Promotion Day

One of the most surprising things of Tokyo when I first came here was discovering the huge amount of smallish galleries scattered throughout the city.

The genres vary so much that it’s really take your pick. There isn’t (or there is less) the limitation and division  of what is conventional art, illustration, manga, installation, avant garde, abstract painting, figurative painting etc. So you end up finding all sorts of interesting things and inspiration.  Moreover  here  people actually listen to you. Ok, let’s say that sometimes they’re a bit disappointed to hear that you’re not a potential buyer/collector, but an artist trying to promote your work, but they’ll listen anyhow. That’s how I got my first exhibition here last October.

Ah, and actually going from one gallery to the other, is a great way to explore the city. Slightly less conventional than following your Lonely Planet guide, because just trying to find the effiing places (we all love the Japanese address system)  will lead you round and round in circles around an area, thus finding all sorts of things you wouldn’t have discovered had you followed the more traditional routes

Anyway, to avoid babbling on too much, I’ve picked a few interesting things I’ve seen recently

Santa Inoue: manga artist. Awesome art, awesome reception. Had about 4/5 beers and tons of food. Seriously: the art. Actually it was very interesting, I had never seen manga art originals of this quality (basically because I’ve never been to manga art exhibitions). The level of detail is amazing, almost sickly. And the artist himself turned out to be rather cool (and lovely namecard). Moreover at the end, if you gave your meishi, there was also a gift pack with the exhibition catalogue. Nice. There were about a 100 or more people at the opening. I was the only westerner (not foreigner, there were a couple of people from Hong Kong). Nice pt.2.

Kwon Kyung Yup @ Unseal Contemporary: amazing Korean artist, a great find on a late Friday evening…a great find hard to find though, it was the typical case where you walk round and round in circles (in Nihonbashi…so basically empty at that time of day) and can’t find the damn place. Especially if the entrance to the gallery is in the back alley….anyway great artist, very melancholic, and inspiring because she paints series of works in someway related. The youngish looking people here are all covered in bandages, reminiscence of when she was injured and in hospital (if I overheard correctly). Anyway, great technique and a very nice person to chat with. Hope to see more of her in the future.

Seigo Takatsuka @ Shikisaisha: nice small exhibition. Some  pretty paintings (of my genre….Bijin!!!), and a very kind lady co-owner of the gallery.

Art Box Gallery: Gallery which features works contained in its interesting magazine, I shall look into it. They have short exhibitions, this one was a group one, nothing particularly amazing. But it’s certainly well worth keeping an eye on the publication.

Sachiyo Aoyama @ Bunkyo Art: I had already been to this gallery a year ago,  and the genre was very similar: dreamy. The lady co-owner of the gallery recognized me straight away, which was quite surprising. We had had a pleasant chat last year, and also this time round, she sounded quite interested in what I had to show and say.  Apparently they are moving to another bigger location, which sounds very interesting. Certainly a contact I will have to pursue in the future, I’d like to do business with them (especially if  I can come up with a valid project).

Design Festa: interesting as usual, very tiring to walk round (as usual),  there is really a lot to see. A mixed bag obviously,  the quality varies a lot from one booth to the other but that makes it even more interesting and special. Anyone who has something to show can do so, it doesn’t matter if you’re a pro or an amateur, you can get the same space and exposure. Which I think is very healthy. Moreover I decided that I will get a booth and show some stuff myself the next time or the time after that (it’s held twice a year), I think that you can break even with costs pretty easily, and the exposure is enormous (which is what I need here in JP). And it could turn out being fun. Ah, to round the day off, I was pleased to see the wall painting of an excellent artist and good friend of mine, which was an extra bonus.

More exhibitions accounts to come (maybe). In the meantime I’ll post more “no undos”, it’s turning out to be great exercise and maybe an interesting project to pursue (and submit) in the future. Still smallish stuff, but you never know.

