Spoon & Tamago

Page 31 of 406

On Ogijima, A Mural of Island Life by Oscar Oiwa Painted Inside a Shigeru Ban Structure

Every three years, Naoshima, Teshima and ten other islands including Megijima, Ogijima and Shodoshima play host to a collection of installations and artists for the Setouchi International Art Triennale. 2022 marks the 12th anniversary of the art festival and the summer season just kicked off today, August 5th. While many of the permanent installations remain up (but not all of them), the islands continue to add new site-specific artworks and one of those is a collaboration between Brazilian-Japanese artist Oscar Oiwa and architect Shigeru Ban.

Goldfish Artist Riusuke Fukahori Pays Homage to Savior in Latest Tokyo Exhibition

July 29, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

“Akishiki” (2020) by Riusuke Fukahori | all images courtesy the artist

Artist Riusuke Fukahori has devoted his career to painting goldfish. His “2.5D paintings,” as they’re called, come to life through a meticulous and repetitive process of applying layers and layers of paint, each sandwiched between thin layers of resin, until the lifelike goldfish are complete and appear to rise up from whatever canvas he has chosen. A new exhibition in Tokyo reflects on the artist’s body of work and the deeper meaning behind the goldfish.

Rice Paddy Art Features Two Beautiful Women from Art History

July 27, 2022 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Inakadate, the village in northern Japan’s Aomori prefecture famous for their rice paddy art, today unveiled their latest creation. The seeds of their labor, which were planted in June, have now grown and filled out the canvas, rendering versions of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Seiki Kuroda’s “Lakeside,” which depicts his wife Taneko Kaneko.

Cool Down at Tokyo’s Newest Craft Beer Bar, Special End

July 26, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

photos by Ichisei Hiramatsu

Have you ever had beer made from honey produced by the bee hives of Shimane Prefecture’s Hagi Iwami Airport? What about a kumquat and coriander ale from Shiga Prefecture? You never really know what you’ll find at Tokyo’s craft beer bar Special End but you can be certain that whatever is on tap will hit the spot, especially during summer’s horrendous humidity.

The Tokyoiter Presents Diverse Visions of Tokyo

July 23, 2022 / Johnny / 3 Comments

It’s been a while since we checked in on our favorite faux-magazine covers, The Tokyoiter, and were reminded that we need to do so more often. The initiative, originally inspired by magazine covers from The New Yorker, invites graphic designers and illustrators from all over the world to present their unique vision of Tokyo. From vending machines and convenience stores to dichotomies of old and new, check out some of our recent favorites below and come with us on a journey as we travel vicariously to Japan.

This Summer, Give the Gift of Fried Chicken

July 22, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

It’s summer gift-giving season, known as ochugen, in Japan right now. And if you’re looking for an unusual, outside-the-box gift we have the perfect answer for you. Kagurazaka Saitou is a new shop that opened recently in the Tokyo neighborhood of Kagurazaka and they specialize in one thing and one thing alone: karaage, or fried chicken. And it’s the most-beautifully packaged fried chicken we’ve ever seen.

Unused High-End Kimonos Upcycled Into One-of-a-Kind Leather Shoes

July 7, 2022 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Traditional Japanese silk kimonos are handmade and typically cost between $2000 – $20,000 usd. They’re reserved for special occasions like coming-of-age day and weddings. Some estimates put the total value of kimono that are stored away in closets all across Japan as high as $300 billion usd. In an attempt to extract some of that value and inject it back into society, a group of designers began the Tokyo Kimono Shoes project.

Hitokotonushi Shrine in Ibaraki Hosts Summertime Honey Bee Oasis

July 6, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

all images courtesy Hitokotonushi Shrine

In the height of summer, when temperatures are soaring, safe access to drinking water becomes critical for all animals. And yes, that includes even bees! At the ancient Hitokotonushi Shrine in Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture, which was founded in the year 809, a particular breed of care and kindness is paid to the local bees.

Dystopian ‘Collaged’ Figurines by Hiroki Tsukuda Depict The Darkest Hour

June 27, 2022 / Johnny / 3 Comments

all images courtesy Nazuka Underground

The Contemporary artist Hiroki Tsukuda was born in Kagawa in 1978 and grew up in Japan during the 80s and 90s. Like many of us, he steeped himself in the fantasy and science fiction-based franchises of the time including Star Wars, Gundam and Monster Hunter. The dark and bleak futures depicted in the works of fiction seemed to be just that: fiction. But we continue to find ourselves in times war, poverty and social unrest. It is this discrepancy that is the driving force behind the artist’s work, which includes disassembled and reassembled “collaged” figurines from the artist’s personal collection, as well as dystopian, detailed drawings that present themselves like advertisements from an alternate reality.

Tilde: A Series of Woven ‘Ami-Gasane’ 3D Printed Products

June 24, 2022 / Johnny / Comments Off

In all honesty, I’m not a huge fan of 3D printing. Most of the products I’ve come across have felt cold and mechanical. In other words, not something I would want to use on a daily basis. But this series of products called tilde, created by Kyoto-based studio Shingei-sha, is the closest thing I’ve seen to getting 3D printing right.