after architect. In 2004, she became the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize. After that, her architectural bureau Zaha Hadid Architects was provided with orders for several years in advance. Within ten years, Hadid will have a staff of 500 architects working for her, who will be able to implement more than a thousand projects in 44 countries.

From deconstructivism to parametricism

"A Glimpse of Madrid". Drawing by Zaha Hadid (1992)

If all her works before the 2000s belonged to deconstructivism, then later her buildings received smooth flexible forms, the design of which is calculated on a computer, like a complex equation connecting all parts of the building. Hadid's co-author and her bureau director Patrick Schumacher, a leading theorist of parametric architecture, were responsible for this part of the work. It was the introduction of technology that contributed to the implementation of many projects that could not be implemented before and were collecting dust on the shelves. This is how digital architecture appeared, closely related to programming, where shaping depends on mathematical algorithms and formulas, automatically converts the volume, making it technically and economically feasible.

Sketch of the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku

Now Hadid's architecture becomes a complex mathematical equation, creating ideal shapes and curves. The functionality of her creations is questioned, but the buildings themselves and its elements live their own lives, creating a unique and original space. The practical side fades into the background, while design and architecture itself are at the forefront of everything, as an inviolable idea.

This approach to work allows you to create an “ideal” building, without flaws or shortcomings. But only externally. After a couple of years, this trend becomes so popular that it is not difficult to copy and replicate it. Gradually, such architecture turned into too predictable and ordinary.

The way up - “anti-gravity” architecture

London Aquatics Center

A project built specifically for Olympic Games, became one of Hadid's most popular creations. But the main charm of this building is not in its design, but in its capabilities. During the 2012 Olympics, it was an arena with a capacity of 17,500 spectators, with three swimming pools; after it it turned into a compact building for athletics competitions with a capacity of up to 2,500 people.

Olympic Aquatics Complex, London, UK (2005-2010)

Transformable building technologies are very expensive, but in the case of Olympic venues, such costs are quite reasonable. The construction of Olympic facilities very rarely pays off, and the service life very often does not exceed the duration of the competition. But this center has become an exception to the rule and will be used for many years to come.

Scheme of transformation of the center after the Olympic Games - 2012 in London

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center. Baku, Azerbaijan (2007-2012)

The construction of this center has increased the attractiveness of Baku for tourists from all over the world. The center received the Design of the Year award - 2014 in the Architecture category. During the construction of the building, the maximum possible amount of glass was used, which reduced the need for artificial lighting.

Project cultural center Heydar Aliyev

Facades, sections and shape of the roof-wrapper

The Heydar Aliyev Museum is located in the sun-drenched spaces of the cultural center, exhibition halls, auditorium, administrative offices, restaurant and cafe.

Instead of a conclusion. Criticism of Hadid's architecture

Multifunctional complex Galaxy SOHO. Beijing, China (2008-2012)

Beijing's Galaxy SOHO shopping and entertainment complex wins Royal Institute of British Architects award but sparks outrage local residents: historical Center due to the construction it was practically destroyed.

Another Hadid project for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is being called by some as “a bicycle helmet that fell onto the Japanese capital from the sky.”

Project of the National Stadium for the 2020 Olympics. Tokyo, Japan

Al-Wakrah Stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar (2013 - not completed)

The boiling point for Hadid is the death of a worker during the construction of a stadium in Qatar. The architect was accused of being responsible for this incident and should be punished. To which Hadid and Schumacher said that an architect should do his job well and not think about social justice. Their unusual spaces change communication between people, and it is the buildings that will help society become more progressive and humane in the future. And the companies that carry out the order are responsible for the construction itself (including safety precautions).

At the end of 2015, Zaha Hadid was included in the list of the 100 most influential people in art world according to resource version

Zaha Mohammad Hadid is an Iraqi-born architect who lived and worked in the UK. The world's first female Pritzker Prize winner.

Zaha was born on October 31, 1950 in the capital of Iraq in the family of Muhammad al-Hajj Hussein Hadid, the organizer of the National Democratic Party. The girl's mother, Wajiha al-Sabunji, was from Mosul and was a painter. Parents led a bourgeois lifestyle.

