— Art That Makes You Scream “AAH!!” — Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition
The “Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition” — a recurring art program produced by Fuji Television — was held at Seibu Shibuya. Its full title: “Art That Makes You Scream ‘AAH!!’ — Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition.” The project started several years ago and this is the fourth edition; earlier editions were called “A-Ho!”
The show is produced by broadcast writer Mitsuru Kuramoto. It’s a delightful art project that gathers in one place a lineup of works so surprising, moving, and playful that you can’t help but shout “AAH!!” Drawing on the Osaka-dialect phrase “aho ya na~” (a term of affectionate praise meaning something like “you’re a wonderful idiot”), the exhibition “aho-tsukkomis” the works of up-and-coming creators — a filter that not only makes each artist’s originality land even harder, but also brings out the essence of the work itself.
Below, I’ll introduce the participating artists in Japanese alphabetical order.
Tesshin Iino: “Graduation from This Rule”
So it really was like that. You didn’t want to keep studying while lugging firewood on your back. You held out well, Kinjiro. And that thing in your hand — is that a dirty magazine? That’s fine. You don’t have to be a role model for anyone. Just do what you like.
JART: “The Finished Result Is This”
A “bag that keeps getting snatched” — meaning even during the exhibition it could still get snatched! Dangerous! Dangerous! No letting your guard down!
Turns out this is a reference to the Jaru Jaru sketch “Persistent Purse-Snatcher.”
LEE KAN KYO: “Why Would You Want to Paint That?!”
You’ve got paint, brushes, canvas, and a person with real painting skills. …So why did you copy a flyer? Why this?!
