On Saturday 24th I went to an event called Tokyo Design Festa, held in Tokyo Big Sight, in Odaiba. It’s a huge exhibition. In fact, it’s the biggest exhibition of this kind in all Asia. many artists (painters, designers, mangakas, performers, etc) gathered during that weekend to promote themselves, sell their art, or just perform their music, plays, etc. It was quite interesting. Actually, if you are interested in taking part of this huge event, you can do so next May 15th. You don’t need to be Japanese to be able to take part in this event. You can exhibit your work in many several ways. In fact, it’s quite flexible.

If you are an artist and are interested in showing up, promote yourself and sell your art, you can rent, depending on your pocket, a small stand, a big one, or a medium one. Saturday is cheapper, in any case.

Then you have to add the prize for the electric expense (around 7,000 yens), or the additional exhibitor’s pass if any (1000 for 2 days, 500 for one day). And if you use the Parking, you have to pay as well.

But, don’t worry if you cannot make it for May. You can also use the Design Festa Gallery, located near Harajuku. It’s a quite outstanding and a little bit breath-taking. The building can be easily found thanks to its colors, mainly. It has several rooms that can be rent from 5,250 yen a day to 107,500 yen a whole week. So, yeah, we can say that you have many choices to be able to exhibit there, if that is your wish.

Whatever the case might be, Tokyo Design Festa was quite interesting, plenty of artists and crazy people. I had the chance to enjoy myself taking a look on other people’s art. Just a word: INSPIRING.

Some pictures:

He is Nakai Tomoyasu just an amazing artist. The draw in his back was made by his own hands.

She is selling her own draws

Also big walls.

Almost everything was there.

Pendants made with trash

Don’t worry if you aren’t in Tokyo. You have the opportunity to be delighted with Keizo Kitajima both in New York and Tokyo. It’s an photography exhibition about the work and vision of Kitajima during the 1975 to 1991. He had his debut with “BC Street Okinawa” in 1975, then he got the Kitamura prize for his work “New York” in 1983. You can appreciate his shots and his style of this period. It includes the changing of his style while visiting the collapsed Soviet Union in 1991. You shouldn’t miss this opportunity.

You still have time for “the Joy of Portraits” at the Amador Gallery in NY. (around 23 days left). But you should hurry for the exhibit in Tokyo (around 3 days left!!) at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography

Don’t get stressed because you have also other opportunities to appreciate good works, or even to share your point of view about art at the ICC Open Space 2009 (plenty of time left to experience it). It’s a free communication space opened to the public. You have the chance to appreciate some representative works of media art created not only by Japanese artists, but also masterpieces of international artists. The exhibition has an adding: a new space dedicated to the “Art & Science”.

If you are in Barcelona, I really recommend you “endemoniados” of Ricardo Cinalli. You can enjoy a very impressive collection of masterpieces: sculptures, paintings and compositions dedicated to the curves of the human body. Enjoy it at Galeria Mito, at the Carrer Rosselló. But if you are more found of photography, I recommend you to enjoy the works of the Fundació Foto Colectalia where you can see a great collection of good photos from different artists.

If you happen to be in Paris, you can also enjoy Rencontres Internationales 2009, from November 30th to December 9th, at the Centre Pompidou, by the Théâtre du Châtelet. You can enjoy some films and visual propositions. This cultural and artistic platform, gives us the opportunity not only to enjoy but also to take part into the new cinema and contemporary art. This event takes also part into the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid. Check here for more information