NAKAMA de ART
I visited the opening day of “NAKAMA de ART,” a project organized by Shingo Katori, whose activity as an artist has been attracting attention. This site typically covers contemporary art in a serious vein, but this article, for once, leans strongly toward entertainment. Please bear that in mind. The venue is on the first floor of the Imperial Hotel Plaza.
I visited around 6 p.m. on the opening day. Apparently, the wait was quite long earlier in the day, but I was able to enter without much delay.
The venue is not particularly spacious, and due to the nature of the exhibits it can accommodate only limited numbers at a time, so anyone planning to visit should think carefully about timing.
Opening Party — The Artists Arrive
As 6 p.m. passed, the staff inside the venue began moving briskly. Soon after, the entrance shutter came down and the venue was closed off as a private space.
Shingo Katori
A while later, the organizer Shingo Katori entered the venue. He arrived with an air very much like an artist—a bright red shirt and sunglasses, radiating full-on star quality. At that moment, the people inside the gallery all lifted their smartphones and began snapping photos in unison.
Shortly afterward, the participating artists joined him as well. On a small stage, a member of the staff gave brief introductions of some of the artists and their works.
After that, Shingo Katori signed the wall in places and walked around the venue viewing the art. He even gave me a look while taking selfies, right into my camera.
Enjoy the selfies he posted on Instagram along with the coverage.
Dan Isomura
Of course, I also captured shots of the participating artists. Dan Isomura, who did not appear on camera in the YouTube video, showed up in person too. This time he is in charge of the work right by the entrance. As always, he is a good young man with a warm presence. He was being approached by many of Shingo’s fans at the venue with all sorts of conversation.
https://art-on.jp/nakamadeart-dan-isomura/
Suspense Girl
Suspense Girl exhibited two sculptures and a flat work—three pieces in total—and attended in a glamorous outfit. Her work sits in the lineage of KAWAII culture, pop and sparkling, but she herself is a composed, serious grown-up type.
https://art-on.jp/nakamadeart-suspense_girl/
Conclusion
Shingo Katori is truly beloved by his fans. As someone who came in with an art-fan-to-Katori-fan ratio of about 1 to 99, this was an unfamiliar space for me, but I was struck all over again by the enormous power of his following.
I have written up the exhibition itself in the article below—please have a look.
https://art-on.jp/nakama-de-art/
