On the occasion of the 20th edition of the Contemporary Art Day, on 8 October the Italian Embassy in Tokyo hosted “Locus Amoenus”, a site-specific installation by digital artist Franz Cerami, in the Edo-period garden of the Embassy.
The event – organised on the occasion of the initiative promoted by AMACI – Association of Italian Contemporary Art Museums, with the collaboration of the Directorate General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture and the Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – aims to strengthen cultural dialogue and promote Italian contemporary art internationally. This 20th edition, which involves museums, foundations, public and private institutions, galleries, studios and artists’ spaces throughout Italy, is enriched by new international collaborations, such as the one with the Italian Embassy in Tokyo.
Ambassador Gianluigi Benedetti said: “We are proud to have hosted Franz Cerami and Locus Amoenus. This event is part of a long process of recovery and enhancement of the historic Japanese garden that has been the seat of the Embassy since 1930. From the early 17th century to 1867 it belonged to the feudal family Matsudaira of Matsuyama and later to that of one of the most influential politicians of the early Meiji period, Matsukata Masayoshi.
Over the past few years, with the help of Japanese and Italian experts, we have carried out historical, architectural and environmental studies and archaeological excavations to better understand the history of this ancient garden and better communicate it to our guests. In November, the garden will be open to the public for the first time, with guided tours organised in cooperation with the Minato Municipality. With Locus Amoenus we want to recover the ancestral spirit of this place and project it into the contemporary world, with a show that combines Japanese tradition with contemporary Italian art.”
