Entering Tokyo Big Sight is something akin to breaching the Tyrell corporation. The contemporary, futuristic architecture looms over a pristine concrete.
Entering Tokyo Big Sight is something akin to breaching the Tyrell corporation. The contemporary, futuristic architecture looms over a pristine concrete. Various events have been housed in the convention center since the mid-nineties. Today, it’s interior is teeming with Design Festa Volume 31.
Cacophonous conversations echo throughout the atrium. A marching band parades its way into stuffy crowds and overflowing exhibition areas. It’s loud in here. A medley of languages tear through the tinny wail of a transvestite folk singer. He is hammering away at an oddly tuned acoustic with painted fingers. The air is electric with creation.
Design Festa is an “international art event” which began in 1994 for artists of numerous nationalities to exhibit their work. Though mostly Japanese artists fill the exhibition booths, artisans from neighboring Asian countries, Europe, and the Americas are also present. The work range is just as varied.
“I can’t live without it,” directs Hitomi, a painter tactfully applying watercolors to the white walls of her corner booth, regarding the process. She’s used the drippy watercolors to construct a panchromatic face and is now adding a dark, penetrating eye. “It’s sustenance for my imagination,” she states.
This season’s exhibition is on two floors, the first and fourth of the west hall. The first floor consists of three main exhibition areas, indoor and outdoor stages, and a kids’ area. It is the larger of the 2 sections.
When asked about how she works, artist Kay replies, “I use anything I’m inspired to use like candles, needles, or even cigarettes.” The subtle, graceful lines of Kay’s pens betray a powerful anguish. They often unfurl into contemplative visages; incomplete people leaving us to wander through the negative space. She mentions her pain and suffering when probed about inspiration.
The fourth floor section contains Kuchikaseya Moira, a doe-eyed beauty donning a rubber ducky ball gag and schoolgirl uniform quietly posing in a wading pool. She is the true mosaic. One part ball gag merchant, one part performance artist, and all parts fascinating, K.Moira politely grants an interview. Of course, the ball gag is removed. Concerning the design and construction of the ball gag, the modeling and the general exhibition, “I want to create something entirely by myself, from start to finish.”
I can barely make out Kim Ok’s voice from the resonance of a samurai clad pop band around the corner. Kim Ok hails from Korea and tells me that she’s only in town for 4 days. Her series of pencil drawings are among the more striking. One is struck, full force, by a monstrosity of elegant visuals. If Lovecraft was sexy, this is what we’d see. Through the neighboring melody, she talks about expressing life and death, beauty and ugliness. Indeed, she has swirled lead into a lovely horror.
Other notable works include Setsuki’s dark paintings and Jeong Jae Hwan’s punk illustrations.
Another successful Design Festa finished, the artist wrap up their supplies and head off. Design Festa Vol. 32 takes off on November 6th and 7th.
Design Festa
www.designfesta.com
www.designfestagallery.com
Interviewed Artists
Kay
http://net.kayxxxx.com
Kim Ok
www.kimok75.hihome.com
Kuchikaseya Moira
http://selfer.net
Hitomi
http://hitomikeye.blog.shinobi.jp/
Jeong Jae Hwan
http://blog.naver.com/jleewon
Setsuki
http://www.setsuki-art.com
Selected Artists
New World Transparent Specimen
http://shinsekai-th.com
Mitsume Temo
www.019.tv
okamochi
http://suihan.web.fc2.com/
Junjo
http://junjo.stripper.jp/
MAKO
http://makonet.gozaru.jp/
Chise
http://www18.ocn.ne.jp/~medulla/
Naoko Morishita
http://zapanet.info/member/loiteraway/
Aiko Konomi & Minako Maeda
http://www2odn.ne.jp/rannze
Kengo Okida
http://okida.jimdo.com/
Tatsuya Ishii
http://korokoromarupan.web.fc2.com/
Chisato Nagano
http://www.von3.com
Toyst
http://toyst222.web.fc2.com
Mame Amano
http://a-mame7.jugem.jp
Chiharu Akai
http://www.chi-kotoybox.com
Aki Shimazaki
http://leisurely12walk.blog112.fc2.com
cake in poison
http://crowxcrow.web.fc2/.com
Hitomi Toda
http://todahitomi.jundo.com/
Silvershop
http://www.niku29.com
renshi
http://page.freett.com/renshiweb/
Miki Itou
http://web.me.com/itomiki/
Art-Meter
http://www.art-meter.com