Since childhood, Zaha has shown an interest in fine arts and architecture. The girl constantly fantasized and created building designs out of paper. By the age of 22, Zaha Hadid graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics of the American University in Beirut and went to London, where she became a student at the Association of Architects School of Architecture. The girl enrolled in a course with masters Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis. While studying in the UK, Zaha became closely acquainted with the work of Kazimir Malevich and Russian architects of the early 20th century.

Architecture

Avant-garde becomes Hadid’s favorite art direction, the student begins to implement the ideas of the direction in her work. Rem Koolhaas, a Dutch architect and deconstructivist theorist, highly appreciated Zaha's talent and considered the girl the best student who had ever studied with him. Zaha's first known work was the design of a habitable bridge over the Thames, which she developed in 1976.

In 1977, after graduating educational institution Zaha Hadid becomes an employee of the OMA Koolhaas bureau, from where she leaves two years later. In 1979 appears independent project Zaha Hadid Zaha Hadid Architects. Along with fulfilling orders, Zaha begins teaching at the Architectural Association, where she worked until 1987. Hadid does not undertake the development of standard buildings; she is interested in large iconic objects. Therefore, Zaha mainly creates projects on paper and participates in competitions.

The architect's first victory in international competition became the project of the Peak club, which Zaha created for a client from Hong Kong, but the construction was not carried out due to the bankruptcy of the customer. In 1994, as a result of another victory for Zaha Hadid in the UK, best project opera house in Cardiff, a scandal erupted: the public put strong pressure on the developer, forcing him to abandon the avant-garde project of a young Arab woman.

Another bright work of this year is the development of an inverted skyscraper for English city Lester, which also was not implemented. The first project to be implemented was the Vitra fire station project in Weil am Rhein. Happened significant event in 1993. But many of Hadid’s projects still remained on paper, which did not stop Zaha. The architect was so passionate about her favorite work that she often slept 4 hours a day.

In 1997 after construction museum complex Guggenheim in Bilbao begins interest in the ideas of Zaha Hadid. In 1998-1999, the architect built two Arts Centers in the USA, Ohio, and Rome. Buildings built according to the designs of the Iraqi architect become landmarks of the area. The name of Zaha Hadid finally became known to the international community after participating in the development of the project for the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, USA, the construction of which was completed in 2003.

In addition to working with large forms, Zaha Hadid experiments with interior objects, theatrical scenery, exhibition space of museums. The designer creates shoe models for Lacoste and the Brazilian company Melissa. Hadid excels in designing furniture collections. The designer's experimental works are sold under the Sawaya & Moroni brand.

In 2005, Zaha's achievements in design were awarded first prize at the Design Miami world fair. Collections of small forms end up in the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan and the German Museum of Architecture in Frankfurt am Main. Zaha Hadid lectures on architecture and art around the world.

Work in Russia

On May 31, 2004, a significant event took place in the life of Zaha Hadid - the architect was awarded the Pritzker Prize. The award ceremony took place in St. Petersburg, at the Hermitage Theater. From that time on, Hadid's cooperation with Russia began. She repeatedly came to Moscow to give master classes, and in 2005 she collaborated with a group of designers residential complex"Picturesque Tower" in the capital of Russia.

In 2012, Zaha Hadid created a project for a futuristic house for entrepreneur Vladislav Doronin, and three years later - the Peresvet Plaza business center. In 2012, after the opening of the center in Baku, designed by Zaha Hadid, the architect received an award British Museum design, in the “Design of the Year” category.

Among the master’s works, buildings of various functional purposes are of interest: Science Center in Wolfsburg, the Art Museum in Denmark, the Puerto America Hotel in Spain, the cable car station in Austria, the Aquatics Center in London, the theater project in Morocco, the stadium in Qatar, the high school building in London. A significant project of the 2000s for Hahid was the construction of the MAXXI Museum on the outskirts of Rome.

