Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT), ©Wiiii via Wikipedia
Enter the spirit of the artistic visit
Nestled in Tokyo's Kōtō district of Kiba Park, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT) presents contemporary art exhibitions exploring diverse forms of visual expression. The visit feels like a collection of haikus, inviting slowness and silence, a gentle suspension of time.
With its 24,000 m² of clean lines and bold volumes, the building on stilts designed by Takahiko Yanagisawa has been imposing its silhouette since 1995. Behind its glass and steel facade, it houses a teeming collection of more than 3,800 works, signed by major figures in modern and contemporary art, from Warhol to Kusama, including Hockney and Stella.
Upon entering, the visitor is drawn into two vast rooms, often filled with temporary exhibitions with an eclectic program: from Miyazaki's cinema to South Asian art, the horizons are broad. As for the permanent collection, it clearly unfolds five decades of 20th-century visual experimentation. Around 150 pieces are on display at any one time, but thanks to a generous connected library, the collection remains accessible, both on screen and emotionally.
ArtMajeur by YourArt playlists
Our playlists are a regular feature that allows you to approach art differently, pairing an iconic art venue with a musical selection. Each playlist is designed to accompany an artistic exploration, fostering concentration, emotion, and intuition.
These playlists will be regularly updated to offer varied and immersive experiences, linking music and art in unique ways. Don't miss the upcoming music collections!
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT) has a collection of over 6,000 works, including both major pieces of postwar art and creations by contemporary artists. It showcases pioneering works that have left their mark on their era. Three to four exhibitions per year, organized around various themes, present a selection of 100 to 200 works in the Collections Gallery. The preservation and presentation of these works are central to the museum's mission.
3 pieces to enhance the visit
Part 1: Post-War Art – A Closer Look
Setsuko & Seita (Main Theme): Grave of the Fireflies - The MOT collection explored post-war Japanese art by highlighting iconic works by six major artists from its collections: IKEDA Tatsuo, KATSURA Yuki, KIKUHATA Mokuma, KUDO Tetsumi, NAKAMURA Hiroshi, and NAKANISHI Natsuyuki.
These works, created in the social and artistic context of the 1950s and 1960s, have been presented as essential pieces for understanding the dynamics of this crucial period in Japanese artistic history.
For this new approach, the works are placed within the individual artistic journey of each artist, allowing the MOT collection to go beyond temporal constraints, reveal its intrinsic power and open the way to new interpretations.
Part 2: Key work and artistic dialogues
Julianna Barwick - In Light ft. Jónsi - The second part features a recently acquired work, Don't Cross the Bridge Before You Get to the River by Francis Alÿs, as its central focus.
Divided into four thematic rooms, each reflecting a constituent element of Alÿs's work—"History and Borders," "Horizon," and "Game"—the exhibition creates a close dialogue between the works presented, in order to reveal the unique characteristics of each.
Atrium
Without Records - MOT ver. 2015, OTOMO Yoshihide, AOYAMA Yasutomo and ITO Takayuki - In the Atrium, a new sound installation entitled without records — mot ver.2015 , created especially for this museum by OTOMO Yoshihide, AOYAMA Yasutomo and ITO Takayuki, is presented.
We invite you to immerse yourself in this unique sound universe, produced by 92 old portable record players.
Part 3: Exterior
Park Hye Jin - Let's Sing Let's Dance - Visiting the MOT means agreeing to lose yourself in a labyrinth of sensations.
Here, art does not impose itself: it whispers, vibrates, breathes with you.
Let this playlist guide you – or better yet: throw you off your game a little.
Walk slowly. Listen more than you look. And remember that sometimes a work can only be understood with the ears.
Nicolas Sarazin