No undo

Apparently it was Golden Week in Japan.
Not that I would have noticed, it doesn’t change much for me, although it is slightly frustrating having stuff to do when you should be making plans to do other stuff. Well, there was something planned, a camping trip, but all considered (work to do and mood) I decided to pass.
But because life is strange, I think I got something out of these days anyway. The problem at the moment is trying to make sense of my stay here and taking time to actually consider things slightly rationally after an emotional turmoil. I wouldn’t go as far as making plans, but at least outline a vague plot for my future. Good thing then that Tuesday (the day I was meant to go on the trip) at a certain point I decided that work and other business could wait, and took the day off. No camping trip, but some beers and snacks sitting on the grass in Yoyogi, amongst the crowd with their picnics. Not socially rewarding, but useful nonetheless. First of all because I started filling in my Japanese verb notebook, and then because sitting back and relaxing helped me come up with a vague idea of what I should do in the future. Of course I’m not going to say what.
And what’s more, the same evening and the next day I “bumped into” something have done more often before. The no undo thing.
This often bugs me. I would really do with an undo button in life. Actually with a Photoshop history tool, go back a few steps and try to get things right. Or at least avoid making stupid mistakes. Ok, someone might argue that if you’re a crap artist, undo or not the thing is not going to turn out that good anyway. Good point. So even if I went back a few steps, probably things wouldn’t turn out how I would want them to anyway. And I wouldn’t have the excuse of a bad choice and bad luck.

So whilst there is no undo button in real life, there is one in Photoshop.
Actually there are layers as well, which you don’t get elsewhere. Although the metaphor here is slightly more complicated.
And I’m starting to think its more a hindrance than of help. Undos, colour pickers, layers, layer effects, overlay, colour, more brightness, less contrast, colour sliders, zoom in, zoom out. Cut paste, move, magic wand. Everything looks perfect. Other people’s art, not mine of course…I have no patience for all that stuff.
Though I have the impression that a lot of what I see around, in digital art, looks exactly the same (out of envy for the attention of course…ah, I will have to address the “pat on the back” thing of art communities one day).
The problem is when I try to do the same, when I want to prove to myself I can do it. And end up having something that looks similar but is not quite as good.
No surprise there. I can’t compete with who has being doing that for ages. I don’t have the patience. I’m not that kind of person. So why even try?
Therefore what am I? When is it that I’m good? (quite good…ok, reasonable)
I think it’s the biggest question someone who tries to do something creative must answer.
What is my art? I think that answering this is halfway being there. Some time ago I was talking about it to fellow artist and good friend of mine, as she was asking herself exactly the same question. I think it’s quite a common one.
There are time one has the feeling of doing something special. But what is it?
Why is it that I have no patience to do these grand pieces, with 20000 details, lights, bounce off here, bounce off there, “oh so much care, oh look at those strands of hair”?
Because when I chew over things, I stray away from myself.
Because if I’m something, I’m the “no undo guy”.
My mistakes are better than my corrections.
Even traditional painting has the undo (besides watercolour). Paint over, start again. Oils are the ultimate undo medium. Oil painting was Adobe PS 1.0 beta. Also sketching with a pencil has the undo: erasers. (no redo button though, damn it!)

And ink? It has no undo button.
No pencils beforehand, just ink straight away on paper. No construction lines. No zig-zags (what are zig-zags? It’s what artists do when they’re being an ar(se)tist).
Capture it straight away. Focus straight away, no undo means no absent-mindedness. If you get it the first time good, otherwise it’s paper in the waste bin.
Surprise yourself on how it’s going to turn out. Make it up as you go.
Use serendipity.

Will people be interested? No idea
Is it going to be perfect? No way.
Is it going to be good? Maybe.
Is it going to be me? Very probably.

No undo is the future of art.
It will save us from Photoshop.
And IPads.

r.

Note for myself: I must learn not to chew over things.
In real life, that is.