About the Spatial Art TORAM Exhibition (Discussion)
Kiharago (modern tempera painter)
Yutaka Tabata (Spatial Art TORAM Representative/General Art Producer)
TORAM, a general incorporated association based in Nakasu-Kawabata, Fukuoka City, the largest city in Kyushu, operates numerous open-call exhibitions. Among them, the "Dynamic Contemporary Artists Exhibition" is a representative international open-call exhibition that will be held for the 12th time at the National Art Center, Tokyo in November 2023. In this interview, Yutaka Tabata, the representative director of the association and a comprehensive art producer involved in all aspects of exhibition planning, development, and operation, talks about the characteristics and thoughts behind the exhibition since its inception. In addition to being a director of the association and art director of the exhibitions, contemporary tempera painter Go Kihara, who is also active overseas, discusses the distinctive features of the exhibitions and the secrets to creating exhibition spaces that can be enjoyed by both artists and viewers when operating open-call exhibitions at museums.
The ability to encounter good things
Tabata: I have a personality where once I set my mind on something, I go straight for it. Among all things, I love art and was very interested in works and artists. From a young age, I wanted to be a painter, so I spent my childhood completely captivated by the charm of painting. As I grew up and entered adolescence, I encountered music such as rock and R&B, and as I started playing the guitar, I became drawn to the charm of music and was completely immersed in it (laughs). Before I knew it, I had moved to Tokyo and become a professional guitarist. In Tokyo, I was playing hard at live music venues almost every day.
Kihara: That's amazing. To think you wanted to be a painter since childhood. I'm a painter now, but I only discovered this world after encountering art in high school. There aren't many elementary school students who are interested in art from such a young age. But I completely understand the feeling of wanting to become a musician after discovering music during adolescence. The music you encounter back then is like a treasure that stays with you forever, isn't it?
Tabata: That's right, the music you encounter during your adolescence stays with you no matter how many years pass. Moreover, I was lucky to have encountered what is considered top-notch music during that time. Growing up in Hakata, music felt very close to me, so perhaps it was natural that I was able to pursue a career in music. I think I was born with a talent for encountering good things, or perhaps I was just lucky. I also believe that being able to play guitar and earn a living playing in top-notch live music venues as soon as I moved to Tokyo is due to my ability to encounter good things.
Currently, I work as a "general art producer," and this is a job that simply cannot be done without the ability to discover truly great things.
Kihara: I see. It certainly comes across that your ability to encounter good things is more of a talent than just skill. By the way, I'm not very familiar with the term "general art producer," so what exactly does that entail?
Tabata: Actually, this is a name I came up with, but basically, I currently run an art gallery called "Art Gallery 410 Gallery," and I'm constantly producing works by artists. In addition to that, I plan and manage international open-call exhibitions three to five times a year at venues such as the National Art Center, Tokyo and the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, including exhibitions like "Dynamic Contemporary Artists Exhibition" and "Kankaku Exhibition." Since these are international open-call exhibitions, we gather artists through open calls each time to hold exhibitions. Also, I have a lot of ideas for art-related events and projects, so I can connect various things. I used to be involved in music, so I have connections with musicians, and I also understand the feelings of artists such as visual artists very well. I believe that my current job as a "comprehensive art producer" is to comprehensively produce all of these different forms of art.
[Kiharago]
modern tempera painter
Born in 1975, lives in Kagoshima Prefecture
Graduate School of Fine Arts, Kyusan University Graduate School of Fine Arts, 2000
Study abroad in art in Paris, France 2000-2003
Worked as a high school art teacher 2003-2021
Representative of GoART LLC
Director of Kukan Art TORAM General Incorporated Association
○Solo exhibitions held throughout the country every year
Department stores such as Hakata Hankyu and Kagoshima Yamagataya
Tokyo, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Paris, and more than 35 times
Group exhibitions etc.
