Art I Saw Recently
Viewing Diàn, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Loewe, and Tadanori Yokoo in Tokyo.
Cover photo: Installation view of the exhibit “First Last” by Tomokazu Matsuyama (松山智一展) at Azabudai Hills Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2025). Photo by Danny With Love.
Intro
I spent the Golden Week holidays in Tokyo! The city was so crowded, but it was my long-awaited opportunity to see many beautiful exhibitions. I was particularly excited for Tomokazu Matsuyama’s solo show at the Azabudai Hills Gallery and I also scored a ticket to the free Loewe Crafted World exhibit. There’s always something new to see in Tokyo. Please read on for details.
Diàn (静電場朔) at Daikanyama Tsutaya
Saturday morning, I stumbled upon an exhibit by artist-musician Diàn (静電場朔) at the bookstore Daikanyama Tsutaya. According to exhibition materials, she has composed music for video games and anime. The Tokyo-based Chinese artist has an international sensibility, working with motifs of cats, stars, and swords. It’s a cute, girly aesthetic likely born of online art from the 2010s. I was drawn to her colorful palette and chibi-style rounded characters, but was ultimately left wanting more.
Tomokazu Matsuyama (松山智一展) at Azabudai Hills Gallery
I began Sunday with a visit to Azabudai Hills Gallery to see the exhibit “First Last” by Tomokazu Matsuyama (松山智一展), his first major show in Tokyo. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this exhibition since last year!
The New York-based Japanese artist is known for his fluorescent explorations transcending time and space. His work is truly gorgeous thanks to his genius use of color and pattern. Through historical homage and remix, he captures a sense of freedom and isolation found in cross-cultural existence.
In particular, I was drawn to “We The People” in which Matsuyama reimagines Jacques-Louis David’s “Death of Socrates” inside a U.S. supermarket. Instead of poisonous hemlock, the central figure prepares to ingest a bowl of sugary cereal between the aisles of processed snacks and household pharmaceuticals. In America, “Freedom” refers only to consumption.
Loewe Crafted World in Harajuku
In the afternoon, I visited the pop-up show “Loewe Crafted World” near Harajuku Station. This is Loewe’s first-ever major exhibition, detailing the history and craftsmanship of the Spanish luxury fashion house founded in 1846. The show is a whimsical celebration of creative mastery.
It’s a truly immersive experience, much larger than I expected. Highlights include window display designs by José Pérez de Rozas, Rihanna’s 2023 Super Bowl jumpsuit, and a recreation of the titular “Howl’s Moving Castle” from the beloved film by Studio Ghibli. The show also includes behind-the-scenes looks at product assembly, including the iconic puzzle bag.
While the show is an excellent presentation of Loewe’s history, it offers few clues to the brand’s future. Long-serving creative director Jonathan Anderson stepped down last March, following eleven years at the house. I hope new directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez will continue in relentless experimentation.
Tadanori Yokoo (横尾 忠則) at Gucci Ginza Gallery
Lastly, I saw “Mikan: Myself, Incomplete” by Tadanoori Yokoo (横尾 忠則) at Gucci Ginza Gallery. Though Yokoo is among Japan’s greatest graphic designers, this show focused on his painted works, with which I am less familiar. They possess a somber, ghostly quality. I was most interested in his use of scaffolding, alluding to the idea of infinite possibility.
