Art Center NEW is an art space which will be opened from June 1st, 2025, on the first basement floor of Shintakashima Station.The concept of this facility is based on the keyword “NEW,” which is also used in the name of the art center. As the word “NEW” stands for “new” or “unprecedented,” “Art Center NEW” aims to be an art center that continually explores the meaning of newness by proposing a variety of new values and perspectives through a wide range of art-related activities.
It will be based in a large space inside the station, and will feature multiple art events such as exhibitions of contemporary arts, exhibits with inviting artists from overseas, art festivals in the surrounding area, international art exchanges program with Europe, the United States, Asia, and the Global South, platform that brings together with alternative spaces from Japan and abroad, art schools and workshops for children and adults, publication and sale of zines and art goods, café where visitors can relax after viewing the exhibitions. Everyone is warmly welcome to visit the art space—not only to enjoy the exhibition, but also just to stop by and spend some time here.
In the late 1980s, when weekly manga magazines were exploding, there was a bookstore in a neighboring town where I somehow could get the latest number three days before the other regular bookstore so I was always so excited and rode my bicycle there to read them first as soon as possible. In the 1990s, I was given a copy of the first album by a New York debut band in my friend’s house and I was stunned by how cool it was.I also remembered I had the unprecedented shock of “What the hell !?‘‘ when I saw contemporary art for the first time at an art center in London on the eve of the 00’s.
When we encounter with new culture, it always left as memories of the impression for that moment and scenery of the place where we were at.
However, for the past ten years or so, all new information has been pouring in like a flood from a small screen that fits in one hand, and this overwhelming amount of information makes me feel dizzy all the time.
From this small screen, it shows us in real time the tragic events happening around the world that we would rather turn away from. People running away from relentless air strikes. The number of faceless fatalities. Poverty, Hunger, Refugees, Inequality, and Division. Big powers become so vocal that they only think of themselves more than justice.
On the other hand, we see phrases like ‘‘global warming‘‘ and ‘‘unprecedented natural disasters‘‘ so often that we seem to have lost the sense of realizing the seriousness of what is happening to our planet.
Of course, it may depend on what kind of information I am selecting, but being immersed in the constant stream of that information from that small screen is somewhat depressing. Because I think it does not have any real experience such as the anticipation of new things, the excitement, the wonder of how cool it is, and the surprise of “What the heck is this!? as well as the seriousness of the situation. After all, I believe we need a real place that is not on a screen in just our hand.
That is why I decided to start Art Center NEW.
What Art Center NEW aim is not only for exploring the simple novelty as like a new product.
It can be a new way of perceiving things, an innovative way of thinking to understand social issues, an encounter with unknown people, or an opportunity to change and grow, even just a little bit. As the name implies, art and culture are the heart of all of them.
We want young people as well as working people, elderly people, parents, and children to visit this place. No matter what generation or what position we are in, It should be possible to keep changing anew, never giving up on anything. Because there are always expectations, excitement, and surprises waiting for us, we can encounter something new and a new self.
I hope Art Center NEW will become such a place.
Director of Art Center NEW
Nozomu Ogawa
