Exhibitions
KAMAKURA ANNEX Current & Upcoming Exhibitions
Mokumo Sensei and Illustrations: Aoki Library and Modern Japanese Paintings from the Museum Collection
This exhibition presents the "Aoki Shigeru Bunko (Aoki Library)" collection, comprising approximately 10,000 books once owned by Aoki Shigeru (1932–2021), a distinguished researcher of Meiji-period art and a passionate bibliophile affectionately known as "Mokumo Sensei (Prof. Mokumo)." Following the 2024 exhibition, this year’s display will feature books, magazines, and original illustrations related to sashi-e (illustrations) and manga (comics) from the Meiji period to the early Showa period. Alongside these works, masterpieces of modern Western-style painting by Asai Chu (1856–1907), Kuroda Seiki (1866–1924), Fujishima Takeji (1867–1943), Nakazawa Hiromitsu (1874–1964), and Kishida Ryusei (1891–1929) will also be featured.
Image: Nakamura Fusetsu, Hokusai Uses a Rooster's Footprints to Draw a Picture of Tatsutagawa River, c. 1908, Museum collection (Aoki Shigeru Library)
Can I Touch This, Too?
An Exhibition of Touchable Sculptures from the Museum Collection II
The second installment of the Can I Touch This, Too? exhibition, originally held in 2022, invites visitors to engage with the sculptures from the museum's collection in a hands-on way. This unique experience allows guests to explore the various shapes and textures of the artworks, encouraging a deeper appreciation that goes beyond traditional viewing. (To ensure the protection of the sculptures, gloves provided by the museum must be worn.)
Image: Horiuti Masakazu, Sliding Hemispheres, 1973, Museum collection. Photo by Sato Shin'ichi
Kawaguchi Kimio: Thousands are Sailing
Kawaguchi Kimio (1951–) is an artist who paints what is visible, while simultaneously pursuing landscapes that no one has ever seen. His works are created using a mixed technique of tempera and oil paints, which he studied in Vienna. The nuanced textures in his paintings often evoke a sense of storytelling, and his style is frequently likened to poetry; a "painting to be read." This exhibition offers a comprehensive view of his artistic evolution, presenting early works from the 1970s alongside newly revealed pieces, tracing his creative journey over half a century.
Image: Kawaguchi Kimio, Journey on the Desk, 2025, Private collection
Fukuda Naoyo: By the Shore of Faintness
Fukuda Naoyo (1967–) is an artist who explores her belief that "the world is made of words" through both language and art. She creates palindromes that read the same forwards and backward while also sculpting with objects tied to words, such as books, letters, pencils, and erasers. These objects are shaved, folded, cut, stitched with thread, and pierced with needle holes, losing their original forms and gradually disintegrating into small particles. This exhibition presents Fukuda's creative world, highlighting the transience of existence and the "in-between" of life and death through an installation that encompasses the entire exhibition space.
Image: Fukuda Naoyo, The Bones of Smoke, 2007–2013, Color pencil leeds, Urawa Art Museum. Photo by Otani Ichiro