UNKNOWN ASIA 2016

HAPPENINGText: Alex Hiroki Coles

Between September 30th and October 2nd the art fair, Unknown Asia, Osaka 2016 is held in Herbis Hall, Umeda, Osaka. This is an annual event which showcases works from many different artists, both emerging and established over a wide range of different genres from photography, fine art, painting, drawing, sculpting, illustration, design and fashion. This year saw 160 curators selected from 251 total applications. The event gives a unique opportunity for participants to showcase their work to a wider audience, giving themselves greater exposure and publicity. Artists exhibits their work in booths, where viewers can also purchases works.

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© Unknown Asia, Osaka 2016

The participants came from all over East Asia, including Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia. As you enter the hall it is filled with many different works that were both unique and interesting.

Yoshitaka-Goto
© Unknown Asia, Osaka 2016

The work by Yoshitaka Goto (Japan) was a photography series taken with a Lomography film camera. These were double exposure shots where images were developed over other images creating an interesting and unique result, as if the images had been superimposed digitally, resulting in some intriguing images.

Riichirou-Shinozaki
© Unknown Asia, Osaka 2016

The drawings created by Riichirou Shinozaki (Japan) were fascinating due to their immense detail, which are breathtaking as they the artist pays such attention to detail in the drawings that the viewer could spend forever looking at the images and still be amazed by the level of detail produced. The drawings created form a larger image created

Seiji-Nakamura
© Unknown Asia, Osaka 2016

The installation by Seiji Nakamura (Japan) was eye catching due to its size. This was a life size model of a panda, dressed entirely in denim clothing, including its face. This stood due to its size, being the same size as a person. The work is called ‘G-Pan’ which is slang for jeans in Japanese and it is of a panda in jeans. Additionally the belt is also eye-catching with a scorpion attached. The piece can shock/scare the viewer.

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