Takayama Akira Happy Island – The Messianic Banquet of the Righteous 2015
ABOUT
Born in 1969. In 2002, he formed the theater company Port B, and since then has been producing installations, touring performances and social experiments utilizing urban spaces as a way of engaging with cities and societies across the world. In recent years, collaboration with those from other fields including visual art, tourism, literature, architecture, and urban research has seen the scope of his practice broadening further, and he has applied his theatrical philosophy and methodology to opening up new possibilities in a variety of fields. Major works include the Wagner Project (Yokohama, Oita, Frankfurt), McDonald’s Radio University (Frankfurt, Berlin, Tokyo, Kanazawa, Hong Kong), Heterotopia (Tokyo, Athens, Taipei etc.), Compartment City – Vienna (Vienna), Referendum Project (Tokyo, Fukushima, Vienna etc.), and The Complete Manual of Evacuation (Tokyo, Frankfurt). He has participated in major exhibitions, such as Yokohama Triennale (2014), Maison Hermès (2015, Tokyo), Roppongi Crossing (2016, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo), Sharjah Biennial (2017), Biennale of Sydney (2018) and WAGNER PROJECT (2022, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa).
BIOGRAPHY
Takayama Akira
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Born 1969 in Saitama, lives and works in Saitama, Japan
– Education –
1991-93 Studied philosophy at Waseda University, Japan
1993-98 Practiced theater in Germany
1998-2002 Directed and produced work at theaters in Tokyo
2002 Founded Port B (Theater and Performance Unit)
– Selected Exhibitions, Theater Projects and Performances –
2020 THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER, JC Contemporary, Tai Kwun, Hong Kong
2020 Tokyo Trunk Room, ARCHI=DEPOT MUSEUM, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Where We Now Stand – In Order to Map the Future, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
2019 A sequel to Marbashi Liturgia Horarum – Akatsuki no mura Walk, The Ecology of Expression: Remaking Our Relations with the world, Arts Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
2019 Heterotopia Riga, Riga, Latvia
2019 Public Speech Project, J Art Call Center, Aichi Triennale 2019: Taming Y/Our Passion, Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, Aichi, Japan
2019 McDonald’s Radio University, McDonald’s Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Japan
2019 New Tokyo School Excursion Project: Fukushima Version, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Heterotopia Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2018 McDonald’s Radio University, MISA SHIN GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
2018 New Tokyo School Excursion Project: Japanese Orphans in China Version, Tokyo, Japan
2018 New Tokyo School Excursion Project: Kurd Version, Tokyo, Japan
2018 McDonald’s Radio University River Tour, Berlin, Germany
2018 21st Biennale of Sydney―SUPERPOSITION: Art of Equilibrium and Engagement, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art Venue, Sydney, Australia
2017 Tokyo School Excursion Project: China Version, Tokyo, Japan
2017 Tokyo School Excursion Project: Thailand Version, Tokyo, Japan
2017 Wagner Project- Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, KAAT Kanagawa Arts Center, Yokohama, Japan
2017 Sharjah Biennial 13 Act II, Beirut, Lebanon
2017 Some Lessons to Feel：Something Far is Near, Something Near is Far, Koganecho Bazaar 2017, Yokohama Hinode Pier, Yokohama, Japan
2017 Piraeus / Heterotopia, Athens,Greece
2017 McDonald’s Radio University, Frankfurt, German
2017 Tokyo School Excursion Project: Taiwan Version, Tokyo, Japan
2017 Beitou/Tokyo Heterotopia, Taiwan Cultural Center, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, Tokyo, Japan
2016 Roppongi Crossing, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2016 Beitou Heterotopia, Taiwan International Video Art Exhibition, Hong-gah Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
2016 Forest of Expression, Arts Maebashi, Gumma, Japan
2015 Happy Island, SpielArt Festival, Munich, Germany
2015 Demarcation: Akira Takayama & Meiro Koizumi, Ginza Maison Hermès Le Forum, Tokyo, Japan
2015 Oita Media Collegio, Oita Toilennale, Oita, Japan
2015 X Apartments Athens, Fast Forward Festival, ONASSIS Culture Centre, Athens, Greece
2014 The Place of Crossed Destinies Akita, Akita Arts Project, Akita, Japan
2014 The Complete Manual of Evacuation Frankfurt, Kuenstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt; Mainz State Theater; Darmstadt State Theater; Rhine-Main Region, Germany
2014 Yokohama Commune (installation), Yokohama Triennale, Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan
2014 Yokohama Commune (performance), Yokohama Triennale, nitehi works, Yokohama, Japan
2014 Referendum Project, Tour of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
2014 Referendum Project (installation), Berlin Hebbel am Ufer Theater, Berlin, Germany
2013 Tokyo Heterotopia, Festival/Tokyo 2013, Tokyo, Japan
2013 Referendum Project (installation), Festival de Keuze, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2013 Referendum Project (Installation), Academy of Arts Vienna, Austria
2013 Fukushima Epilog? (performance), Secession, Vienna, Austria
2013 Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant Tour (performance), Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant, Austria
2012 Kein Licht II (based on “Fukushima Epilog” by Elfriede Jelinek), Festival/Tokyo 2012, Shinbashi area, Tokyo, Japan
2012 Referendum Project (installation), Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki, Japan
2012 Referendum Project, Tohoku tour, Miyagi, Iwate, Japan
2011 Referendum Project, Festival/Tokyo 2011, Tokyo and Fukushima, Japan
2011 Compartment City Vienna, Wiener Festwochen, Vienna, Austria
2010 The Complete Manual of Evacuation Tokyo, Festival/Tokyo 2010, Tokyo, Japan
EXHIBITIONS at MISA SHIN GALLERY
Takayama Akira
McDonald’s Radio University
November 23, 2018 – February 2, 2019