|
|
 |
 |
|
#33 |
"atelier incurve" carves out the future of Outsider Art |
|
|
|
|
In any given era, there are artists who are extremely talented, who love painting and creating things, but remain unknown because their creations are unknown to the mass.
"atelier incurve" in Osaka is the first welfare facility in Japan that specializes in art and design. And the artwork created by mentally challenged artists who come to this facility is becoming more and more sought after. They create unique pieces of work freely, without having any academic background in art. These artists have made their debut through one of the best galleries in New York who handles "Outsider
Art*" and have been internationally acclaimed by world famous artists and collectors. After their showing in New York, they held an exhibition in Tokyo; outsider art is becoming more and more popular in Japan as well. I visited the atelier in Osaka to see how these masterpieces are created, and also to speak with Mr. Hiroshi Imanaka, to learn about the aspirations of the "atelier incurve."
 |
|
 |
*Outsider Art: The term, "Outsider Art," was translated by an English art critic, Roger Cardinal, to stand for "Art Brut" (which literally means "Raw Art" or "Rough Art"), a term coined by a French artist, Jean Dubuffet, in the mid twentieth century. Art may be defined as an outburst of individual expression, but the term, "Outsider Art," is used to describe art created by people who, have not been educated about art, who lies outside the mainstream artwork described in art history. Thus, this term is also used to refer to artwork created by people who are mentally challenged or who can act as spiritual mediums.
reference URL
Art Brut
Outsider Art |
|
|
|
Mr. Mitsuo Yumoto, "River, river, river, bird" 2005 |
|
# My encounter with atelier incurve |
|
One day at a book store, I happened to find a book on art dressed in a blue cover; I thought it was a book published overseas. A large screen resembling an urban corridor, eye-catching colors, motifs used in fashion magazine advertisementsc These
were all works by artists, Mr. Katsuhiro Terao, Mr. Mitsuo
Yumoto, Mr. Kazuhiro Yoshimune, Mr. Tomoyuki Shinki, and
Mr. Eiji Takeda, from "atelier incurve," an welfare facility
in the suburbs of Osaka. |
|
Mr. Eiji Takeda, "Sandals" 2004 |
|
The
story of how these artists and their artwork caused a sensation
is well described in the book; it all started when the representative of atelier incurve, Mr. Hiroyuki Imanaka, contacted the key person at one of the best galleries in New York that handles outsider art, Mr. Phyllis Kind. With his assistance, he artists of "atelier incurve" were able to make their debut at "Outsider Art Fair" in New York in 2005 (submitted through the Phyllis Kind Gallery), and the artwork was purchased by internationally renowned artists and collectors, such as Kiki Smith. |
|
Mr. Kazuhiro Yoshimune, "Film Type" 2006 |
|
I didn't know anything about such movement, until I foundI didn't know anything about such movement, until I found out that the exhibition for the five artists who successfully debuted in New York was going to be held for the first time in Japan at the Dentsu Hall in Shiodome, Tokyo, for 2 days, on March 14th (Wed) and 15th (Thurs). I was utterly impressed with Mr. Takeda's pop but tranquil tableau, which he created after spending ample time on its draft, and with Mr. Yumoto's buildings and birds, which are so poetic and which vibrantly emanates energy through the prismatic use of colorful grids. |
|
 |
 |
Photo of the venue. Documentary videos were aired on site, along with footage of the minimal and abstract paintings by Mr. Kazuhiro Yoshimune. |
|
|
|
Live painting sessions also took place. |
|
 |
|
The live drawing session by Mr. Katsuhiro Terao. He always draws pictures that depict steel as he has had experience as a welding operator at his family's steel factory. "I saw this iron bridge near Mt. Fuji as we were making our way to Tokyo (for the exhibition)," he explains, while he draws the iron bridge on a large piece of plywood with a pencil. He uses both the ruler and freehand, drawing inward from the edges as he turns the board around. And this is how he creates his swells and undulations, which doesn't have a heaven and earth (no top or bottom) from any angle it is seen. A sharp but rich piece of work, which lies somewhere in between a drawing and a painting.
