Forward Thinking Museum

I recently discovered the JGS Forward Thinking Museum, an online virtual museum that is run by the not-for-profit, Joy of Giving Something. It is a pretty quirky experience, complete with the voice of a guy selling hot dogs on the street corner, robots in wheelchairs, abseiling window-cleaners, laid off bankers trying to hitch a ride home and much more. The navigation is a little clunky because of all these elements, but the depth of material on show makes it worth an extended visit. I think that JGS is involved with Nazraeli Press as a lot of the artists that they have published can be found in the museum.

The thing I enjoyed most was the ‘permanent exhibitions’ on show here. Japanese photography is often absent from the internet, and I was delighted to find a great selection of work here by some of the more interesting contemporary Japanese artists including Naoya Hatakeyama, Eiji Ina, Yuki Onodera, Toshio Shibata, Risaku Suzuki and Masao Yamamoto. As an added bonus, there is a section of the museum called FTM Theater with a selection of short films on the artists at work. I will be a regular visitor.