From Monday, June 9, 2025, to Friday, August 8, 2025, the exhibition "Live in the Era, Transcend the Era: Reiji Kawaguchi's Direct Gaze" will be held.

We are pleased to present an exhibition of a private collection featuring pre-war Japanese works centered on Yoshio Fujimaki and others, as well as masterpieces of international contemporary art, which have never been shown to the public before.

How deeply can a person gaze at a work of art? The extraordinary collector Reiji Kawaguchi wrote "gaze" as "direct gaze" (chokushi). It is said that his "gaze" upon a work was as if he were confronting it and delving deep into its essence. His collection was truly a series of works gathered through this "direct gaze." Yoshio Fujimaki, who stood beyond that direct gaze, said, "Live in the era, transcend the era." Kawaguchi resonated with works that lived in and transcended their time, and only those that could withstand his "direct gaze" were selected. What does the collection left by Kawaguchi, who lived in dialogue with art, tell us today? Please come and see for yourself at the venue.

The exhibition will be held in two parts: the first half (6/9–7/5) featuring pre-war Japanese works by artists such as Yoshio Fujimaki and Yasunori Taninaka, and the second half (7/9–8/8) featuring international contemporary art by artists such as B. Palermo and A. Mendieta.

First Half: Yoshio Fujimaki, whose words inspired the exhibition title, was an artist who particularly captured Kawaguchi's heart. This will be an opportunity to deeply appreciate the charm of Fujimaki's prints, which are displayed following discussions regarding their authenticity. Along with print works by Yasunori Taninaka and others, the exhibition includes powerful portraits by Shizue Hayashi and drawings by Toshiyuki Hasegawa—a group of works that convey the breath of artists who lived through their era.

Second Half: Starting with A. Tapies, collected in the early stages, the exhibition features works by artists who posed deep questions while facing their own lives, such as B. Palermo's soul-searching drawings, A. Mendieta's forms imprinted on leaves, S. Brown's traces of footsteps, and H. Darboven's wavy line drawings chronicling daily activities.

【Date and Time】

Monday, June 9, 2025 – Friday, August 8, 2025, 11:00–18:00

[First Half] Monday, June 9, 2025 – Saturday, July 5, 2025

[Second Half] Wednesday, July 9, 2025 – Friday, August 8, 2025

Closed: Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays

Special Opening: Saturday, July 5; Saturday, July 26

Temporary Closure: Monday, July 7; Tuesday, July 8; Monday, July 28

【Venue】

Keio University Art Center (KUAC) (Mita Campus South Annex 1F Art Space)

【Eligibility】

Open to everyone

【Admission】

Free

【Registration】

Not required

【Organizer / Cooperation】

Organizer: Keio University Art Center (KUAC)

Cooperation: Yoshihisa Otani

【Contact】

Keio University Art Center (KUAC)

2-15-45 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8345

TEL 03-5427-1621 FAX 03-5427-1620

ac-tenji[at]adst.keio.ac.jp

Please click here for more details about the event.