Artwork: "Design of various buildings" 2006
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
from pro-wrestling magazines, he illustrates dynamically wrestling moves using color pencils. Although it is uncommon for an outsider artist, he also uses computer graphics. His work is not only an interesting depiction of movement and entanglement of the two wrestlers, but we can also truly feel his passion for pro-wrestling. He loves the wrestler, Yuji Nagata, and he captures the brilliance and the liberation of pro-wrestling quite well.
Artwork: "Rolling Sobat" 2006 |
|
|
|
At a glance these artists may seem like they have something in common with contemporary artists, but if you take a closer look, there actually is no overlap. I am not saying this because this is outsider art. I was just overwhelmed by how different each and everyone of these artist and their creations were. |
|
# Off to Osaka, to see the artists at work |
|
The following week, I visited the atelier in Osaka located near the Yamato river. Mr. Terao and Mr. Shinki told me that they have been working on a new piece. Mr. Shinki looked at me with smile on his face, waiting to see how I will react. He said "I want to do a bigger piece (about 2 meters) this time," and opened his arms wide about width of two desks. Four wrestlers were drawn in pairs without a mask; Mr. Shinki drew their faces using his imagination. He seemed to be working on a concept, a series of wrestling pairs. Mr. Terao, on the other hand, wanted to work on a smaller piece and asked a staff to prepare a smaller panel for him. Both looked extremely motivated. |
|
 |
|
"I'm keeping you busy with asking for big panels and then a small one." said Mr.Terao to a staff with kind concern, but he was so excited, he could hardly wait for them to bring him the panels. |
|
|
|
Mr. Yoshimune asks everyone he meets where they live, and wants to see kind of socks they have on. Well, he didn't seem to like neither my socks nor my editor's. We learned that he is uncomfortable with ambiguity, so he memorizes things methodically. For instance, he has written down over two hundred combinations of colors in his notebook. It seems that he regards lighter colors as being different from expressions of ambiguous sensations or feelings. |
|
 |
|
Mr. Yoshimune is very good at cutting out clippings from fashion magazines he refers to when creating his artwork. His interests seem to vary as he has many painting styles.
Artwork: "Kyoko Fukada's bare feet" 2006
|
|
|
|
The atelier was full of creativity - many people were working on paintings, paper sculptures, rubber plates and etching, ceramics, felt art, etc.
|
|
 |
|
A serene painting of flowers by Mr. Yuuichi Kitaike. This especially left a strong impression because he collects and pastes photographs and copies of scenes from movies on the side of his desk, and it seemed to me that he likes gatherings. |
|
|
|
Mr.
Masayuki Uchino paints portraits using the same colors used
for the background. He is also designing a studio set for NHK's
music TV program. |
|
Even
though the supporting staff are professional artist who also
creates their own artwork, they don't teach them or even give
them advice. Mr. Imanaka says, "The artists here tend to get easily influenced by the teachers' tastes. If someone praises something, then they become set and preoccupied with using the same techniques years and years." I thought this was probably natural since their pureness doesn't allow them to absorb something and then destroy it, like contemporary artists do. At the same time, this also made me think about the adversity contemporary artists face of out-trumping history. |
|
Mr. Hikoyuki Uchiage, "Baby" 2003
He used to draw stylish portraits like those of Alex Katz, but recently he is into drawing audacious portraits of adults around him.
|
|
|
Mr. Kazuyuki Tsukamoto, "Morning Glory" 2005
He has his own microcosm with table lamps and a plate of curry rice on a table. His marker skills are refreshing, unrestrained, unrefined.
