NANZUKA is hosting an exhibition project by American artist Daniel Arsham called A Ripple in Time which features his Pokémon artwork. As part of the promotion for the exhibit, an anime short was created. Some merchadise items based on his work will also be available to purchase. The exhibition takes place throughout February 2022 at 5 different locations in Tokyo, Japan.

YouTube Clip - A Ripple in Time" by Pokémon × Daniel Arsham

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3_Si9np920

YouTube Clip - A Ripple in Time" by Pokémon × Daniel Arsham

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1YE9OlstpM

Press Release - Daniel Arsham × Pokémon - A Ripple in Time

NANZUKA is pleased to present A Ripple in Time, an exhibition project by American artist Daniel Arsham. The series of exhibitions marks the third installment of Arsham’s collaborative art project with The Pokémon Company following the shows Relics of Kanto Through Time held consecutively at NANZUKA and Parco Museum Tokyo from June to August 2020, and Time Dilation at Perrotin, New York in January 2021.

Arsham continues to seek out devices for creating unreality through constantly continuing to explore and experiment with new materials. These endeavors derive from Arsham’s interest in architecture and the environment (earth science) as observed in his activities as co-organizer of the architectural project Snarkitecture. From environments with eroded walls, stairs leading nowhere, to landscapes where nature overrides artificial structures, Arsham meticulously unveils spaces and moments that seemingly confuse and confound our expectations, resolving such experiences within the context of his work.

“I was always interested in architecture as a child. Architecture has played a large part in my practice, as well [as] in thinking about how to reform architecture and make it do things that it’s not supposed to do. It’s also something that I think about quite heavily when I’m thinking about exhibitions, how people experience an exhibition as they move through it and how the architecture, the light, the length of time it takes them to move through space, impacts their understanding and experience of it.”*

Arsham’s sculptural works made of materials such as pyrite, selenite, volcanic ash, glass, obsidian, growler rocks, crystal, and bronze, invite viewers on a journey through time. Through looking at buildings, a camera, toys, and cars etc. that have changed over time, viewers are able to imagine the possibility of various objects that are present around us to become nothing but fossilized artifacts in the distant future that lies a million years ahead. Alternatively, Arsham’s work provokes us to think about our very own existence.

“The idea of fictional archaeology is about taking objects from the present and reforming them in geological materials to project them into the future. It’s as if you could go to the future and look at the remnants of your own life, of your own civilization, really.”*

A Ripple in Time consists of five exhibitions. In addition to a showcasing of works in NANZUKA’s three gallery spaces, a public art piece will be presented at Roppongi Hills’ 66 Plaza, as well as an installation in Isamu Noguchi’s indoor stone garden in the Sogetsu Plaza on the first floor of The Sogetsu Kaikan designed by architect Kenzo Tange. At Roppongi Hills, a total of 6 Pokémon will be displayed to the public for around a one-month period in the form of large-scale bronze sculptures, while NANZUKA UNDERGROUND presents the animated artwork “A Ripple in Time” by Pokémon x Daniel Arsham born through the artist’s collaboration with Kunihiko Yuyama, General Director of Pokémon the Series broadcast in 1997, who continues to oversee the efforts of his successors as Creative Supervisor of the anime franchise. This project was produced over the course of two years at the strong request of Arsham himself. From organizing the plot to the scene-setting, determining which Pokémon and characters appear, as well as the storyboards and finishing process, the production team led by Arsham and Director Yuyama, communicated numerous times online to create a work like never before seen in the history of art. Furthermore, the production of this animation work had led Arsham to produce a series of paintings. A variety of paintings on the theme of "intermixed passages of time" will be showcased, including those depicting crystallized Pokémon discovered within a giant cave, and those inspired by scenes from the animation work. In addition, a selection of new three-dimensional works will be exhibited at The Sogetsu Kaikan, making use of the unique space of Isamu Noguchi's indoor stone garden, while Arsham’s drawings, which can be considered as the origin of his oeuvre, are presented at 3110NZ.

Arsham states as follows, regarding the project.

“I grew up with Pokémon and collected the cards when I was young. It’s something that is also present in the childhood of my children. They love Pokémon now, and I think that speaks to the universal nature of Pokémon, and the incredible universe of imagination that it has created for me and my own children.”*

The project book, Daniel Arsham’s Pokédex will be published by Bijutsu Shuppan-sha Co., Ltd. in correspondence to the exhibition. In addition, a selection of related products and apparel items will be available to purchase at 2G (Shibuya Parco 2F). We look forward to welcoming you to the exhibitions.

*As measures against covid-19, NANZUKA implements body temperature check prior to the entry, and refuse the entry if it exceeds 37 degrees Celsius, and requests the sterilization of hands and wearing a face mask.
*Excerpted from an interview by Machiko Harada

Daniel Arsham

Daniel Arsham (b.1980, Ohio, United States) graduated from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and currently lives and works in New York. His works are founded upon the concept of “Fictional Archaeology,” and consist of a diverse variety of mediums ranging from sculpture, painting, installation, to performance. Arsham’s work has been shown in numerous museums and international exhibitions throughout the world including, MoMA PS1 in New York, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami, The Athens Biennale in Athens, Greece, The New Museum in New York, Mills College Art Museum in Oakland, California and Carré d'Art de Nîmes, France, How Art Museum in Shanghai.

NANZUKA

NANZUKA UNDERGROUND is a gallery that was founded in 2005 in Shibuya, Tokyo, as an experimental space dedicated to facilitating connections between pop culture and contemporary art, while redefining the creativities in design, illustration, street culture, fashion, music, and other related fields as academic subjects. “Tokyo Pop Underground,” held in 2019 as a joint project with American gallerist Jeffery Deitch, had received much international attention as an exhibition that unraveled the depths of Japanese art through new frameworks and perspectives.

Location Information:

Daniel Arsham × Pokémon - A Ripple in Time

Roppongi Hills 66 Plaza, Roppongi
Pokémon of Future Past
February 5th, 2022 to February 26th, 2022

NANZUKA UNDERGROUND
A Ripple in Time
February 12th, 2022 to March 27th, 2022

Sogetsu Kaikan Sogetsu Plaza
Hidden within the Tall Grass
February 11, 2022 to February 20th, 2022
*Open every day throughout the exhibition

NANZUKA 2G, Shibuya Parco
Ancient Power: Hidden in the Ruins
February 11th, 2022 to March 6th, 2022

3110NZ by LDH kitchen, Nakameguro
Field Research
February 8th, 2022 to March 6th, 2022