(The National Art Center, Tokyo, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Ishibashi Museum of Art, Fukuoka City Museum of Art, Kagoshima City Museum of Art, Reimeikan
[Yutaka Tabata]
General Art Producer
Born in 1974, lives in Fukuoka Prefecture
Representative Director of TORAM General Incorporated Association
Art Gallery 410Gallery Representative
ARTDAG representative
Aiming to be a painter from an early age, he also began playing guitar at the age of 8, influenced by his father. He became a professional guitarist at the age of 19. At the age of 20, he moved to Tokyo, where he participated in numerous sessions and live performances with renowned musicians while continuing his band activities. From the age of 30, he worked as a salaryman at a general company, and at the age of 35, he became responsible for planning exhibitions both domestically and internationally for an arts organization, and has been working independently since 2016.
The background is an actual exhibition scene by TORAM, a general incorporated association of spatial arts. The exhibition is easy to view, with space between the works and the size and power balance of the works.
| Creating a space where artists and viewers can enjoy together
KiharaI agree. From a painter's perspective, I would like the work to be produced by someone who understands the artist's feelings and position. Moreover, when I look at the actual exhibition, I get the feeling that the exhibition is constructed from a variety of perspectives, including those of the artists and visitors. What's more, all the viewers of Spatial Arts TORAM's art exhibition are unanimously saying that the exhibits are very easy to view. Is there any secret to this?
fieldsThe most important aspect of an exhibition is the perspective of the customers who come to see it, that is, the visitors. Many artists and participating artists come to see the exhibition, and since they are also viewers, we are always looking at the exhibition from a bird's-eye view and thinking about how the audience will feel about the exhibition. We are particular about our conscious exhibition methods. Art museums in particular have high ceilings, and exhibits are held in spaces that cannot be experienced in everyday life, so we adjust the display height of the works and the height of the captions based on the size of the venue. I think this is one of the reasons why the exhibition feels so easy to view.
Kihara surely. Since I am the one who exhibits my works, I often submit them to other public exhibitions, but seeing such a wide variety of works displayed all together on one floor, I just felt like I was entering the exhibition naturally. It has that kind of atmosphere. I wonder if there was consideration given to the exhibition.
fields I agree. surely. You can often understand the work by seeing it up close. When you apply, you are asked to attach a photo, but that doesn't tell you even one-tenth of the details. After all, it all starts with what you actually see and feel. While looking at the atmosphere of the work and considering the color, size, and content of the work, we arrange the works in a way that creates a story from the entrance to the exit within the exhibition space. Because each work is filled with the artist's thoughts, we strive to display each work in a way that allows each individual work to be vibrant and vibrant on its own.
| What Spatial Art TORAM wants to do
KiharaI see, that's the secret! I have been drawing for many years and have exhibited my work in various public exhibitions as a painter, but I think this is a unique ingenuity and consideration that is unique to Spatial Art TORAM, which is not found in other public exhibitions. I studied art in France for three years, and when I go to art museums, most of the exhibitions I see really convey the way people think and feel about the exhibits. In that sense, I felt that they were creating exhibitions similar to France. In a sense, I feel that Japanese exhibitions place too much emphasis on the claims of the works themselves, and often lose sight of the meaning of the exhibition's story. What Spatial Art TORAM is trying to do is to create an exhibition that focuses on contemporary artists, and by putting works of various expressions in the same space, it seems to reflect the current modern society. I think they are creating a great exhibition.
fieldsNow, little by little, the exhibition is getting closer to what I wanted to do and what I idealized. A lot of things happen when you're holding an international exhibition. You never know what kind of artists will come each time. Honestly, there are times when I feel really anxious. However, every time I go to an exhibition, I always come across brilliant works and dynamic artists. Truly, I come across wonderful works and wonderful artists every time. That's why I've been planning and managing it for so many years, and it's always so much fun.
By the way, I know from my background in music that band members synchronize with the music and produce good performances. I think that if we can create closer connections between a wide variety of artists and artists, we will be able to create something amazing. I would like to create something like that in a larger form.
Kihara I agree. Art is a solo world, so it's easy to stay alone. The need to investigate one person's world is very important in art. However, I think it's good to actively seek connections between artists during exhibitions. I would be extremely happy if we could create an exhibition space where artists can share a space where they can enhance each other.