On display in galleries A, B and C is a selection of artworks from the Hara Museum's permanent collection. These paintings, sculptures, photographs and installations were created by contemporary artists with highly distinctive styles that exemplify the breadth and depth that exist within the world of contemporary art. In art, artists use a wide variety of means to express themselves in a way that makes "art" and "plastic arts" interchangeable expressions. When faced with a given "form," what feelings come up? Do we find it comforting? Refreshing? Dumbfounding? Or just weird? At times we feel an immediate liking to a form; at other times we must ponder the meaning. Why do forms engender such responses? When we dig a little deeper behind the feeling, we may discern a message. The works in this exhibition illustrate the formal richness that distinguishes contemporary art. Yet despite differences in idea or technique, they all somehow touch upon life as we live it --the significance of it, importance, fascination, strangeness, even outrageousness. We hope viewers will enjoy this eclectic selection of works and the various messages that they hold. * The text was provided by Hara Museum ARC.