A contemporary art exhibition by artist collective Sansui Tokyo, “Urban Sansui” literally means “the mountains and water (landscape) of the city.” The sansui landscape painting and karesansui dry rock garden traditions that flourished in the past pursued a utopia in places far away from the non-spiritual, secular world of the city; in today’s world the featured artists of Sansui Tokyo apply their imagination to familiar things around them in the city they live in and which inspires them, finding a contemporary context for the inseparable relationship between nature and man, namely the state of undivided subject and object at the core of the sansui philosophy.
The Spanish style construction of the exhibition venue kudan house, its earthquake-resistant wall structure, and the practical configuration of its garden convey the thoughts and desires of former residents and visitors who cherished their daily lives there. This is also consistent with the concept of the exhibition, which questions how the things around us are imagined.
Blurring the boundary between subject and object by seamlessly connecting works by contemporary artists with furniture that has been in use since before World War II, stately Western-style architecture with a modern garden, and private grounds with public urban spaces, the exhibition invited viewers into the world of sansui.

Artists: Tomohito Ishii / Asako Fujikura / Taisuke Makihara / Rui Mizuki
Curated by Ryosuke Kondo
Research by Naoki Saito
Assistance by Muen Koh
Organized by Sansui Tokyo
In cooperation with kudan house
Technical support by YOKOITO Additive Manufacturing
Supported by Toshiaki Ogasawara Memorial Foundation, Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), Nomura Foundation