“MAM Collection 008” is showcasing works by Aida Makoto and Chim↑Pom on the theme of that familiar bird, the crow. Crows appear in myths around the world as good-luck omens and sun symbols, while also being repeatedly depicted as emblems of evil and ill fortune, due to association of their black feathers and carrion-chomping habits with death.

In Aida’s work, a dystopian landscape with a post-apocalyptic air is rendered in the traditional Japanese style used on folding screens. In the work by Chim↑Pom, its member Ellie sits astride the pillion seat of a motorcycle, carrying a stuffed crow and speaker playing recorded crow calls on visits around the capital.

Both Aida Makoto and Chim↑Pom are known for employing unconventional viewpoints and techniques to get to the heart of social and political issues, and the works by these artists, produced on the common theme of the crow, are sure to offer a superb chance to observe the society we live in from a different perspective.