Diesel’s “Japan” exhibition

24 Apr 2006 Category: Events & Exhibitions, Fashion, Graphics, Japan

I read: “9 upcoming artists from both Japan and overseas present work based on Diesel’s 2006 S/S collection’s main theme Japan.” Let’s see how Diesel interprets Japan is what I thought with a sneaky grin, when I hopped into the next taxi…

writtten by Uleshka

Reading a little more about this event on my way there, I imagined beautiful “works of illustration and typography made on Japanese style “hanging rolls” (Kakemono) and “decorated papers” (Shikishi). “Pop, but bitter”, “Cool, but kitsch”, “Cute, but chic”.” in a giant gallery space, the next ambitious project by Renzo Rosso…

Those are assembled together with the denims at the store. - is the line I completely overread, when I found myself in front of a clothes shop in the middle of glossy Daikanyama!

Good trick to get you shopping… but hey: Diesel actually do support young artists (although this whole art-everything when all it is actually about is design, fashion and consuming does get on my nerves, sometimes…).

So - let’s get to the Japan works which were slightly hidden between the jeans.

Here are the 5 striking groups:

1)
One of my favorites was DENSE. He seemed to have developed into quite a busy guy now from when I wrote about him last time. Well done!

I very much like the way he writes, his letters and Japanese characters both have this gritty, slightly shaky, pointy touch. Niiice!

2)
Since the works were all about Japan - there were quite a few cherry blossoms to be found, of course…

3)
An interesting typographic interpretation of Japan = Nippon was a giant NI by Abe Kazuhide.

4)
When we asked Kiyoshi Kuroda about his drawings, he said:
“I chose Mt. Fuji and the moon as a motif for my Shikishi combined with animal patterns because I like that mixture of very old traditional symbolism.”

Kuroda: “I’d like you to feel the beauty of the lines I draw.“

5)
Then - last but best - was GENDAI BIJUTSU NITOHEY - a collaboration between Kagoya Shane and Fujiwara Katsuhito. Calling themselves something like “contemporary art second class soldiers”, they claim to do “cheap art” with a punch-line.

Producing whatever is “fun and funny” beyond any genre of art is their purpose and I must say that I had a pretty good laugh looking at their works.

Their works were a little different from the others, since they were three dimensional objects as opposed to flat drawings.

Personally, I think that they definitely interpreted Japan best, adding a little humor to everything and keeping this:”I don’t really understand it, but I like what I get!” - feel.

So after all: discovering GENDAI BIJUTSU NITOHEY was worth going to the exhibition so I must say: Well done Diesel. You selected well!

12 Comments

1. i love virtual sento (: nice article!!

   Posted by: chris on April 24th, 2006 at 10:54 pm

2. Cool article!!!
   And nice art pieces…
   Even if I perfectly agree when u say “(although this whole art-everything when all it is actually about is design, fashion and consuming does get on my nerves, sometimes…)” …
   ah, contemporary needs!!! It’s all about consuming!!!

   Posted by: Marica on April 25th, 2006 at 7:18 pm

3. // all about consuming //

   exactly! that is why I think ART should be a little more than that!

   Posted by: Uleshka on April 25th, 2006 at 8:37 pm

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