Yuko Mohri: Where We Now Stand - In Order to Map the Future: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa

In October, 2019, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa will mark its 15th anniversary. Since our 2004 opening, we have examined the world of “today” through the art and activities of artists who live and experience these times. Through artistic dialogue propelled by research and exhibitions, we have sought to uncover contemporary art’s richness and potential. An art museum’s collection forms its core and hence reveals its philosophy as a museum. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa has therefore placed central importance on building a strong collection. The exhibition, “Where We Now Stand—In Order to Map the Future,” regards “here and now” as our standpoint for contemplating the future. Primarily through artworks in the collection, it reveals how contemporary artists—creators closely attuned to the “now”—view the future. Although only 15 years have passed since this museum’s opening, the events of those years underscore the accelerating changes shaping the world. The some 4,000 works we have collected in that time enable us to grasp, from an artistic approach, the successive years from the late 20th century until today in the 21st. The six keywords guiding the museum’s collection—“displacement and crossover,” “immateriality,” “collaboration and participation,” “natural generation and organism,” “everydayness and individuation”, and “quotation and reproduction”—have gradually changed in meaning over time. New issues and relationships needing attention are also emerging. Through the unique perspective of artists on the world in which we live, this exhibition will give viewers opportunity to ascertain for themselves where we now stand.

KUROSAWA Hiromi (Chief Curator)

Installation view of “Where We Now Stand - In Order to Map the Future [2],” 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 2020.

Photo by Keizo Kioku