The exhibition “Katsura Funakoshi: The Day I Go to the Forest” will be held at The Hakone Open-Air Museum in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, from July 26 (Fri) through November 4 (Mon).
Funakoshi Katsura is a sculptor from Iwate Prefecture whose father is Yasutake Funakoshi, one of Japan’s leading postwar sculptors. In 1986, he spent a year in London as an overseas trainee artist with the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and in 1988, he participated in the 43rd Venice Biennale, and in 1992, he exhibited at Documenta, an international contemporary art exhibition held every five years in Kassel, Germany. He is also known for his numerous works based on the subject of the Sphinx.
The exhibition consists of four parts: “I Like It,” “What is Human Being? The exhibition will trace the transition of Funakoshi’s works as a sculptor and the source of his creativity through his works such as “Sphinx Looking at War II,” which was born from his anger and lamentation over the Iraq War in 2003, and “Hands to the Sea,” which was created in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The exhibition will trace the transition of Funakoshi’s works as a sculptor and the source of his creativity.
The exhibition commemorates the 55th anniversary of the opening of the Open-Air Sculpture Museum, the first open-air sculpture museum in Japan, and the project started when Funakoshi was commissioned in March 2023. Funakoshi died of lung cancer in March 2024 at the age of 72, but the exhibition was held in accordance with his wishes and those of his bereaved family, who had hoped to realize the exhibition until the very end.
展覧会概要
Name of Exhibition: Katsura Funakoshi: The Day I Go to the Forest, commemorating the 55th anniversary of The Hakone Open-Air Museum
Dates: July 26 (Friday) – November 4 (Monday), 2024
Venue: The Open-Air Museum of Sculpture
Address：1121 Ninohira, Hakone-cho, Ashigarashita-gun, Kanagawa
Gallery: The Hakone Open-Air Museum Main Gallery
Hours：9:00-17:00 (Entry until 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Open all year round
Admission: Adults 2,000 yen, University and high school students 1,600 yen, Junior high school and elementary school students 800 yen, Preschool children free
Web ticket discounts, group discounts, and discounts for the handicapped are available.
The official website of The Open-Air Museum of Sculpture
www.hakone-oam.or.jp/
【Special website】
www.hakone-oam.or.jp/specials/2024/katsurafunakoshi/
Katsura Funakoshi
Biography
Born in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, 1951
1975 Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University
1977 Graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, majoring in sculpture
1986-87 Artist-in-residence in London, Japan
Awards
1995 The 26th Teiniro Nakahara Prize for Excellence
1997 Received the 18th Hirakushi Danchu Award
2011 Medal with Purple Ribbon
Exhibition History
1988 “43rd Venice Biennale”, Italy
1992 “Documenta IX” Kassel, Germany
2003-2004 “Katsura Kawakoshi: 1980-2003” Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Japan / Tochi Art Museum, Tochigi, Japan / Asahikawa Art Museum, Hokkaido, Japan / Yamamatsu City Museum of Art, Japan / Iwate Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan / Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan
2008 “Art Deco Space, Sculpture, Drawing, and Prints in the Residence of Keika Norikoshi” Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “Katsura Funakoshi 2012: Eternity in the Eye of the Artist” Menard Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2015-16 “Katsura Funakoshi: The Sphinx in Me”, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Hyogo, Japan; Tatebayashi Museum of Art, Gunma, Japan; Mie Prefectural Art Museum, Mie, Japan; Niigata City Art Museum, Niigata, Japan
2020 “Katsura Funakoshi: The Fountain Inside Me”, Shoto Museum of Art, Shibuya, Tokyo