|
|
|
# Interview with Mr. Hiroshi Imanaka,
the representative of "atelier incurve" 01
- His encounter with Outsider Art
|
|
Mr. Hiroshi Imanaka who has congenital deficiencies of the lower extremities researches on barrier-free and universal designs as an space designer. And the "atelier incurve" is one of his big challenges. I
interviewed him about how he is attempting to create synergy
in the areas of welfare and art, and art and design, to break
new ground in designing a well-ventilated open society (space). |
|
|
|
What made you, as a space designer, become interested in outsider art? |
|
"There was a time when I was thinking about what
'original' really meant in terms of space design. For example, sometimes I believe that I've come up with a great idea, but then I remember that I had read about it in a book a couple of month ago. This is not original; it is just something borrowed from a forgoer. I have often been highly praised for what I felt was something borrowed, an imitation. I got fed up with this, so I decided to take a year-long break from NOMURA Co., Ltd. and to travel. I
went to see the postman, Ferdinand Cheval's 'Palais idéal' and
collections of Art Brut, and when I saw them I thought 'this is
it!' I realized that there was a world I could hardly hope to reach,
and I felt liberated as I realized that there is no need for my
originality." |
|
|
|
So how did this lead you to creating the atelier? |
|
"After I came back, I had seriously been thinking about what design was. One day, someone mentally challenged came to show me his artwork, and that is when I asked myself, 'Why did God choose to make our paths cross?' Since then, many people with mental deficiencies began to gather at my house. It came to the point that everyone couldn't fit in my house anymore, so a designer with the same thinking and I decided to borrow a warehouse. We named it "Atelier Bandai Warehouse" and spent some time with the artists there. But
still I knew that we needed a space befitting for creativity, so I decided to establish the 'atelier incurve'." |
|
|
|
What was the core idea when establishing the atelier? |
|
|
 |
 |
"First of all, what
drove me and motivated me was the anger I felt because of the
lack of understanding in Japan about the magnificence of these
talented people's art, and towards society that doesn't allow
for these brilliant people to live making the best application
of such talents. What my associates and I had talked about back then was that they
all have something unique and original, and there is nothing
anyone could teach these people who are all at a higher level
than where we are. They just need an environment in which they
can express their creativity freely, without inhibition. To educate means to teach our ethics. But what we needed to do was to learn about their ways and learn their language. Sadly, today's art critique begins with something that everyone can understand, like saying, 'this is an impressionist art.' So although I wanted to make their artwork renowned and help them become independent, I did expect a hard and rocky path en route to the market's wide acceptance of the sharp creativity of outsider art." |
|
|
|
In the same manner, Western cultures still tend to value artwork that falls in line with the mainstream art history. But I think, this is why divergence or outsider arts is drawing much attention and the artwork is becoming valued straightforwardly as being good or bad, without relevance as to whether the artist is with or without disabilities. |
|
|
"Exactly. They responded to us rather quickly. It is sad to say but people in Japan change their attitude depending on how something has been evaluated in the West. In 2005 I decided to show our artists' work to some key people in major galleries, so I sent a letter with a CD-ROM to a couple of galleries. And then, Mr. Phyllis Kind, an authority on outsider art, responded to us saying he liked it. We sold a lot of the artwork at the art fair and at Mr. Terao's personal exhibition held afterwards. It
is so exhilarating when something you have been creating
for yourself resonates with even just one person. The artists at "atelier incurve" is pleased with the monetary value their artwork has brought, but they are more pleased with the fact that they made someone else happy." |
|
# Interview with Hiroshi
Imanaka, the representative of atelier incurve 02
- Design work created by "atelier incurve"
|
|
|
|
I think it was an epoch-making approach taking the artwork created by artists of "atelier incurve" overseas so that people who are mentally challenged could start living independently. You must have mapped out a detailed plan, for example of running the atelier, in order to make your objectives come true. |
|
"I think of the activities of the "atelier incurve" as a design project. The first priority is to ensure artists' income, and I seek the best means to do so. I also concentrate on what kind of environment they require. My role as a designer is to create the necessary framework and to apply it to society." |
|
|
|
What were some of the things you kept in mind when you created the framework? |
|
|
"First as a business entity, we inaugurated the social welfare foundation "SOOHKAI." And in April 2003, after we were incorporated in September 2002, we established "atelier incurve." We
chose to be incorporated as a social welfare corporation
because we believe that this is something that should be
undertaken equally by public and private entities. Inauguration of NPOs became rapidly widespread, but it's not easy raising funds, and there is a great burden imposed on the employees; for many such reasons it is difficult to keep it in operation. The system of social welfare corporation, which is, in the broad sense of the term, a public-interest corporation that receives a substantial amount of tax injections, is unique to Japan, and so I think more people should make use of this system. The
government should invest in developing talent because it will definitely
benefit them in the long run. Having support from public entities offers a safety net when running a business too. We haven't recouped our initial investment yet, but we don't have to pursue immediate profit, so
that is why we get the involvement of high motivated people, and
we can also have a more long-term perspective." |
|
|
|
What are some of the ideas you have in order to create a interface with today's society? |
|
"Both businesses and governments responded well to the exhibition we have just had in Tokyo in partnership with Dentsu Inc. The field of art and design has been the main line of business for Dentsu and this was the
first time they have worked on such a project from the CSR
(Corporate Social Responsibility) perspective. We also conduct workshops with members of the assembly. And we apply to the 'Support Program for Contemporary Educational Needs' of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in cooperation with Kanazawa College of Art. We
are also making a proposition to public art colleges to participate
in social welfare activities with respect to art and design, and
to provide opportunities for students to conduct research on outsider
art and to cultivate the human resource necessary for the 'non-intrusive
education' (teaching without teaching)." |
|
|
|
What are the members of the "atelier incurve" staff like? |
|
"Our staff not only have had an education on social welfare, but there are some who have various artistic backgrounds such as painting, graving, and ceramic art. The artists who come here are clients who use our facility, and our staff's job is to offer a better environment to such clients (artists). Being exposed to their true self everyday, our
staff support and respect them as artists, but they also
come to think that they want to protect them as a person." |
|
Above left: The staff from "atelier incurve" Ms. Sakai, artist Mr. Hama, Mr. Kitaike and Mr. Yamaoka.
