Designed by ©︎Kent Iitaka
Keith Haring and Japan: Pop to Neo-Japonisme
Organized by Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Supported by: Embassy of the United States in Japan, Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi Board of Education, Hokuto City, Hokuto City Board of Education
Collaborators: Keith Haring Foundation, Tama City Cultural Foundation, Pia Corporation, Yoshito Kawashima, CHINO, GENXY
The Nakamura Keith Haring Collection, the world’s only museum dedicated to the works of Keith Haring, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2017 with this commemorative exhibition focusing on Haring’s activities in Japan.
Keith Haring made his first visit to Japan in 1983, where he created drawings using traditional Japanese materials such as folding screens and hanging scrolls with ink. Influenced by Zen philosophy and Eastern culture, which had long fascinated him, Haring found inspiration in these uniquely Japanese art forms. Moreover, the bustling and vibrant Tokyo of the economic bubble era presented an exotic and stimulating experience for him.
After gaining fame with his Subway Drawings in New York and achieving success with his groundbreaking art project, the Pop Shop, Haring opened Pop Shop Tokyo in Aoyama in 1988. The shop, which featured unique items blending his signature style with Japanese culture, became a sensation, with lines of visitors forming daily. This exhibition highlights some of Haring’s most iconic works from that time, including ceramics and fans, and introduces a unique world where Japanese culture was elevated through Haring’s free and diverse creativity. A particularly rare highlight is the Maneki Neko (Beckoning Cat), created during his 1988 visit to Tokyo, being exhibited for the first time worldwide.
Additionally, the exhibition includes a special limited-time display of the mural created in 1987 at Parthenon Tama in Tama City, Tokyo. This work, co-created with approximately 500 children, showcases Haring’s efforts to engage in cultural exchange through art, transcending language barriers.
“The concept of what I produce is based on ‘Pop’ so I think it can be received in the same way in both Tokyo and New York. I think the Japanese are looking to the Western World a bit much right now—the desire to be more American or to be more Western. I believe that if you turn the traditional Japanese culture into Pop, something amazing can be born, rather than copying American things.”
– Keith Haring, 1988
HIGHLIGHTS
1. The World’s Only Keith Haring Museum
The museum offers over 190 pieces from its extensive collection, housed within an exhibition space designed by Atsushi Kitagawara to reflect the “light and shadow” of Haring’s era.
2. Exhibition of Previously Unseen Works
For the first time, the exhibition features Haring’s hanging scrolls and Maneki Neko (privately owned), both created during his time in Japan.
3. Reconstruction of Pop Shop Tokyo
A partial recreation of the shop interior from its 1988 Aoyama location, featuring items such as fans and ceramics that were originally sold there.
4. Temporary Display of the Mural Co-created with Children
The mural created with around 500 children in Tama City, Tokyo, is on special display until the end of June.
INSTALLATION VIEW
Courtesy of the Keith Haring Foundation
Courtesy of the PIA Corporation
Courtesy of Tama City Cultural Foundation
Courtesy of Tama City Cultural Foundation
FEATURED ARTWORKS
Pop Shop, 1986
Varsity Jacket for Pop Shop Tokyo's staff, 1988
My Town, 1987, Tama City Cultural Foundation
RELATED EVENTS
Special Talk Event and Gallery Tour
Date: April 8, 2017, Saturday
Guests: Makoto Murata, Erimi Fujihara
