I Care Because You Do
The Mass, Toyko, Japan

The Mass presents ‘I Care Because You Do’, a group exhibition of 15 international artists co-curated by The Mass and New York based curator Matt Black. The exhibition will explore the ways in which various artists from the end of the 20th century to the present day have elaborated, reacted and disrupted the narratives of Minimalism, Conceptualism and Post-Abstract Expressionism to create works that reflect the city environment in all its complexity.

The starting point of the exhibition will be the iconic lightwork, ‘untitled (to Virginia Dwan) 2’, by seminal artist Dan Flavin. The installation will transform the gallery space with multi-coloured fluorescent lights, echoing the neon lights of the city. Flavin’s use of commercial fluorescent lamps are both familiar yet fragmented, presenting a purified form of metropolitan life that serves to remind us of our urban surroundings. The juxtaposition of Flavin’s lightwork with various contemporary artists will create a dialogue between their artistic practices and the inescapable influence of the city. Contemporary artists such as Sterling Ruby, Andrea Marie Breiling, Spencer Lewis, and Sayre Gomez will exemplify the complex, layered signifiers that reflect our contemporary society. The viewer is therefore invited to draw parallels between the physical landmarks of the city, and the physical marks made on the canvas.

As well as the material attributes of the city, this exhibition will also explore themes of humanity found in the city. Figurative artists such as Jenna Gribbon, and Julie Curtiss and inter-disciplinary artists such as Banks Violette and Arthur Jafa, examine the ever- present undercurrents of technology, consumption, sex, and race that course through every major metropolis.

By inviting artists from around the world, the exhibition will also serve to create a dialogue between the artists, works and the exhibition space itself. The works will provide a contrast to the striking, yet subdued structure of The Mass, which is an exercise in Minimalism through its simple, geometric, concrete structure. The gallery location in the heart of Harajuku, the birthplace of underground street culture in Tokyo, creates further contrast with the works on show - highlighting the similarities and connections between cities and centres of culture.

Featured Artists:
Dan Flavin, Steven Parrino, Arthur Jafa, Julie Curtiss, Jenna Gribbon, Sayre Gomez, JPW3, Andrea Marie Breiling, Rannva Kunoy, Spencer Lewis, Marco Pariani, Reginald Sylvester II, Banks Violette, Sterling Ruby, Raymond Pettibon

Photography by Tadamasa Iguchi, courtesy of The Mass.