Since last year, DESIGNART has been working to enact legislation for “1% for Art”, a movement to support art in society as a whole, which has already been implemented in the United States, Europe and other countries, to allocate 1% of public buildings to pay for public art.

“SHIBUYA HACHI COMPASS” by Yasuhiro Suzuki (Miyashita Park) © Nacása & Partners

A new landmark in Shibuya, Miyashita Park, is the site of Yasuhiro Suzuki’s sculpture called “SHIBUYA HACHI COMPASS”, which was produced by DESIGNART and installed as a permanent public art installation in July this year. Suzuki continues to question the way we see and perceive the world through his works, including his well-known works “Ship of the Zipper” and “Aerial Being”, which give a fresh perspective on what we see in our daily life.

*Note: “SHIBUYA HACHI COMPASS” is not created by 1% for Art.

“Lovers” by Takuro Tamura (Sequence Mishita Park) © Nacása & Partners

At the entrance on the 4th floor of Sequence Miyashita Park, the venue that was seamlessly connected to Miyashita Park, exhibited “Joining” by Daisy Balloon and “Lovers” – two intertwining curved mirrors by Takuro Tamura. At the intersection where the public and private cross each other, the curving mirrors are usually placed in the public space, but Tamura’s work makes the space more private.

This year’s part of the exhibition was also done online, allowing visitors to view works from home. There were also presentation videos that introduce each exhibitor’s case studies and activities online. This online content has expanded the visitors all over the world.

Although the scale of the event was slightly smaller than before due to Covid 19, with strict control using sanitisers, temperature checks, and social distancing, I felt safe to visit each venue. Even though we are now heading towards the end of the year with this tension, I hope that our life will be back to normal as soon as possible and look forward to the next year’s exhibition.

DESIGNART TOKYO 2020

Date: October 23rd – November 3rd, 2020

Area: Omotesando・Gaienmae / Harajuku・Meiji-jingumae / Shibuya・Daikanyama / Roppongi / Shinjuku / Ginza
Organizers: DESIGNART TOKYO Committee
http://www.designart.jp