2025 Tottori Prefectural Art Museum Cooperation Council
Joint Exhibition: "We Want to Promote It More – Works Selected by Curators"
The Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art is, in itself, a destination well worth visiting—perhaps one of Japan’s best-kept secrets. This is my second journey to the museum in 2025 from the Kansai region. Winding through the mountains offers a truly sublime approach; it is a treat for anyone who loves the combination of dramatic landscapes and the ocean. In winter, the scenery is pure bliss.
Upon entering the museum, I approach the exhibition through the lens of the Two Dogs Art Space Axiom (my research framework). This concept suggests that even if two beings share the same physical space, they inhabit different realities shaped by perception, memory, emotion, and awareness. It reminds us that reality is plural and that art cannot be reduced to its physical materials alone, because experience is always more than what can be measured.
The Curatorial Selection
This year’s exhibition brought together curators from several regional institutions: the Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art (Kurayoshi Museum), the Tottori Folk Crafts Museum, the Nichinancho Museum of Art, the Yonago City Museum of Art, and the Watanabe Museum of Art. The curators focused on artworks that had not been widely shown before, resulting in a thoughtful and engaging selection.
One artwork that particularly caught my eye was by the artist Maeta Kanji (1896–1930), titled Man Eating (c. 1927). It is rare to see a portrait from behind of a man eating alone, set in an almost monochromatic environment devoid of the trappings of wealth typically seen in household settings.
Interestingly, Maeta Kanji’s painting appears to adopt certain aspects of Picasso’s stylistic system—particularly the depiction of an oversized, bulky body. This influence is evident in Picasso’s works from the early 1920s, such as Seated Woman in a Chemise (1923). As Maeta was in Paris at a time when Picasso was a dominant force on the art scene, this aesthetic influence offers a fascinating insight into the dialogue between the two painters’ imagery. Even though they were not personally acquainted, their works reveal a unique cross-fertilization of ideas and painted forms that underscores the broader circulation of modernist visual language.
The Bitterly Cold Sea of Japan - Peter Davidson 2025
Shoichi Kameda’s Natsudomari Port (1985, oil on canvas) is a mesmerizing painting that captures both the unity and diversity of the coastal experience. It depicts the Tottori seaside in winter, defined by dark, overcast skies and cold winds blowing from the Siberian tundra. For the fishermen, this weather isn't just a backdrop; it is a signal to get the nets out and find profit in the storm.
The painting leaves me with a question—which is exactly what a good exhibition should do. There is no way to force a collective societal memory into a single mold. Instead, curators can present idiosyncratic artworks that prompt the audience to respond mentally in diverse ways. By pushing viewers toward their own "uncharted horizons," a show can help them learn something new about themselves. In that regard, this exhibition is a great success.
Link: https://2dogsartspaceakashi.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-two-dogs-art-space-axiom.html
