Art Re-Public Tokyo at Shibuya

Shibuya (渋谷) is a famous district in Tokyo, known as one of the fashion centers of Japan, particularly for young people, and as a major nightlife area. Along with Harajuku, Shibuya is recognized as the center of youth culture and youth fashion in Japan. Shibuya is located on the Yamanote Line between Harajuku and Ebisu in the Shibuya-ku Ward of Tokyo. Shibuya’s streets came alive with performance art, music and sculpture for “Art Re-Public Tokyo”.

Now Shibuya's streets had a different style, a more lively with performance art, music and sculpture for “Art Re-Public Tokyo”. One hot Golden Week afternoon, a 110 metre stretch of street in Shibuya was turned into a public art carnival for the “Art Re-Public Tokyo”. There was music from the likes of Soil & “Pimp” Sessions and Toast Girl, performance art, live painting, and exhibits of everything from children’s picture books to sculpture.

We can see a unique style of Japanese people to describe their art and culture, including a few photos and a video clip of performances by, among others, the baguette-handed Toast Girl.

For most of the sunny Golden Week afternoon there was live music from the likes of Soil & “Pimp” Sessions, artists displaying their works, and all kinds of bizarre performance art happenings.

Visitor can see Toast Girl again, along with large inflated black rabbits, old men fishing in the street (Tange Kouki’s performance installation “Kusou turibito” [Daydream Fishermen]), and some peculiar guys in silver alien suits (Yuu Satou’s “horn man”)…Yes, despite the “Flower Festival” theme it felt a bit random to us, not least the appearance of pink and cute-but-scary Gloomy Bear.



Art Re-Public Tokyo, an event that turned the stretch of road between Marui City and Tower Records into an art free-for-all.



Shibuya goes street music, performances: Art Re-Public Tokyo








A rare sight in Shibuya: the street between OI City and Tower Records shut off to traffic.



'Black Usagi' by Oak To All Relations


One of the themes of the festival was nature and Mother Earth. Hiromi Nakajima's drawings are half-buried in greenery.



Seen last year at the then-newly opened Nanzuka Underground gallery in Shirokane, 'Family' by Akiyoshi Mishima seemed a bit isolated in the open air.



A performance by Oak To All Relations involved foil costumes, paint, masking tap...and inflated black creatures.



These gentlemen seem very lost at sea, or even rather marooned. Tange Kouki's 'Kusou Tsuribito'.



Delicate wire sculptures, 'Vanishing Figure' by Etori Kenji.



Yuu Satou's 'horn man' occasionally moved, in tandem with a friend, or simply alone.

Watch Art Re-Public Tokyo -- Toast Girl Video



The video recorded at May 4, 2010. Shibuya's streets turned into a music and performance art carnival. Participants included Toast Girl and Soil & "Pimp" Sessions.