A cross-cultural exhibition in Tokyo features works by young artists from the Gulf

What first began as an exhibition series in NYU Abu Dhabi’s Project Space in 2016, and later at the CHI-KA Space in Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, the East-East Vol 4: The Curio Shop made its debut in Tokyo this summer, brining together young talent from across the Gulf region and Japan.

GCC Best Friend by Christopher Benton. Photography by Naoki Takehisa.

Curated by Sophie Mayuko Arni, an NYU Abu Dhabi alumni who also attended the Tokyo University of Arts, the exhibition is “in line with the youth-driven wave of artistic dialogues between the Arabian Gulf and Japan,” she describes.

The fourth iteration of East-East features the works of 15 artists based across the UAE and Bahrain as well as Japan, including Aisha Al Ali, Aliyah Al Awadhi, Almaha Jaralla, Arthur de Oliveira, Christopher Benton, Hashel Al Lamki, Salman Al Najem, and Khalid Mezaina, while the Japanese artists include: BIEN, DAISAK, Heijiro Yagi, Koiichiro Tada, Rintaro Fuse, and Tomoki Kurokawa.

Thousand Island Dressing by Tomoki Kurokawa

The premise of the overall exhibition series lies in decentralising Eurocentric approaches to art by shedding light on a new generation of artists who are engaged in cross-cultural dialogue.

The inspiration behind this year’s title are the ‘curio shops’ found across Japan that sell finely crafted items, that is also the title of a photograph taken by Italian-British photographer Felice Beato in Yokohoma in 1868. The idea is to transpose the idea of the “curio” in today’s Tokyo.

From left: Energy Tank by Daisak, One Million Aspiration by Salman Al Najem, Yesterday’s Inspiration by Aisha Al Ali.