A sure sign of an event’s arrival in the international art calendar is the number of collateral programmes it attracts. This year is a watershed for Art Week Tokyo in that regard, with multiple partners set to amplify the city’s November buzz.
Leading the way is a new project by the founders of the alternative art fair Basel Social Club. Tokyo Jazz Club, which takes place from 1 to 8 November in a former capsule hotel in the Jimbocho neighbourhood, will combine contemporary art, performance, music and food to create a hybrid space between an immersive exhibition, a social environment and a reimagined marketplace. According to co-founders Robbie Fitzpatrick and Yael Salomonowitz, the event is inspired by the history of jazz culture in Japan. “Jazz offers us a mode of thinking—a language of improvisation, listening and collective presence,” says Salomonowitz.
Tokyo Jazz Club will take place in a former capsule hotel in the Jimbocho neighbourhood of Tokyo Courtesy Tokyo Jazz Club
Also exploring notions of hybrid space is Project O+O: Gabriel Orozco at Higashi-Yama Tokyo. Orozco is collaborating with designer Shinichiro Ogata to turn a restaurant into an extension of his home from 6 to 29 November. Billed as a “living exhibition where artworks, specially designed objects and culinary experiences converge”, the project is co-presented by Mexico City’s Kurimanzutto and Tokyo-based producer Jam Acuzar.
Meanwhile, Serakai Studio, backer of the new Hong Kong cultural space Gold, is hosting a durational performance and installation by Taiwanese artist Liang-Jung Chen (4-5 November) as part of Certainly Tokyo, its pop-up exhibition at Path Omotesando.
These events reflect the global scope of Tokyo’s creative scene. Not to be outdone, homegrown media art and VJ duo MES is curating a lineup of DJs and performers for AWT x Shibuya Parco Art Night on 4 November.
• Visit the Events page on Art Week Tokyo’s website for more listings