Judging from the scene in Roppongi Friday night, no one would suspect that U.S. and British warplanes are blasting Iraq, French auction houses are facing a boycott, and the world's art market has landed in the toilet. It was happy time here on the Tokyo contemporary art scene. With smiles on their faces, hundreds of artists, dealers, curators and assorted freeloaders at the gala opening of the Roppongi art complex (which has been dubbed, artlessly, "Complex"), gobbled samosas and salmon and roast beef, raised plastic glasses of Champagne (no bubbly boycott here), and -- for a single night anyhow -- partied grim reality right out of mind.
And I partied along with them, though being a vegetarian I skipped the salmon and roast beef bit. But in the following morning's sobering light, I had to ask myself seriously whether Complex has a snowball's chance in hell of success. And the best I could reckon -- and this surprised even me -- is "Yes, it does."
Complex is two old, attached five-story buildings that have been gutted and whitewashed and now host five principal gallery spaces; several smaller, annex and temporary galleries; four art-related offices; and the atelier of French artist Matthieu Manche. The spaces are almost perfect, although the ceilings could be a little higher. Plus there is a nice little bar here called Traumaris, which is an excellent addition, as there is nothing like a generous carafe of red wine for turning art browsers into art collectors.