In 2010 and 2011, Zaha Hadid received the James Stirling Prize from the Royal Institute of British Architects. Photos of the architect and designer's works are in free access on the Internet, everyone can see them. Over time, buildings built according to Zaha Hadid's designs become streamlined, completely losing angles and straight lines. The designer moves away from deconstructivism by creating his own style.

Personal life

Personal life could not fit into the creative biography of Zaha Hadid. The architect had no family; Zaha left no heirs.

Hadid considered the projects she constantly worked on to be her own children. The designer lived all her life in a London apartment, which was located not far from the architectural office.

Death

In March 2016, Zaha Hadid went to a Miami clinic for treatment for bronchitis. But on March 31, the architect died suddenly.

Doctors called the cause of death a heart attack. After her death, Hadid left only her architectural business.

Now Zaha Hadid’s business is being handled by her partner in the company, Patrick Schumacher, who decided to complete 36 of the master’s works that remained unfinished. Among the brand’s new orders is construction Business center in the capital of the Czech Republic and a technology park in the Moscow region.

Projects

• Fire station of the designer furniture manufacturer Vitra, Weil am Rhein, Germany - 1994
• Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA - 1998
• Hoenheim-North station and car park, Strasbourg, France - 2001
• Springboard Bergisel, Innsbruck, Austria - 2002
• Phæno Science Center, Wolfsburg, Germany - 2005
• Ordrupgaard Art Museum: new wing, Copenhagen, Denmark - 2005

• Hotel Puerta America, Madrid, Spain - 2006
• Funicular station, Austria - 2007
• National Museum of 21st Century Art, Rome, Italy - 2010
• CMA CGM Tower, Marseille, France - 2011
• Aquatics Center (London), England - 2011
• Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan - 2012
• Business center "Peresvet Plaza", Moscow, Russia - 2015

Which covers many techniques and styles. Throughout its history, it has undergone a large number of changes. New traditions and genres were added, and the original Japanese principles remained. Along with amazing story Japanese painting is also ready to present many unique and interesting facts.

Ancient Japan

The first styles appear in the most ancient historical period countries, even BC. e. Then art was quite primitive. First, in 300 BC. e., various geometric figures, which were performed on pottery using sticks. Such a discovery by archaeologists as ornamentation on bronze bells dates back to a later time.

A little later, already in 300 AD. e., appear cave drawings, which are much more diverse geometric ornament. These are already full-fledged images with images. They were found inside crypts, and, probably, the people who are painted on them were buried in these burial grounds.

In the 7th century AD e. Japan adopts writing that comes from China. Around the same time, the first paintings came from there. Then painting appears as a separate sphere of art.

Edo

Edo is far from the first and not the last painting, but it brought a lot of new things to culture. Firstly, it is the brightness and colorfulness that were added to the usual technique, performed in black and gray tones. Sotasu is considered the most outstanding artist of this style. He created classic paintings, but his characters were very colorful. Later he switched to nature, and most of his landscapes were painted against gilded backgrounds.

Secondly, during the Edo period, exoticism, the namban genre, appeared. It used modern European and Chinese techniques that were intertwined with traditional Japanese styles.

And thirdly, the Nanga school appears. In it, artists first completely imitate or even copy works Chinese masters. Then a new branch appears, which is called bunjing.

Modernization period

The Edo period gives way to Meiji, and now japanese painting forced to go to new stage development. At this time, genres such as the Western and the like were becoming popular around the world, so the modernization of art became a common state of affairs. However, in Japan, a country where all people revere traditions, given time the situation was significantly different from what was happening in other countries. Competition between European and local technicians is fierce here.

The government at this stage gives preference to young artists who submit big hopes to improve skills in Western styles. So they send them to schools in Europe and America.

But this was only at the beginning of the period. The fact is that famous critics have criticized Western art quite strongly. To avoid a big stir around this issue, European styles and techniques began to be banned at exhibitions, their display ceased, as did their popularity.

