Birds, guitar, and flowers, which were seen in other drawings in the gallery, appeared on the canvases with bright colors, and the six canvases were finished up little by little at the same time. The texture created by hand was unique, and the way he put his hand on the canvas was as if he was giving life to the birds by touching them.

In his “live” performance he did not just finish his work, but also made the process a part of the show. His work kept changing many times, challenging people’s expectations. For example, a flower object which seemed almost finished was covered completely with deep green at the next moment, and new flowers appeared again later on. The audience didn’t want to miss any moments and kept staring at his performance. There were always five canvases on the wall, and with each changed scene the audience smiled.

Gradually, the semi-tense atmosphere in the venue went down, and DJ’s sense of humor helped the audience relax. Responding to the exhibition’s title “And Your Bird Can Sing”, a Beatle’s song sometimes came out, and it increased a feeling of unity in the place. While the performance was getting close to the end, a stencil t-shirt printing was done inside the small room. It was Atsushi’s original designed t-shirt with the title “And Your Bird Can Sing”. He is also designing a shirt for BeamsT, and both are displayed in Soso cafe at the moment.

The opening party reached the end finally with a small declaration and the audience’s applause and smile. The 6 canvases added brightness, fun, and warmth in the place. The exhibition at Soso will continue till June 30th. You can see “And Your Bird Can Sing” in Tokyo till June 19th. What kind of songs are you listening to from the birds?

Atsushi Toyama “And Your Bird Can Sing”
Date: May 14th – June 30th, 2005
Open: 11:00 – 21:00
Place:Soso Cafe
Address: 1F Sansei Bld., South 1 West 13, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
Tel: +81 (0)11 280 2240
Supported by Phil co.,ltd.
https://www.shift.jp.org/soso/