ARTIST INTERVIEW

Exclusive interview with contemporary author EDO AND YUMEKA.
A tea ceremony is born when a contemporary artist and a craftsman meet.
Group exhibition “KUROism – The world of tea ceremony as seen by contemporary artists”
<2024.05.10 [FRI] - 05.19 [SUN]>

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A reconstruction of the tea ceremony by contemporary artists and craftsmen who inherit traditional Japanese culture. ``KUROism - The world of tea ceremony as seen by contemporary artists'' is an exhibition that updates traditional culture and reconsiders what art means to us. We asked EDO (EDO and YUMEKA), who handle the curation.

ーー What sparked your interest in tea ceremony?

Ever since I was a child, I would go to potters and make tea bowls, just like playing with clay, so it was familiar to me.  Over the past seven or eight years, I've become interested in tea utensils, and after the exhibition at YUGEN Gallery last year, I decided to try carving out a tea scoop out of wood, and I've been hooked.  After cutting out about 100 pieces, I finally started to see something that felt like me.  From there, I wonder if there is a shape of a tea scoop for me that is not the so-called shape of a tea scoop.  I started thinking.

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Solo exhibition “NUDAVERITAS feat.SUSIESVELT” held from April 1st (Sat) to April 6th (Thursday), 2023

ーー This leads to "reconstruction," one of the keywords of the exhibition.

I have the utmost respect not only for the tea ceremony but also for traditional Japanese culture. For that reason, I feel that paying too much respect to tradition may be a barrier.  I also think that things that have survived over the years have been rebuilt in each era, and rather than just making traditional things as they are, we should freely come up with ideas that feel contemporary to us today.  I feel that is important. It's not that I'm anti-traditional.

ーー This exhibition is made up of talented members.

In particular, Isogai san and JINGUUJI, who goes by the name art's gaze Jin, is a craftsman and has an extremely high level of skill in completing what he is asked to do.  This time, as a producer, I have faith that he will be able to give form to what I imagined, or rather, that he will go beyond that.

Asano was also an artist who I had seen learning traditional wood carving and producing works that incorporated it into contemporary art, and I wanted to work with him someday.  Ishiguro is a designer who creates one-of-a-kind clothes by dismantling old clothes into pieces, and is a designer whose work focuses on reconstruction.  The theme of this exhibition is "Dadaism," in which he examines preconceived notions.  We had them make a haori as a collaborative work that raises questions.

What if you make tea utensils that you have never made before?  Based on this perspective, I was convinced that the fusion of contemporary artists and craftsmen, or rather the once-in-a-lifetime chemical reaction, would allow us to rebuild tradition and make it the coolest thing ever.

ーー Each one works with different materials such as wood, stone, iron, and cloth. What did you keep in mind when directing each artist?

I've talked about my personal image of black, but I hope people can create their own worldviews based on their own interpretations.  Although it is heavy, such as stone or iron, it must be usable.  I told them that I would like tea utensils such as jujubes and tea utensils to be seen as actual utensils, rather than just being copied in form.

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KENICHI ASANO

ーー What kind of chemical reaction did you have?

We always draw pictures on paper, but this time we also made hanging scrolls from wood.  With the moon as the theme, the moon part is made of corroded iron, brass, and copper, and its color changes with a burner, while the background is painted by YUMEKA in ink and acrylic.  My decision to create works using metal was influenced by my encounter with an artist who works with iron, and it was also by chance that I was inspired to make a tea scoop by carving the wood I mentioned earlier.  It all started when I was able to obtain rare trees such as black persimmons and black persimmons.  I have once again realized that chance encounters can lead to something.

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EDO AND YUMEKA “tea scoop(茶杓)”

ーー This coincidence is, in other words, the extraordinary, which leads to the theme of this time, ``Art as the extraordinary.''

The modern idea of ​​looking at and displaying art and works of art on a daily basis is important, but I also want to create art that lies in the gap between the extraordinary and the everyday, and that you can only reach by going down an alley.  I think it's okay to have something, and I have a strong desire to create it.

I don't know what influence it had on the butoh dance performed by Sankai Juku's Amago Ushidai, which my father took me to see when I was a child, but it definitely left a strong impression on my life.  A person wearing white paint comes out of the darkness and dances. Lately, I've been feeling like I'm making work because I want to explore my own emotions that arose in the darkness of that moment.  I want to cherish such extraordinary experiences.

The world of tea is truly an extraordinary experience, and the tea room welcomes guests in a space filled with art such as hanging scrolls and tea utensils.  In other words, a tea room is a gallery.  What will the view be like from there?  I would be happy if you learned something about yourself and went home feeling good.

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Sankai Juku “Time in - Time”©︎Sankai Juku 

Art is like the scenery you see at the end of an alleyway you don't normally enter.  What kind of feelings arise when you encounter it?  The modern artist EDO's perspective gives us a hint to draw closer to art or tradition as something with a sense of reality.

The exhibition "KUROism - The world of tea ceremony as seen by contemporary artists" will be held from May 10th (Friday) to May 19th (Sunday). For details, please see the solo exhibition details page below.

ABOUT ARTIST
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EDO and YUMEKA

An art unit consisting of EDO and painter YUMEKA, who have been involved in live painting and jewelry design for underground culture. In 2009, the two started working together from a solo exhibition at Starbucks. Since 2014, he has collaborated with ceramic artists, lacquer craftsmen, jewelry, shoes, and bags. He is engaged in a wide range of activities such as the space production of tea ceremony that mixes street culture and traditional crafts.

Go to artist page
ABOUT
ARTIST
EdoandYumeka_photo.jpg__PID:d16fa6aa-affc-458e-a1c0-261b4b2ea181

EDO and YUMEKA

An art unit consisting of EDO and painter YUMEKA, who have been involved in live painting and jewelry design for underground culture. In 2009, the two started working together from a solo exhibition at Starbucks. Since 2014, he has collaborated with ceramic artists, lacquer craftsmen, jewelry, shoes, and bags. He is engaged in a wide range of activities such as the space production of tea ceremony that mixes street culture and traditional crafts.

Go to artist page
ABOUT EXHIBITION
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Period

2024.5.10 [FRI]  - 2024.5.19 [SUN]

Paricipating artists

EDO and YUMEKA / YASUTAKA ISOGAI / KENICHI ASANO / ART'S GAZE JIN / KOH ISHIGURO / SHOTA YAMADA

会場

YUGEN Gallery
KD Minami Aoyama Building 4F, 3-1-31 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Opening hour

Weekdays:13:00〜19:00
Weekends:13:00〜20:00
*Ends at 17:00 on the last day only

Closing day

none

Dates when the artist will be in the gallery

05.10[FRI], 11[SAT], 18[SAT], 19[SUN]

Admission fee

Free

Notes

Please note that depending on the situation, exhibition dates and opening hours may change without notice.

Go to exhibitino page
ABOUT
EXHIBITION

Period

2024.5.10[FRI] - 2024.5.10[SUN}

Participating artists

EDO and YUMEKA / YASUTAKA ISOGAI / KENICHI ASANO / ART'S GAZE JIN / KOH ISHIGURO / SHOTA YAMADA

Venue

YUGEN Gallery
KD Minami Aoyama Building 4F
3-1-31 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Opening hour

Weekdays:13:00〜19:00
Weekends:13:00〜20:00
*Ends at 17:00 on the last day only

Closing day

none

Dates when the artist will be in the gallery

05.10[FRI], 11[SAT], 18[SAT], 19[SUN]

Admission fee

Free

Notes

Please note that depening on the situation, exhibition dates and opening hours may change without notice.

Go to exhibition page