Designed by ©︎Toshiki Koike
15th Anniversary Exhibition of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection: Chaos and Hope
Organized by Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Supported by U.S. Embassy, Tokyo, Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi Board of Education, Hokuto City, Hokuto City Board of Education
Special Thanks: The Keith Haring Foundation, CMIC HOLDINGS Co., Ltd.
In April 2007, the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection opened in Kobuchizawa, at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains. It remains the only museum in the world dedicated to introducing the life and art of Keith Haring (1958–1990), a New York-based artist. Kazuo Nakamura, the museum’s founder and director, began collecting Haring’s works after encountering Three Lithographs (People Ladder) in New York in 1987. Today, the museum houses approximately 300 of Haring’s works, along with over 500 archival materials, including photographs, videos, and merchandise produced during his lifetime. This exhibition features approximately 150 works, including the newly acquired Untitled.
This exhibition revisits the museum’s inaugural exhibition, From Chaos to Hope, delving into its concepts and reflecting on Haring’s journey. In 1978, Haring arrived in New York during the early days of hip-hop. The city, a collision of white-dominated art circles and underground parties where minorities gathered, left a profound impression on him. Within just five years, Haring rose to stardom, traveling the globe, only to be diagnosed with AIDS. After battling the then-unknown virus, he passed away at the age of 31. Beneath the boundlessly bright art that continues to captivate audiences, Haring expressed his anguish, critiques of a chaotic society, and his unwavering hope for freedom and change.
Haring’s art from the 1980s offers insights into how we can face the challenges of the modern world. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have upended long-standing norms, exposing political and social issues simmering beneath the surface. In this era, diverse values are increasingly essential. Just as in Haring’s time, we stand at a crossroads in a world where chaos and order, despair and hope coexist, urging us to rethink how we choose to live.
INSTALLATION VIEW
Photo by ©︎Mitsuru Wakabayashi
FEATURED ARTWORKS
*1 Three Lithographs, 1985
Icons, 1990
*2 Untitled, 1984
Untitled, 1988
Untitled (Subway Drawing), 1981-1983
