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NPO Telescope
NPO Telescope will act as a telescope, an interface that invites people to have an intimate experience of contemporary art, which is often regarded from a distance.
We will conduct researches on documents of contemporary art, educational projects such as exhibitions, events and workshops, and develop projects to make contemporary art more accessible to the public, thereby enhancing individual creativity and creating a driving force for a more thriving world.
ABOUT
NPO Telescope is a non-profit organization born out of a project to compile materials from the former Kiyosato Museum of Contemporary Art and publish an archive book (incorporated on May 23, 2024).
The Kiyosato Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1990 and closed in 2014. It was a private art museum run by the four Ito brothers, extensively presenting contemporary art works by Joseph Beuys, Arnolf Rainer, and Fluxus.
In order to archive their art books, documents, and works of ephemera, in September 2022, a volunteer group of creators has launched the "Kiyosato Museum of Contemporary Art Archive Book Project," a project to compile and publish the museum's vast collection of art books and documents.
Following the publication of the first volume, "Ephemera," in May 2023, we are planning to publish the second volume, "Fluxus," and the third volume, "Joseph Beuys”.
This archive project was featured as EXHIBITION at TABF2023.
(See the records of our NPO activities)
Moving forward, NPO Telescope will create opportunities for more people to experience the innovative sensitivities and enquiries of contemporary art that the Ito brothers have posed to society, while conducting research and operations based on the former collection of the Kiyosato Museum of Contemporary Art. We will strive to make our resources available for the enjoyment of the wider public.
Your support and cooperation will be greatly appreciated.
3186-1, Yamamiya-cho, Kofu-shi, Yamanashi 400-0075
TEL / FAX 055-255-6201
email : npotelescope [at] gmail.com
ABOUT THE
KIYOSATO MUSEUM OF
CONTEMPORARY
ART
The Kiyosato Museum of Contemporary Art is a private art museum established in 1990 by the four Ito brothers with their private funds. The second son, Shugo Ito, was resident in Kiyosato as director, and the third son, Shingo Ito , was in charge of collecting the collection and directing the exhibitions while continuing to teach art at a junior high school in Tokyo. Osami Ito, the eldest son, and Katsuro Ito, the fourth son, provided operational and financial support to the museum. The museum was unique at the time in that it collected contemporary art works and exhibited them on a permanent basis, with works of Joseph Beuys, Arnolf Rainer, and Fluxus as the central pillars of the collection.
After 24 years of operation and approximately 100,000 visitors, the museum regrettably closed in 2014 due to the brothers' health reasons.
After the museum closed, the brothers moved to Shizuoka to live, but Mr. Shingo, who had conceptualized the museum, passed away suddenly in 2017. The artworks were resorted upon the museum’s closure and Mr. Shingo’s sudden departure. However, a vast collection of art books, documents, and works of ephemera still remained at his residence.
The representative of our NPO, Tomoko Hirose, was also a student of Shingo Ito’s and a founding staff member of the museum. After his retirement, she continued to operate her own antiquarian bookstore online with foreign books selected by Mr. Shingo, which was suspended for various reasons, but was reopened at his suggestion when the museum closed. After his sudden departure, she was entrusted by Mr. Shugo to manage and organize the collections left by Mr. Shingo.
She had been studying and organizing the collections and documents in the hope that she would have the opportunity to make them useful not only for sale but also for research and other purposes. The many computers left behind by Mr. Shingo contain traces of his struggle to digitally archive his vast collection of materials. The archive project was started over time by a group of young creators who recognized the importance of the collection, and the dream that it aspired to but was unable to fulfill and were strongly convinced of the need to compile it into a book.
Although the land and buildings of the Kiyosato Museum of Contemporary Art no longer exist as they have been sold away, their remaining collection and documents have the potential to be used for various projects, and to bring the exuberance and joy of contemporary art to many people.
View a photo album of the Kiyosato Museum of Contemporary Art from the time when it was open →
STAFF
Tomoko Hirose
Kota Ishizaki
Atsushi Hamanaka
Takaya Suzuki
Genki Abe
Shunsui Ohara
Akira Hirai
Luka Yasukawa
Shingo Aoyagi
Yutaka Hirose
Nao Amino
Hitoshi Kanazawa
Shugo Ito
Katsuro Ito
Kaori Yasunaga English Translation
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三井住友銀行 ((0009)
甲府支店 (473)
普通 4668819
NPO Telescope
(エヌピーオー テレスコープ)
GMOあおぞらネット銀行 (0310)
法人営業部 (101)
普通 2000970
特定非営利活動法人Telescope ( トクヒ)テレスコープ )