‘Passage to the Future’ Features Art from New Generation in Japan

“Please wash away” (2004) by Miyuki Yokomizo, one of the featured artists.

SANTA MONICA — Japan Foundation Los Angeles presents the traveling exhibition “Passage to the Future: Art from a New Generation in Japan” from Aug. 11 to Sept. 2 at Arena 1 Gallery, 3026 Airport Ave. in Santa Monica.

Opening reception will be held on Friday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. Gallery hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m.

Focusing on art produced in Japan at the beginning of the 21st century, the exhibit showcases 42 works — paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, and videos — of 11 young Japanese artists who are presently attracting a great deal of attention, namely Atsushi Fukui, Satoshi Hirose, Maywa Denki, Tomoyasu Murata, Tetsuya Nakamura, Masafumi Sanai, Katsuhiro Saiki, Yoshihiro Suda, Tabaimo, Nobuyuki Takahashi, and Miyuki Yokomizo.

An artist talk with Yokomizo will be held on Friday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m.

After having been held in numerous countries around the world, “Passage to the Future” has now traveled from Budapest to Los Angeles. Guest curator is Rio Griffith.

The 1990s saw major shifts in the economic and political order of the world and many people have responded by turning away from larger issues and concentrating on smaller and more intimate areas of life, in essence, reexamining the ground under their own feet. In contemporary art as well, there has been a worldwide tendency for artists to take a greater interest in everyday life and focus on the expression of very personal perceptions and feelings.

The featured artists are responding in a similar way to the current state of the world. They take their subject matter from their immediate surroundings and make art that strongly reflects their own personal reality. Their work has a rich visual impact and reveals a strong interest in the process of making things.

Admission is free. For more information, call Japan Foundation Los Angeles at (323) 761-7510 or visit www.jflalc.org.