#Japan #Tokyo #Myōji Namae #Ayako Takahashi #Unframing the Bodies

Unframing the Bodies: An Insightful Art Exhibition

From September 5 to September 20, 2025, the ADF (NPO Aoyama Design Forum) will host the exhibition titled "Unframing the Bodies" at GARDE Gallery in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo. This event marks the 35th installment of the ADF Art Gallery Project and will showcase the works of two talented artists, Myōji Namae and Ayako Takahashi, as they explore complex themes surrounding beauty, societal expectations, and gender dynamics in contemporary art.

The Artists and Their Perspectives

Myōji Namae

Born in 1987 in Hyogo Prefecture, Myōji Namae graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts in 2019. Her art focuses on themes such as body, sexuality, identity, and consumption, often drawing from her personal experiences. Lately, she has been captivated by the potential of narrative through text and aims to merge storytelling with the physicality of the body in her works.

In her featured piece, "Alter Dominant" (2025), Namae uses three-dimensional works incorporating a mirror stand to pose questions about the pursuit of beauty. While the act of seeking beauty can foster confidence and joy, her work also suggests how it may be imposed by the gaze of others and societal norms. The interplay between individuality and societal pressure, as well as the relation between the body and power, is central to her artistic inquiries.

Ayako Takahashi

Ayako Takahashi, born in 1994, graduated from Tama Art University in 2018 and completed her master's degree at the Tokyo University of the Arts in 2021. Her artwork centers on issues of lookism, bodily identity, gender, and interpersonal relationships. Takahashi employs various techniques, such as painting, installation, and written narratives, often inspired by interviews and her own life experiences.

In her striking oil painting "plastic flowers," she reconstructs artificial flowers as a patchwork, suggesting the fragmentation and adjustment of the body into various parts. Additionally, she explores the idea of the body as a material by taking casts of her own skin to create bags, reflecting on the concept of bodies in the context of beauty medical treatment.

Exhibition Details

The "Unframing the Bodies" exhibition will take place at GARDE Gallery, located on the 4th floor of the NBF Alliance Building in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo. Visitors are invited to experience the thought-provoking works of both artists from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Wednesday through Saturday, with Sundays and public holidays designated as gallery closing days. This is a unique opportunity to witness how contemporary artists tackle pertinent social issues through their creative expressions:

• - Dates: September 5 – September 20, 2025
• - Location: GARDE Gallery, Minami Aoyama, Tokyo
• - Hours: 11:00 – 18:00
• - Closed: Sundays and public holidays

The exhibition represents a crucial dialogue about the value of beauty and the continual pressures surrounding it in our society. For more information, visit the official site here. Join us in celebrating the complex narratives of identity and body through art at "Unframing the Bodies," an exhibition that promises to inspire and provoke thought.