The emergence of European styles

Next comes the Taisho period. At this time, young artists who were leaving to study in foreign schools, come back to their homeland. Naturally, they bring with them new styles of Japanese painting, which are very similar to European ones. Impressionism and post-impressionism appear.

At this stage, many schools are being formed in which ancient Japanese styles are being revived. But it is impossible to completely get rid of Western tendencies. Therefore, we have to combine several techniques in order to please both lovers of the classics and fans of modern European painting.

Some schools are funded by the state, thanks to which it is possible to preserve many of the national traditions. Private owners are forced to follow the lead of consumers who wanted something new; they are tired of the classics.

Painting from the Second World War

After the onset of wartime, Japanese painting remained aloof from events for some time. It developed separately and independently. But this couldn't go on forever.

Over time, when the political situation in the country becomes worse, high and respected figures attract many artists. Some of them began to create in patriotic styles even at the beginning of the war. The rest begin this process only on orders from the authorities.

Accordingly, Japanese fine art was unable to develop particularly during the Second World War. Therefore, for painting it can be called stagnant.

Eternal Suibokuga

Japanese sumi-e painting, or suibokuga, literally means “ink painting.” This determines the style and technique of this art. It came from China, but the Japanese decided to call it their own. And initially the technique did not have any aesthetic side. It was used by monks for self-improvement while studying Zen. Moreover, they first drew pictures and subsequently trained their concentration while viewing them. The monks believed that strict lines, blurry tones and shadows - all that is called monochrome - help to improve.

Japanese ink painting, despite the wide variety of paintings and techniques, is not as complex as it might seem at first glance. It is based on only 4 plots:

1. Chrysanthemum.
2. Orchid.
3. Plum branch.
4. Bamboo.

A small number of plots does not make mastering the technique quick. Some masters believe that learning lasts a lifetime.

Despite the fact that sumi-e appeared a long time ago, it is always in demand. Moreover, today you can meet masters of this school not only in Japan, it is widespread far beyond its borders.

Modern period

After the end of the Second World War, art in Japan flourished only in large cities; villagers and villagers had enough to worry about. For the most part, artists tried to turn away from the losses of wartime and depict on canvas modern city life with all its embellishments and features. European and American ideas were successfully adopted, but this state of affairs did not last long. Many masters began to gradually move away from them towards Japanese schools.

Traditional style has always remained fashionable. Therefore, modern Japanese painting can differ only in the technique of execution or the materials used in the process. But most artists do not perceive various innovations well.

It is impossible not to mention the fashionable modern subcultures, such as anime and similar styles. Many artists try to blur the line between the classics and what is in demand today. For the most part, this state of affairs is due to commerce. Classics and traditional genres are practically not bought, therefore, it is unprofitable to work as an artist in your favorite genre, you need to adapt to fashion.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Japanese painting is a treasure trove of fine art. Perhaps, the country in question was the only one that did not follow Western trends and did not adapt to fashion. Despite many blows during the advent of new techniques, Japanese artists were still able to defend national traditions in many genres. This is probably why paintings made in classical styles are highly valued at exhibitions today.

Hokusai, an 18th-century Japanese artist, created a dizzying number artwork. Hokusai worked into old age, invariably asserting that “everything he did before the age of 70 was not worthwhile and not worth attention.”

Perhaps the most famous Japanese artist in the world, he always stood out from his fellow contemporaries for his interest in Everyday life. Instead of depicting glamorous geishas and heroic samurai, Hokusai painted workers, fishermen, and urban genre scenes that were not yet a subject of interest to Japanese art. He also took a European approach to composition.

Here short list key terms that will help you navigate a little in Hokusai’s work.

1 Ukiyo-e are prints and paintings popular in Japan from the 1600s to the 1800s. Direction to fine arts Japan, developed from the Edo period. This term comes from the word "ukyo", which means "changeable world". Uikiye is a hint at the hedonistic joys of the burgeoning merchant class. In this direction, Hokusai is the most famous artist.

