An art installation will fly over Lisbon between Thursday and Sunday, marking the start of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Modern Art Center (CAM) in the Portuguese capital, the foundation announced today.
“The monumental installation will fly over the skies of Lisbon, in various locations in the city, between 08:00 and 10:30 and between 19:00 and 21:30 on July 20, 21, 22 and 23, as part of the Japanese contemporary art season that will celebrate CAM’s 40th anniversary”, says the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in a statement released today.
The project “Masayume” (dream that becomes real, in Portuguese), developed by the collective Mé, made up of Haruka Kojin, Kenji Minamigawa and Hirofumi Masui, “was born from a dream of one of the artists and will be shown for the first time outside Japan”.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation warns that “the installation is subject to weather conditions and must be confirmed at least 24:00 in advance”.
CAM will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a season of contemporary Japanese art, with several moments between July and the reopening of the building, scheduled for spring 2024.
As part of this season, on Saturday the Foundation’s Grand Auditorium hosts the performance and audiovisual installation “100 Cymbals”, by composer and visual artist Ryoji Ikeda, performed by the ensemble Les Percussions de Strasbourg.
According to the Foundation, it is “a unique listening experience that develops on the fine line between noise and harmonic resonance”. In addition, “Ikeda’s tribute to John Cage is also presented: the free interpretation of the work ‘But what about the noise of crumpling paper’, composed in 1985 by the American composer, a pioneer of aleatory and electroacoustic music”.
On Sunday, “Existential Cuisine” is presented, an “edible landscape” by artist Lei Saito, “inspired by her research on the cuisine, history and urban planning of the city of Lisbon”.
“With the Gulbenkian Garden as a backdrop, Lei Saito creates an installation with various food and ceramic objects, offering the public a surprising aesthetic and sensory experience”, the Foundation points out.
The program of the Japanese contemporary art season includes performances, music and art installations, curated by Emmanuelle de Montgazon, crossing different artistic practices and disciplines.
The idea came from the architectural concept of ‘engawa’, which is the basis of the project by architect Kengo Kuma for the remodeling of the CAM building, and which designates “a space of passage”, interior and exterior, usually found in traditional Japanese houses, according to Gulbenkian.
After these first days in July, the season resumes in September, with the artist Mieko Shiomi, 84, a member of Fluxus since 1964 – a movement in which Yoko Ono was also involved -, who will present a new work, interpreted by Portuguese musicians and artists.
Also in September, multidisciplinary artist Ami Yamasaki, who uses her own body as an instrument, emitting sounds that reflect the invisible vibrations of our surroundings, presents Christian Marclay’s performance “Manga Scroll”, as well as a solo and duet performance with musician Ko Ishikawa, a performer of the Shõ instrument.
The remaining activities of the season, scheduled for November and 2024, will be announced “in due course”, the foundation added.
Information on timetables and tickets for the Japanese contemporary art season can be found on the official website of the Calouste Gulbekian Foundation, through the following link: https://gulbenkian.pt/cam/engawa/.
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