Bye Bye Kitty!!!
Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art

50% of all admission sales will go to Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund.

Curated by David Elliott, founding Director of the Mori Art Museum, Bye Bye Kitty!!! is a radical departure from recent Japanese exhibitions. Moving far beyond the stereotypes of kawaii and otaku culture, Japan Society’s show features sixteen emerging and mid-career artists whose paintings, objects, photographs, videos, and installations meld traditional styles with challenging visions of Japan’s troubled present and uncertain future. Each of the three sections, “Critical Memory,” “Threatened Nature,” and “Unquiet Dream,” not only offers a feast for the senses but also demolishes our preconceptions about contemporary Japan and its art.

The sixteen featured artists are: Makoto Aida会田誠; Manabu Ikeda池田学; Tomoko Kashiki樫木知子; Rinko Kawauchi川内倫子; Haruka Kojin荒神明香; Kumi Machida町田久美; Yoshitomo Nara奈良美智; Kohei Nawa名和晃平; Motohiko Odani小谷元彦; Hiraki Sawaさわひらき; Chiharu Shiota塩田千春; Tomoko Shioyasu塩保朋子; Hisashi Tenmyouya天明屋尚; Yamaguchi Akira山口晃; Miwa Yanagiやなぎみわ; Tomoko Yoneda米田知子.

In conjunction with Carnegie Hall’s JapanNYC festival.

Gallery Hours: 
Tuesday-Thursday 11 AM–6 PM; Friday 11 AM–9 PM; 
Saturday & Sunday 11 AM-5 PM; 
Closed Mondays.

Admission: 
$15; students & seniors $10; Japan Society members and children under 16 free. 
Admission is free on Friday nights, 6-9 PM.

Free (with admission) public tours at 12:30 Tuesday-Sunday. Free Japanese language tours Wednesdays at 4:15 PM and Fridays at 6 PM.

Private Tours for Adult Groups for up to a maximum of 25 people may be scheduled in advance through the Japan Society Gallery. The tour fee is $90 plus $7 admission per person. For Japan Society members, the reduced tour fee is $75, with complimentary admission. For senior citizen groups and college/university groups, the reduced tour fee is $55, plus $5.00 admission per person. To schedule a private group tour or for pre-K-12th grade Gallery Lessons please call, (212) 715-1224.

Please click here for BBK-related Educator materials.