Hokusai used at least thirty pseudonyms throughout his life. Despite the fact that the use of pseudonyms was a common practice among Japanese artists of that time, he significantly exceeded other major authors in the number of pseudonyms. Hokusai's pseudonyms are often used to periodize the stages of his work.

2 The Edo period is the time between 1603 and 1868 in Japanese history, then economic growth was noted and new interest to art and culture.

3 Shunrō is the first of Hokusai's aliases.

4 Shunga literally means "picture of spring" and "spring" is Japanese slang for sex. So these are engravings erotic in nature. They were created by the most respected artists, including Hokusai.

5 Surimono. The latest “surimono”, as these custom prints were called, were a huge success. Unlike ukiyo-e prints, which were intended for mass audiences, surimono were rarely sold to the general public.

6 Mount Fuji is a symmetrical mountain that happens to be the tallest in Japan. Over the years, it has inspired many artists and poets, including Hokusai, who published the ukiyo-e series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. This series includes the most famous engravings Hokusai.

7 Japonism is the lasting influence that Hokusai had on subsequent generations of Western artists. Japonism is a style inspired bright colors ukiyo-e prints, lack of perspective and compositional experiments.

Art and design

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01.02.18 09:02

Today's art scene Japan is very diverse and provocative: looking at the works of masters from the Land of the Rising Sun, you will decide that you have arrived on another planet! Home to innovators who have changed the landscape of the industry on a global scale. Here's a list of 10 contemporary Japanese artists and their creations, from the incredible creatures of Takashi Murakami (who celebrates his birthday today) to the colorful universe of Kusama.

From futuristic worlds to dotted constellations: contemporary Japanese artists

Takashi Murakami: traditionalist and classic

Let's start with the hero of the occasion! Takashi Murakami is one of Japan's most iconic contemporary artists, working on paintings, large-scale sculptures and fashion clothing. Murakami's style is influenced by manga and anime. He is the founder of the Superflat movement, supporting Japanese artistic traditions and the post-war culture of the country. Murakami promoted many of his fellow contemporaries, and we will also meet some of them today. “Subcultural” works of Takashi Murakami are presented in the art markets of fashion and art. His provocative My Lonesome Cowboy (1998) was sold in New York at Sotheby's in 2008 for a record $15.2 million. Murakami collaborated with the world famous brands Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton and Issey Miyake.

Quietly Ashima and her surreal universe

A member of the art production company Kaikai Kiki and the Superflat movement (both founded by Takashi Murakami), Chicho Ashima is known for her fantastical cityscapes and strange pop creatures. The artist creates surreal dreams inhabited by demons, ghosts, young beauties, depicted against the backdrop of outlandish nature. Her works are usually large-scale and printed on paper, leather, and plastic. In 2006, this modern Japanese artist participated in Art on the Underground in London. She created 17 consecutive arches for the platform - the magical landscape gradually turned from daytime to nighttime, from urban to rural. This miracle bloomed at Gloucester Road tube station.

Chiharu Shima and the endless threads

Another artist, Chiharu Shiota, works on large-scale visual installations for specific landmarks. She was born in Osaka, but now lives in Germany - in Berlin. Central themes her work is oblivion and memory, dreams and reality, past and present, and also the confrontation of anxiety. The most famous works Chiharu Shiota - impenetrable networks of black thread, covering many household and personal objects - such as old chairs, Wedding Dress, burnt piano. In the summer of 2014, Shiota tied together donated shoes and boots (of which there were more than 300) with strands of red yarn and hung them on hooks. Chiharu's first exhibition in the German capital took place during Berlin Art Week in 2016 and caused a sensation.

Hey Arakawa: everywhere, nowhere

Hei Arakawa is inspired by states of change, periods of instability, elements of risk, and his installations often symbolize themes of friendship and collective work. The credo of the contemporary Japanese artist is defined by the performative, indefinite “everywhere, but nowhere.” His creations appear in unexpected places. In 2013, Arakawa's works were exhibited at Venice Biennale and in the exhibition of Japanese contemporary art at the Mori Museum of Art (Tokyo). The installation Hawaiian Presence (2014) was joint project with New York artist Carissa Rodriguez and participated in the Whitney Biennial. Also in 2014, Arakawa and his brother Tomu, performing as a duo called United Brothers, offered visitors to Frieze London their “work” “The This Soup Taste Ambivalent” with “radioactive” Fukushima daikon root vegetables.

