This special exhibition presents works by Noritaka Tatehana that are concurrently featuring in the online exhibition “EDO TOKYO RETHINK,” an event organized by the city of Tokyo to exhibit new works with a focus on traditional crafts and industries of Edo era Tokyo. Noritaka Tatehana’s initial inspiration came from his re-evaluation of past Japanese culture. In “RETHINK,” he shows new works that result from a reinterpretation of traditional crafts and industries of Edo era Tokyo.
About the “EDO TOKYO RETHINK” online exhibition
The “Edo Tokyo Kirari Project” seeks to refine technologies and products rooted in the traditions of Edo Tokyo and broadcast them to the world. It has commissioned globally-renowned contemporary artist Noritaka Tatehana to direct the online exhibition “EDO TOKYO RETHINK.” For this exhibition, craftsmen in traditional Tokyo industries work in collaboration with Noritaka Tatehana. Their collaborative projects are released online, featuring images and video of their display in the Marquis Hosokawa Mansion, a Tokyo Cultural Heritage Property in the grounds of Wakeijuku. The exhibited works explore the theme of modern reinterpretations of traditional Japanese culture, otherwise referred to as “RETHINK,” Tatehana’s unique creative process. Tatehana’s artworks highlight the charms and values of Japanese traditional industries through a contemporary approach.
Noritaka Tatehana was born in 1985 in Tokyo, Japan. His family ran the public bathhouse "Kabuki-yu" in Kabukicho, Tokyo, while he grew up in Kamakura. Tatehana learned to create with own hands from a young age, under the influence of his mother, who was a doll artist practicing the Waldorf education method. Subsequently, he graduated from the Department of Crafts, Textile Arts, at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2010. Along with the undertaking of cultural research regarding to depictions of prostitution throughout Japanese history, Tatehana also creates kimono and geta (traditional wooden clogs), using the yūzen-dyeing process. Alongside the artist's numerous group exhibitions including "Image-Makers" (21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, 2014), and "Future Beauty" (The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, International Tour, 2012), his works have been shown in solo exhibitions such as "Aesthetic of Magic" (The Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum, 2016), "It's always the others who die" (POLA Museum Annex, 2019), and "NORITAKA TATEHANA: Refashioning Beauty" (Portland Japanese Garden, 2019). Furthermore, Tatehana's works have been exhibited worldwide in locations such as New York, Paris, Holland, and more. The artist has also presented a wide variety of creative practices; namely, a bunraku performance at the Cartier Foundation in Paris in March 2016. To date, Tatehana's work can be found in institutional collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Concluding on September 22, 2020, the artist's group exhibition, "Contemporary Japanese Crafts," is currently being held at the Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art.

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