ARATANIURANO was opened in 2007 and is located in Ginza, a central Tokyo neighborhood that continues to have an Edo-era atmosphere, with its traditional manufactures and the renowned Tsukiji fish market. Run by Tomoko Aratani and Mutsumi Urano, ARATANIURANO represents emerging and established artists from Japan and abroad, and works closely with them to produce not only exhibitions but also experimental projects.
Among these projects are visual artist and performer Tadasu Takamine’s recent works, made since July 2008. He has been interested in the supercapacitor, an environmentally friendly electricity-storage device that could potentially solve global energy shortages, and yet remains too expensive for widespread use. To address this dilemma, ARATANIURANO held an exhibition of Takamine’s supercapacitor-branded artworks. This led to a collaboration with supercapacitor and solar-powered battery manufacturers, culminating in an exhibition at the Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art in January 2010.
We also collaborated with artist Tatzu Nishi, known for his large-scale works examining notions of public space, installed at various sites around the world. For his solo show “What if someone finds out ?!” in May 2009, Nishi uprooted a streetlamp and ran it through the gallery walls, and we worked with him on the logistics for a photographic work in which he is shown walking outside with household objects such as books, furniture and electric appliances, piled on top of his head.
Coowners: Tomoko Aratani, Mutsumi Urano