Koki Tanaka: Relationships and Repetitions

In 2015, Koki Tanaka was recognized as “Artist of the Year”. Tanaka explores the shared experience of creativity and imagination, encourages exchange between project participants, and advocates for new rules of collaboration. Its installation in the Japanese pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale consisted of a video of objects transforming the room into a platform for artistic exchange. The installations of Koki Tanaka (not to be confused with his full namesake actor) illustrate the relationship between objects and actions, for example, the video contains recordings of simple gestures performed with ordinary objects (a knife cutting vegetables, beer being poured into a glass, opening an umbrella). Nothing significant happens, but obsessive repetition and attention to to the smallest details make the viewer appreciate the worldly.

Mariko Mori and streamlined shapes

Another contemporary Japanese artist, Mariko Mori, “conjures” multimedia objects, combining videos, photographs, and objects. She is characterized by a minimalist futuristic vision and sleek surreal forms. A recurring theme in Mori's work is the juxtaposition of Western legend with Western culture. In 2010, Mariko founded the Fau Foundation, an educational cultural non-profit organization, for which she produced a series of her art installations in honor of the six inhabited continents. Most recently, the Foundation's permanent installation "Ring: One with Nature" was erected over a picturesque waterfall in Resende near Rio de Janeiro.

Ryoji Ikeda: sound and video synthesis

Ryoji Ikeda is a new media artist and composer whose work primarily deals with sound in various “raw” states, from sine waves to noise using frequencies at the edge of human hearing. His immersive installations include computer-generated sounds that are visually transformed into video projections or digital patterns. Ikeda's audiovisual art objects use scale, light, shadow, volume, electronic sounds and rhythm. The artist's famous test facility consists of five projectors that illuminate an area 28 meters long and 8 meters wide. The setup converts data (text, sounds, photos and movies) into barcodes and binary patterns of ones and zeros.

Tatsuo Miyajima and LED counters

Contemporary Japanese sculptor and installation artist Tatsuo Miyajima uses electrical circuits, videos, computers and other gadgets in his art. Miyajima's core concepts are inspired by humanistic ideas and Buddhist teachings. The LED counters in his installations flash continuously in repetition from 1 to 9, symbolizing the journey from life to death, but avoiding the finality that is represented by 0 (zero never appears in Tatsuo's work). The ubiquitous numbers in grids, towers, and diagrams express Miyajima's interest in ideas of continuity, eternity, connection, and the flow of time and space. Recently, Miyajima's "Arrow of Time" was shown at the inaugural exhibition "Unfinished Thoughts Visible in New York."

Nara Yoshimoto and the evil children

Nara Yoshimoto creates paintings, sculptures, and drawings of children and dogs—subjects that reflect childhood feelings of boredom and frustration and the fierce independence that comes naturally to toddlers. The aesthetic of Yoshimoto's work is reminiscent of traditional book illustrations, a mixture of restless tension and the artist's love of punk rock. In 2011, the first personal exhibition Yoshimoto entitled "Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool", covering the 20-year career of the contemporary Japanese artist. The exhibits were closely related to the world's youth subcultures, their alienation and protest.

Yayoi Kusama and space growing into strange forms

The amazing creative biography of Yayoi Kusama lasts seven decades. During this time, the amazing Japanese woman managed to study the fields of painting, graphics, collage, sculpture, cinema, engraving, environmental art, installation, as well as literature, fashion and clothing design. Kusama developed a very distinctive style of dot art that has become her trademark. The illusory visions depicted in 88-year-old Kusama's work—where the world appears to be covered in sprawling, outlandish forms—are the result of hallucinations she has experienced since childhood. Rooms with colorful dots and “infinity” mirrors reflecting their clusters are recognizable and cannot be confused with anything else.