JAZZ EXHIBITION

HAPPENINGText: Eri Yamauchi

Sapporo City Jazz would be held starting from the June 29, 2013. People must be excited, since the festival grown to one of the annual summer attraction. SHIFT curates this exhibition, partly of their Machinaka-Art Project. Cerebrating its 8th season, the main theme of the current exhibition is “Jazz”.
The event takes part in Cross Hotel Sapporo, corroboration with 5 up-coming artist from Hokkaido, adds the grace to the event. All work on the theme “Jazz” and translates it into their own art.

Machinaka-Art is a project aims the casual enjoyment of art by filing the city with its beauty. Supported by Sapporo galleries, artists and shops, sympathizes in the idea of filling daily life with art.

Once you enter the front of the hotel, and go up the stairs, you can see a red piano and two drawing put aside.

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“J”, “Z”, Kiriko Nozawa, 2013, 530 × 455 mm, Oil Painting and Acrylic on Canvas

These drawing which named, “J” and “Z”, features unique contrasts of the black and white human photo and bright color backgrounds.
The succession of the circle seems to be the stage lights. Simple background and the realistic drawing of angled human create an illusion as if you standing right beside, and recalls ones memory of their favorite artist and the enthusiasm of the best concert they experienced ever. The brought back fantastic memories entertain you, and fill all with expectation for the exhibit.

Artist, Kiriko Nozawa had drawn numbers of rock musician and writers in her own theme, “Infuse emotion to realistic drawing”. This art also tastefully blends the simplicity and the reality, which recall people’s emotion and memories.

Next, eyes would be caught by the standing out pop-art on the right hand side of the front desk.

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“EMPEROR”, Minoru Yamamoto, 2013 910 x 1,167 mm. Marking pen on Canvas

This art features white outlines over a simple black background, which instantly curves into your mind. The simplicity emphasizes unique shapes and move of the motive. Although the plain look at a glance, the more you see, it entertains you with the oriented details, such as the puffing up cheeks to blow the horn, or the fingers to play.

It is Created by Minoru Yamamoto from Asahikawa, although. Although this is the only piece of his for the current exhibit, you can visit his website for his significant style of works, all based on black and white.

Go up towards the Robby, and you eventually see tables and three sofas to relax. And you also see the three drawing lined along with the set up.

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From left, ”underground session with five raven”, Erika Kusumi, 2013 420 × 594 mm, Digital Photo Collage, Lightjet print. “Bebop”, Kotaro Miura & Erika Kusumi, 2013, 420 × 594 mm, Digital Photo Collage, Water Ink Pen, Acrylic on Photo print. “You can never capture it again”, Kotaro Miura, 2013, 420 × 594 mm, Acrylic on Wood Board

Erika Kusumi is a Painter/Photographer. Piece on the left is her photo-collage art, “underground session with five raven”. features a super-human character playing instrument which their own heads are also draw with instrumental characteristics such as amplifier. The background contains a tensed feeling with crows in places and fuzzy light blending smoke. For coincidence, or maybe meant to be, three characters and the each sofa sympathizes neatly. She expresses “Jazz” in unknown style but her own way. Coloring is inspired by a nineteen-century art, which is also the age jazz had ever started.

Moving along, you can see the art piece by Kotaro Miura on the right hand side. Although, it seems to be a classic low-key coloring of drawing at glance, will soon discover the hidden trick. Due to the angle, a whirl suddenly comes up to the surface. The entertaining whirls express the sound, tricks viewers by floating up and disappearing.

And the middle piece of the three is the corroboration between Kusumi and Miura, named “Bebop”. Their originality seen in the both ends, blends romantically and surrealistically into the desolated space.

The pieces can be enjoyed individually, but also together even with the sofa. Colors and sizes matches the sofas perfectly, and enable to add different point of view, such as characters in the art, drawing as it is, sofa and you.

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“City Drum” (Shooted in Rotterdam), Yuya Suzuki, 2012 Video (HD) 5:04 min

Video art “city drum” played at the meeting lounge, using the glass panel as a screen. The firm is created by Yuya Suzuki, Berlin living artist originally from Sapporo. It is about of bunch of kids making rhythms by slapping stick and clapping hands. Multiple screen shows the process of kids drummers starting from a chaotic noise matching into a harmonized drum session.

Interestingly, each kids from different area plays the exact same rhythms. Human instinct against sounds might lead them to the equal beat. Feel the fundamental beauty of music, and the kids with pure joy to sound, which recall the straight message to “Enjoy Music”.

Proudly, Sapporo City Jazz starts end of this month. The Cross Hotel lobby painted with “Jazz” adds brightness to the festival and must curves into visitors memory, Enjoy the lives as long as the arts!

Machinaka Art Cross Edition Vol.8 “Jazz”
Date: June 2nd – August 31st, 2013
Place: Cross Hotel Sapporo
Address: North 2 West 2, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Sponsored by Cross Hotel Sapporo
Curated by SHIFT
Cooperated with Salon Cojica, To ov Cafe, Kanna Fact, Clark Gallery + SHIFT, Machinaka Art, Shobunsya inc.
https://crossmet.jp/sapporo/

Text: Eri Yamauchi
Translation: Andry Adolphe

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