“Contemporary Spanish Realism” at Hoki Museum (Chiba)

The “Contemporary Spanish Realism” exhibit is now on view at the Hoki Museum in Chiba until September 1, 2019.




This exhibition introduces 59 pieces from the collection of the Museu Europeu d’Art Modern (MEAM) in Barcelona, Spain. MEAM, which opened in 2011, is an art museum devoted to contemporary figurative art. In this exhibition, 59 realistic paintings selected from more than 500 works owned by MEAM are on exhibit for the first time in Japan. All works are of currently active Spanish artists.

Golucho, Retrato de insomnios, 2007, MEAM


Kike Meana and his work Marina y Miles (2017 MEAM). This work took a year in completion.


Miguel Ángel Moya, The Mermaid, 2016, MEAM

Preserved specimens line a cabinet to the left, while a picture of a Victorian style mermaid is posted on the door to the right. The artist explains that the left side of the painting corresponds to “Left-brained, ethical or academic thought,” as opposed to its counterpart on the right, “Magical or creative thought, or something that supersedes the limits of what is considered ethical or practical.”


María José Cortés, Generación @, 2015, MEAM

Two people on video chat are depicted on a computer screen, the green letters and fragmented pixels of which represent image distortion. This distortion characterizes how our interactions can be inaccurate and partial, bearing “errors” in communication.


Dino Valls, In Memoriam, 1993, MEAM


The exhibit includes many other powerful works, all of which are worth careful contemplation.


Josep Francés Anaya, Vaticano IV, 2014 MEAM


Left: Carlos Muro, Composición 497, 2006, MEAM
Right: Susana Ragel, Indiferencia (Incendio), 2018, MEAM


Mikel Olazabal, La Crisis, 2009, MEAM


The Hoki Museum itself is a work of art.


Adjacent to Chiba City’s largest park “Showa no Mori”, the Hoki Museum is located in a place rich in nature and is the world’s first museum dedicated to realistic paintings. The nearest station is Doki Station on the JR Sotobo Line. There is a bus to the museum, but we recommend you to walk there. It takes about 20 minutes on foot. You can enjoy a little stroll. You may be able to hear birds singing on the way.

In the building of the Hoki Museum, which opened in November 2010, there are 5 long corridors, and the top 30 meters of one of them, Gallery 1, is in the air!


The museum received the Japan Institute of Architects Grand Prize in 2011 for its unique design. The cantilevered, or floating section, is equipped with shock absorbers that help to steady the walking.


Artistic in themselves, the steel bars that line the approach hint at the artistry within the building.


The Museum Shop is located off of the entrance to the museum. Artwork-related items line the shelves.


The relaxing white walls of the corridor-style gallery.


Two types of LED lighting, warm and white, are combined. Their blend of color temperatures accentuates the works with a three-dimensional ambiance.

Spend your weekend intrigued by the realism of the paintings at the Hoki Museum!


Information
Exhibit: Contemporary Spanish Realism – MEAM
Duration: Friday, May 17 through Sunday, September 1
Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (Last admission 4:30 pm)
Closed: Tuesdays (Open on Tuesday, August 13; closed on Wednesday, August 21)
Admission: Adults 1,800 yen • High school and university students, seniors 65 and older 1,300 yen • Junior high school students 900 yen • Elementary school and younger children are free of charge. (Note: No more than two elementary school children are permitted per adult.)
Website: www.hoki-museum.jp


*The information herein is as of May 2019.