ADF (NPO Aoyama Design Forum) holds the exhibition "4 Wheels Four Wheels" by photographer Joji Shimamoto from August 10 to 23, 2021, as the 10th art exhibition "ADF Art Gallery Project".

This summer, skateboarding became a hot topic as a new competition for the Tokyo Olympics. We will remember well that the Japanese won many medals, including the youngest record in history, and surprised skateboarders around the world. As the awareness and interest in skateboarding grow in this way, this "4 Wheels Four Wheels" exhibition will mainly feature photos of skateboarding taken by Mr. Shimamoto over many years.

In the exhibition, he presents a realistic skate scene from the back, which cannot be seen on the front stage of the Tokyo Olympics. Skateboarding is a culture that takes place on the streets. "Is skateboarding a sport that has been officially accepted for international sports festivals?" or "Is it culture?" In answer to these questions, it can be said that the culture of skateboarding that emerged in the 1960s has begun to expand into sports.

This exhibition was born out of a passion for getting more in touch with the active skaters on the streets and the street scenes. Enjoy the real world of skateboarding that you could not see on the front stage of Tokyo Olympics 2020 at this exhibition.

Profile: Joji Shimamoto
Born in 1983, from Chiba prefecture, Japan. He is a photographer, creative director, and romantic. He joined the photography club at OJAI, CALIFORNIA high school, and spent his youth in the darkroom. In 2007, he graduated from ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA Photography Department. While in the United States, he organized numerous photography exhibitions in the United States. Upon his return to Japan in 2008, he held a large-scale photography exhibition at THE ART COMPLEX CENTER OF TOKYO in Shinjuku. He was selected as one of the "100 Japanese Photographers" published in a separate volume of STUDIO VOICE and for photo exhibitions at Laforet Harajuku and BLUE NOTE TOKYO solo exhibitions at BASEMENT GINZA and the main exhibition of NEW CITY ART FAIR in New York. He is also active in his artistic activities, such as pictorial photography. In 2014, he directed the art event #BCTION, which was held in Kojimachi for two weeks and transformed a building into an art museum with 13,000 visitors.

[Exhibition Information]
Exhibition name: 4Wheels four wheels
Date: August 10 (Tuesday), 2021 to August 23 (Monday)
Opening hours: 10: 00-18: 00 (until 17:00 on the 16th day of the last day).
Closed days: Saturdays and Sundays
Venue: GARDE Gallery
Address: 5-2-1 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo ALLIANCE Building 4F