Art Collector Visit
This is a feature in which we visit an art collector’s home and take a look at their collection.
I had been wanting to do this feature for a very long time, and in connection with the Kore-Kore-ten in December, we are finally able to bring you the long-awaited first installment.
Our first featured collector is one of the three collectors participating in Kore-Kore-ten: HIRO (@sh_art_collector).
Collector Interview
HIRO (@sh_art_collector)
HIRO is an art collector who gathers a wide range of contemporary art — from street art to two- and three-dimensional works. His 2019 collection alone amounts to some 50 pieces.
He brings deep passion to each work and places great value on his relationships with galleries.
* Interview conducted in October 2019.
- How long have you been collecting?
About four years. - What got you started collecting?
It began one day when, on a whim, I searched online for bijinga (paintings of beautiful women).
Even now I don’t remember why I searched for bijinga at that moment.
It must have been the destined encounter between me and art (laughs). - Do you have a collection policy or particular philosophy?
I don’t really have any specific rules… I collect the artists and works that appeal to me. If anything, I am the decide-on-the-spot type (laughs).
That said, as a collector, I try never to lose respect for the artists and galleries.
I aim to always feel gratitude for being allowed to add a wonderful work to my collection.
Also, rather than deciding based solely on the gallery’s conversation, wherever possible I meet the artist in person, check on their process, their feelings about the work, and their character, and then acquire the piece.
There is a phrase spoken by a gallerist in a certain article — “the artist, the gallerist, and the collector are accomplices” — that made a strong impression on me. It carries an important meaning for continuing on as a collector.
- Your most favorite piece?
Haroshi’s “Wolf Man”.
For some time, collecting a work by Haroshi had been one of my personal goals as a collector. I had even thought that once I acquired a Haroshi, I would “take a break from collecting”.
As it turned out, my art addiction didn’t get cured after that either… (laughs).
Left in the photo: Haroshi “Wolf Man” - A memorable collecting episode?
I won’t name the artist, but this is the story of when I acquired a work by a rising young artist who has been on quite a roll.
I learned that a piece he had shown in the past was still at a gallery in the countryside. Three days later, I had traveled more than 700 km one way and picked up the work (laughs).
* From artists and gallerists I get compliments like “You are so passionate about art!” — I can never tell whether they are praising me or teasing me (laughs). - The artist you are most interested in right now?
It is very hard to narrow it down to one, but — Teppei Takeda, Mustone (Masato Mori), and Ly.
Art fills the washroom corner too — Ly, Masato Taniguchi - Which young artists are you looking forward to?
Again, more than one — first, Dan Isomura.
Then, Kurumi Kotani, and, on the street-art side, backsideworks.
Among overseas young artists, I am also watching the Filipino artist yeo kaa.
Dan Isomura in the collection 
Left: HYKRX Right: Backside works - Any art collectors you respect or are watching?
Whenever I have time, I check art-related posts on social media like Instagram. Based on that, I gather information on artworks and exhibitions.
I do pay attention to what collectors are up to, but rather than respecting any one person, I think what I resonate with is the passion I receive through social media from collectors who are enthusiastic about art. - Favorite (regular) galleries?
My concept as a collector is to view mainstream contemporary art at MAHO KUBOTA GALLERY, and to take in street-inflected art including its underground context at NANZUKA — striking a kind of balance as a collector between the two.
Among younger galleries, I often visit EUKARYOTE. If I am a passionate collector, then the two gallerists at EUKARYOTE are passionate young gallerists (laughs).
The Collection
Here is a look at some of the collection I saw.
Not only the 1st and 2nd floors of this two-story house, but the stairwell, hallways, and even around the kitchen — the entire home was wrapped in art.
After the Visit
Wrapping up the visit to HIRO (@sh_art_collector)‘s home, what stayed with me was the breadth of the collection — from rising young artists to well-established figures, spanning both two- and three-dimensional works. Nothing is kept in storage; every piece is kept at home.
Two pieces particularly caught my eye — Kohei Yamada’s 2014 “Memento Mori Girl (Albino 2)”, with a brushwork strikingly different from his current style; and a commissioned work by Yuichi Hirako in which the collector himself is depicted portrait-style. Even the family dog is rendered so faithfully that I found myself drawn right in.
Most recently, in consultation with artists he collects, a mural (wall-painting) project is also in the works, scheduled to begin in 2020. That is another intriguing initiative.
His attitude toward art is passionate and energetic — this is an inspired collector.
The collection works to be shown at Kore-Kore-ten are absolutely worth watching!
