The works of German artist, Ingo Gunther, who we interviewed before, was found in the next three stables I visited. I got a difficult impression of him from the interview article that I read on the way to Obihiro. I felt he is too talented to understand because he has many faces: a journalist, a writer, an artist and others. However, the first work I saw “Horses made in China, India, Thailand and of unknown origin” brushed that heavy feeling away and I felt close to him.

Horses made in China, India, Thailand and of unknown origin, Ingo Gunter (Germany)

Before I saw the work, I was imagining that the life-sized horse objects would be displayed at rooms in a stable. However, the things I saw were various types of toys that were like the ones I could find at relatives’ houses. Some toys were too small and were hidden in hay. “Hundreds of horses used to be here (Obihiro racecourse) long time ago.” This is the word of an elderly visitor, who was talking to a young staff; I heard when I was looking at this work. After hearing that word, I conjured up images of the past glory that horses were running around. Also, I imagined the escaped horse, which could not forget that glory time, in some empty rooms. I do not know why, but I felt easy and nostalgic as long as I was in a stable. A young couple stopped to come in without seeing anything because it smelled pretty strong. I grew up in the usual salaried class with no connections to horses. I was born in the Year of the Horse in Chinese astrology, but I am now wondering why I felt comfortable there that much.

Shadow renderings of random imaginations of horse in contemporary kitsch, Ingo Gunter (Germany)

I could see the work called “Shadow renderings of random imaginations of horse in contemporary kitsch” in a light that was fainter than a midget lamp. The figure of horses, were shown on the walls of a stable like a shadow picture, obscure due to the weak light. However, they reminded me of the most glorious time when horses used to be important in people’s lives that elderly visitor talked about. The moment I returned to the light outside from the dark stable, I felt like going back through space-time.

210 small and medium pieces occasionally taking place, Ingo Gunter (Germany)

The last work of Gunther I saw was “210 small and medium pieces occasionally taking place.” It might be more appropriate to say “peeping” rather than “seeing” for this work. I could see the golden skeletal structure of a horse hanging from the ceiling from holes on the walls of an almost deserted stable. The golden structure looked gorgeous but I received a lonely impression from it.

Then, the explanation board “this horse skeleton is smiling derisively or feeling sad to the people who planned to make quick money using horses…” made all the questions I had clear. If there were no horses, we would not have had this contemporary and convenient life now. We can find horses in any period dramas or films. I thought there is an invisible connection between horses and people who spent almost all their life without horses like I did.