Screening Program
Special Screening: Techno Therapy
2025 6.6 Fri ・ 6.7 Sat
OSAKA CITY CENTRAL PUBLIC HALL 1st Floor
Admission: ¥1,000 per screening
In 1998, as Osaka City Central Public Hall was preparing to undergo major preservation and renovation work the following year, the Asahi Shimbun Company organized an art event to commemorate its 120th anniversary. They chose to use the entirety of Osaka City Central Public Hall, which still retained its original Taisho-era (1912-1926) atmosphere, and Morimura Yasumasa was appointed the general producer of the event. Morimura conceived a comprehensive art space called Techno Therapy, with the tagline “Art Bath for Mind and Body.” This ambitious project explored the theme of “liberation of mind and body through art,” incorporating exhibitions, an amusement park, workshops, and a live music venue. Morimura invited other artists to collaborate in creating this multifaceted art space, and the participants were Akasaki Mima, Ikegami Keiichi, Endo Yumiko, Tada Masami, Nakatsuka Hiroko, Nakahashi Katsushige, Matsui Chie, Yanagi Miwa, Yanobe Kenji, Rogues’ Gallery (Nakase Yukihisa + Hamachi Yasuhiko), and BuBu.
Techno Therapy: Art Bath for Mind and Body was held at Osaka City Central Public Hall from October 30 to November 8, 1998. During the 10-day event, participating artists installed works in various rooms of the hall, conducted workshops, and presented performances. The Asahi Shimbun announcement at the time described it as follows: “A marvelous world suddenly appears in peaceful Nakanoshima Park. A universe of colors unfolds, and each night, goddesses dance. It’s an art of absolute experience that combines exhibition, amusement park, and live music venue! A secret entrance to this world opens for a limited time.”
The Image of Techno Therapy is a documentary film of the project. It follows a guided tour through Techno Therapy in which visitors board an old-fashioned basement elevator repurposed as a sound machine, arrive at the main room on the top floor, and then experience various works and the “Room for Mind and Body” on the second floor.
Techno Therapy Special Night: Yasumasa Morimura + Masami Tada is a recording of a live performance by the two artists, held in the central meeting room on the third floor on the final day of Techno Therapy. The session featured a performance by Morimura and Tada, a sound artist who also oversaw the event’s overall audio design.
Programs
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Photo by Kazuo Fukunaga June 6 (Fri) 18:30–
Techno Therapy Special Night: Yasumasa Morimura + Masami Tada
Director: Kishimoto Yasushi
Featuring: Morimura Yasumasa, Tada Masami
Cinematography / Editing: Kishimoto Yasushi
1998, 66 min
© Ufer! Art Documentary 1998-99 -
Photo by Kazuo Fukunaga June 7 (Sat) 18:45–
The Image of Techno Therapy
Director: Kishimoto Yasushi
Cinematography / Editing: Kishimoto Yasushi
1999, 60 min
© Ufer! Art Documentary 1998-99
Participating artists (at the time): Akasaki Mima, Ikegami Keiichi, Endo Yumiko, Tada Masami, Rogues’ Gallery (Nakase Yukihisa + Hamachi Yasuhiko), Nakatsuka Hiroko, Nakahashi Katsushige, BuBu, Matsui Chie, Morimura Yasumasa, Yanagi Miwa, Yanobe KenjiAfter screening: Special talk by Morimura Yasumasa, 20:00–21:00
*Additional speakers will be announced on this page.
Profile
Morimura Yasumasa (Artist)
Morimura Yasumasa is known for his inimitable approach to reinterpretation of art history, cinema, and historical figures throughPortrait (Van Gogh) photographic self-portraiture. After graduating from Kyoto City University of Arts, he gained attention in 1985 with Portrait (Van Gogh), a photograph in which he transformed himself into one of Vincent van Gogh’s self-portraits. This marked the beginning of his now famous series focused on art history. His selection for Aperto 88 at the 1989 Venice Biennale was a turning point that brought international recognition. Initially focusing on art-historical masterpieces, his practice expanded to include scenes from Hollywood films and series featuring historical subjects. Morimura appropriates iconic works by Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Goya, as well as figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Lenin, and Mao Zedong. His creative process involves immersing himself in historical and cultural contexts while introducing new perspectives, continuously exploring new themes while drawing on deep insights into art history, world history, subcultures and more. Morimura has exhibited internationally at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris and elsewhere. In Japan, he has held solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, the Yokohama Museum of Art, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, and the National Museum of Art, Osaka. In recognition of his contributions in Japan and abroad, he was awarded the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize in 1996, the Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Merit Award in 2006, and the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2011.
Ticket
Admission: ¥1,000 per screening
Tickets available from 10:00, Fri., April 25
*Tickets available online only.
*Sales will end when capacity is reached. No same-day tickets will be sold at the venue.
*Preschool children are free if sitting on a guardian’s lap.
*Entry in order of ticket number will begin 15 minutes before the performance.