Above right: Ms. Tanaka and Ms. Harimoto.
Right: Ceramic art staff, Ms. Morichi.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
What is your future goal? |
|
"What we do here at the 'atelier incurve' and the artwork of our artists are now widely recognized, but the key is not to push too much. If we kept getting bigger and opening up, we may destroy the quality of the artwork and our spirit, so
I want to keep a good balance of being close, while being
open. Steering is one of the necessary elements in design as well. Unlike galleries, all the profit from art sold goes to the artist. So someday they may be able to live independently. One
day I want to see artists becoming independent, running their own
business with their own employees. This may be tough to accomplish,
but if we reach such a milestone, we can finally say that the society
has gone through a revolutionary change." |
|
|
Having conducted this interview, I have come to wish that "atelier incurve" will serve as a successful case study, becoming a catalyst for the movement to provide independence to outsider artists through their artwork, so that it can become widespread throughout the nation. But in doing so, creating a framework and an environment, which accommodates for the individual needs of the artists is indispensable. I believe that this will lead to the revitalization of the society through social welfare, art, and design. |
|
# Art Patronage - What it is and how to do it? |
|
There
are various ways you can offer patronage to "nurture" artists besides donations. For instance, organizations and individuals who appreciate an artist's talent and artistry could buy their artwork, provide an event venue, or use their art on advertisement or promotions. And public institutions with respect to social welfare, labor, or education could provide security and a legal system that could help protect the lives/lifestyles of the artists. |
|
Buying merchandise is another way. Since the "atelier incurve" staff handles both the design and distribution of the goods, all such profits are shared by the artists. Cushion covers, tote bags, postcards, block puzzles and pro-wrestler figurinesc these products all are very appealing. These products may be found in the design shop, "Living Motif," in Roppongi, the museum store in the Hara Museum and the National Art Center in Tokyo or at the "Think the Earth SHOP" so please take a look. |
|
*The 2007 exhibition is scheduled to be held in Washington from August to October. The artwork may also be enjoyed via the book "ATELIER INCURVE" (published by biblio incurve)
The artwork are not available for sale online, but detailed biographies of artists and information of their artwork may be found at atelier incurve
atelier incurve |
 |
|
Yuri Shirasaka - Brief Biography
She became a freelance writer in 1997 after working in the editorial division
of "WEEKLY PIA." She mainly writes about art, such as for "BT/Bijutsu Techo," "ARTiT," etc.
She worked on public relations for the closing exhibition, "Saga-machi 2000
- Lights of Hope," of "Saga-machi Exhibit Space" at the Shokuryo Building
in Koto-ku, Tokyo, and the"Emotional Site" exhibition before its demolition.
She also contributed to "Particle of Mina Perhonen" (Blues Interactions,
Inc.), and "The Master of Taking Walks - Tokyo Book Store and Book Café Guide" (Kotsushinbunsha
Co., Ltd.) as a writer, and "Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006 Catalog" (Bijutsu
Shuppan Design Center Co., Ltd.) as an editor. Member of specified NPO,
Art Meeting Point (AMP).
|
| Reporter: Yuri Shirasaka
Editor: Tami Okano, Think the Earth Project
|
|
