contemporary art

I am not a big patron of the arts. Ever since I was little, my dad attempted to instill in me at least an appreciation for the finer arts; when I was little I distinctly remember not really enjoying be taken to ballet and opera performances, art galleries and museums (the two exceptions being The Guggenheim and MOMA in NYC).
So I admit I begrudgingly attended the opening of Art Fair Tokyo 2012 as my company was the major corporate sponsor.
There was, as expected, a whole bunch of "modern" art; put a wig on a cow, spill paint on a white pillow, etc.
But there were also a few pieces that absolutely restored my faith in humanity, and they were all from young (younger than me) Japanese artists.
In no particular order, here are my favorites:

Takehiro Terabayashi
This guy does the most amazingly realistic paintings of...his 1950's apartment. My absolute favorite is the circuit breaker. It must be seen to be believed. The little green sticker in the corner I SWEAR I could have reached up and pulled off. Brilliant.

Yasunari Ikenaga
He does the most amazing modern portraits in a traditional (?) Japanese style, with beautiful kimono motifs and a hint of bad-girl/melancholy. The detail is just stunning.

Hisara Taira
Another hyper-realist painter. His architectural paintings of hallways and escalators look photorealistic and totally moody. What this guy can do with light and texture is mind-blowing.

Tetsuya Noguchi
The most detail-oriented figure-maker/sculptor I have ever seen. He analyses ancient samurai paintings to make the most fantastic modern figures in oftentimes ridiculous or merely sublime poses.

Shintaro Ohata
My favorite contemporary Japanese painter as of the minute I walked by and saw his paintings.
His earlier works are a brilliant combination of painting and sculpture that flow together into a single moody situation. But his latest paintings are even more stylized and moody. This one blue piece of a girl on a bus in the morning I seriously need to own, it is that awesome.