Toranomon "SIGNAL" Reopens with Permanent Exhibition 'Signs for Future Canaries' Starting May 26, Marking a New Chapter

SIGNAL, a social issue gallery planned and produced by SIGNING Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Takahiro Maki; hereinafter "SIGNING"), is transforming into an archive space that accumulates its past journey and captures signs for the future. As the first step in its relaunch, a permanent exhibition titled 'Signs for Future Canaries,' looking back on approximately three years of its trajectory, will be held.

About 'Signs for Future Canaries' For approximately three years since its opening, the social issue gallery "SIGNAL" has walked alongside creators who sensitively capture the "signs" hidden in the depths of society. This exhibition, 'Signs for Future Canaries,' marks the opening of a new chapter for SIGNAL, transforming into a space that captures signs for the future, built upon the accumulation of these past endeavors. The artworks housed in this space now transcend individual contexts, overlapping to go beyond the realm of a mere gallery, beginning to form a serene depth that connects fragments of history to the future. The traces left by each exhibition have, over time, formed multi-layered strata, transforming this place from a simple exhibition space into a venue that unearths the depths of the era and captures the next signs. We may find in the succession of these multi-layered expressions a portrait of accelerating social trends, the contours of a continuously changing society, or the nascent sprouts of new questions for the future. We invite you to visit this exhibition, where three years of progress crystallize, illuminating the present era while gazing towards the signs beyond. It is within the resonance of urgent signs released by artists, like "canaries in a coal mine" that quickly announce what lies beyond the unseen darkness, towards an unknown future.

Renovation Overview "SIGNAL" will expand its role from a temporary exhibition space to an archive space that captures signs for the future. With this renovation, we will sequentially introduce experience designs that allow visitors to engage with the deep context behind the artworks and take home questions about the future.

1. Art Archiving of the Viewing Experience Beyond the scope of mere artwork display, we will refresh the spatial presentation and production to allow visitors to more deeply experience the stories and social significance of the permanent artworks. The entire gallery will be redefined as a single art archive.

2. Navigation through the Space (Deployment of an in-store map) We will introduce a guide map that unravels the relationship between artworks and the space. By exploring the scattered "traces of permanent artworks," we will offer a new viewing experience that allows visitors to navigate the gallery as if it were a map.

3. Artwork Explanations by Art Communicators We will develop unique explanatory content that interprets the social background of the artworks. Based on this, staff will provide personalized guidance to each visitor, building a "guidance" system that deepens understanding of the artworks through dialogue.

4. Expansion of Digital Archives (Official Website Update) We will renew the official website and create new content specifically for permanent artworks. Linked with the physical viewing experience, this will allow for a deeper exploration of the detailed background and history of each artwork online. (*Scheduled for update in summer 2026)

List of Permanent Exhibition Artists (in order of collection/installation) Takuro Tamura Born in Osaka in 1989. After graduating from Kyoto University of the Arts (formerly Kyoto University of Art and Design) in 2016, he continued his creative work while assisting in the artist collective SANDWICH led by Kohei Nawa. Influenced by Banksy and Kohei Nawa, Tamura takes a bird's-eye view of things, detaching them from their original context and presenting them anew. By doing so, he re-examines the nature of objects and adds strong messages to them. He has held solo exhibitions including "5W<1H" at MAKI Gallery (Tokyo, 2021) and "OUT SIDE" at y gion (Kyoto, 2018), and has participated in group exhibitions in Osaka, Tokyo, and Kyoto. He also presented "Sphere asphalt φ1200" at Starbucks Kyoto Bal in 2019 and "Lovers#4" at Sequence Miyashita Park in 2020.

Takeshi Senga Born in Shiga in 1982. Graduated from Osaka University. His creative work is based on thorough research, producing conceptual works that reveal invisible or difficult-to-photograph subjects using methods tailored to the theme. Independent curator Yumi Goto praised him as "one of the photographers who comes to mind when you want to present the problems of modern Japanese society, culture, and history to the world as a visual narrative, and his ability to visualize complex narrative structures is unparalleled." His major works include "THE SUICIDE BOOM" and "HIJACK GENI."