Shota Scores With Exhibition

My parents like to spend money on education rather than watches and stuff. I have three older sisters and when they were at the age of going to high school (4th year in Ireland), my parents would ask them “If you wanna go study abroad, we can support you”, but all of my sisters were like “Ah no, I can’t put pressure on house economy…”. They all refused. But when they asked me I said “why not!”

The reason I choose Ireland was two fold. Firstly,  I’m from Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture. Back in 2002, the World Cup soccer match between Ireland and Cameroon was held at a local stadium literally 10 minutes away from my house. That day we all got a special half day because, teacher explained, hooligans are coming. We’re told to stay away from the stadium, but boys didn’t care. We all cycled down to see hooligans, but what we saw was a great bunch of lads wearing funny green hats and green uniforms. I heard that the Irish fans literally drunk all the alcohol in the express train from Tokyo to Niigata. Secondly, my father has a twisted sense of humour and he thought it’s not fun to go to major countries like USA, UK, or Australia.

The founder of McDonald’s Japan, Den Fujita, said “Human will eat the same food, which he/she has been eating up to age of 12, forever“. Most Japanese people including me have been reading Manga since a lot younger than 12, so I guess Manga is one of the art/entertainment formats and standards for us that remain forever in our lives. In fact, most Japanese people who wish to be artist, may have started pursuing their dream purely like “Ah I wish I could draw a picture just like this Manga…”. Therefore, it remains as a mainstay in my art. There’s also an intentional part why I do Manga-like things.

A Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who is one of my favorite and the most powerful artists in Contemporary Art world, says that the reason why there’s no Contemporary Art market in Japan is because of the existence of Manga and Anime. Manga and Anime are one of the most handy, but very indutrialised entertainment in Japan. For example, every week hundreds of magazines publish tens of episodes of Manga from hundreds of different Manga artists. Each Manga has totally different stories, settings, characters, and expressions. And you can get them for just a few euros. There’s no such industry anywhere in the world. Murakami claims that’s why Japan has no Contemporary Art market. There’s no need for it. Manga and Anime are the Japanese Contemporary Art. That’s what he says.

However, to survive in Irish art world, I have to play with cards I’m dealt with and I have to play well. There are some exotic numbers in my cards, so to make my work look different from other artists in Ireland, I need to play with these exotic numbers. one of the numbers are Manga. It’s a tactical thing.

It’s a Brecht’s quote from Life of Galileo, but I can adopt that for this question. ”Unhappy is the land that breeds no art. No, Andrea: Unhappy is the land that needs art“.

Obviously, culture is made by surplus. Art is made by surplus of culture. Art is fundamentally no need for people to just live their lives, but without art, lives are tasteless. That’s why artists need patron, a support came from the surplus. I just wanted to appeal that I’m in need for patron, but maybe not in the same manner as the past art patrons did. There maybe more suitable way of patronage in this generation, but I don’t know what that is yet. Now I can say that I am “The man who was struggling for life in the water, and now I have reached ground”. I’m looking for the “One who looks with unconcern, then encumbers with help“. One who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help?”

About 4 years ago I watched an online streaming lecture by Takashi Murakami. He talked about one commission that had an unlimited amount of budget and time, but he ended up making a small mushroom chair sculptures and he was disappointed in himself that couldn’t produce something in large scale.

I guess that kind of huge scale commission would be challenging, but really fascinating dream to have.

I haven’t even traveled much around Ireland yet. I’ve only been to Ballyliffin in Donegal, Aran Islands, Galway, Kilkee Clare, Killorglin Kerry, Hill of Tara, New Grange, Wicklow mountains, Belfast, etc. As Ireland has been a second home for me now, it’s hard to imagine me moving out of Ireland to live somewhere else. So I’d like at least to visit every single county in Ireland.

Definitely its size and location. Once that big red door is open to public, it’s very easy to walk in and see what’s going on. In fact most of the visitors are passers by. Also the front space is big enough to have any large scale installation. Unfortunately I didn’t use the front in such way.

I think artist needs to show diversity. People’s feeling are very changeable just like Irish weather. I should not stick with the same thing all the time otherwise I’ll be left in the past. So I’ll completely change the theme of work or style after this exhibition, try out different things, practice and refine them. In fact I’ve already have loads cool ideas in my secret idea notebook which would cover next 3 to 4 years. But I’d like to keep making those anonymous installations in public space (Garda Car, Traffic Sign, etc) at the same time.