BUG School 2024 : Feeling Cities with Wild Sense

Curator’s comment

With this second installment of BUG School, we are rethinking the experimental learning space concept. Because this is an alternative “school,” not some educational institution or company where there’s a “right answer,” we want to use the works and program as a framework to think together from an inclusive position about the society and environment in which we find ourselves.

The theme of the “City”—which has multilayered and complex impacts on all of our lives, and at all scales—was set as a starting point to get people thinking, and we will collaborate with the seven artists to hold a three-day art project titled BUG School 2024: Wild City.

We added “Wild” to the title to emphasize that this is a space for learning through the exchange of individual senses and opinions rather than order and rationality. In this project, the term signifies instinct, primitive senses, and private perspectives, and the participating artists will be exhibiting a collection of new works that interpret the “City” in their own unique, wild ways. Further, the participatory program will not only reveal the ideas and feelings behind the artists’ works, but also develop itself through content related in some way to the City, allowing the artists and participants to share the same subject for their explorations.

We did not go so far as to define a specific image of the City for the exhibition. It is quite possible that there will be works that build on imagery from hidden corners or unseen traces from the urban landscape, rather than focusing solely on the environs of Tokyo Station, where BUG resides. It is also possible that artists will take an approach that focuses on the living things that inhabit the city, or the people coming and going within it. Let us experience the practical results of richly diverse perspectives, and look together at the Wild City to be found once the surface has been stripped away.

About the exhibition

A seven-artist exhibition

The exhibiting artists present works created in response to the set theme, as mediated by their own instincts and personal perspectives. More specifically, this diverse array of new creations includes works that consider the artists’ relationship with the city through the intervention of the body in the environment surrounding BUG; works that build on imagery from the not only the environs of Tokyo Station but also hidden corners and unseen traces from the wider urban landscape; works that focus on the living things that inhabit the city and the people coming and going within it; and works that examine the life of the city-dwelling artists themselves.
In order to embody the complex spatiality of the city, the venue will take on a multi-layered structure incorporating ramps, and experimental use of locations and facilities not previously used by BUG aims to create a viewing experience that truly feels like an exploration of the exhibition space.

Participatory program

This program will include a diverse range of participatory events organized by the artists, from performances that build on the exhibited works, to workshops where hands-on activities give attendees a feel for where the artists are coming from creatively. Each event is structured around the idea of “learning,” and the objective is to provide activities that give visitors the opportunity to engage in dialogue with people from different backgrounds, which will lead to insights and discoveries.
Up-to-date program information will be provided regularly on our website and social media channels.

Acquiring the works

The exhibited works (with some exceptions) will be available for purchase during the exhibition period. All proceeds from the sale of artwork, excluding the artists’ income and expenses such as shipping costs, will be donated to Save the Children in order to support the children of today and the future. In addition, the Participatory Program led by the artists will allow visitors to learn about the artists and the background to their artworks to make informed acquisitions.
Up-to-date information concerning artwork sales will be provided regularly on our website and social media channels.

Information