Message from the Artist

I kept making improvements aiming for the fist, which I attached at precisely the height of my face, to work like it was hitting me with a powerful punch. So far, though, it just brushes lightly across my face.
I thought it would be neat if I could engage in fisticuffs with this cute, lifeless thing. But with its indescribable movements it just kept loitering, with strange speed, around the perimeters of my dream of fighting it.
Uncertain whether my dream will or won’t ever come true, OK, just the way it is, let’s go to the beach, to the mountains, to a river, to dirt, to concrete, to anywhere.
“Yeah.”

Hirate
Message from One of the Judges

When I first saw photos of Hirate’s works during the portfolio judging, I sensed an ineffable power of persuasion that transcended my inability to understand what I was seeing. It was later, when I saw them exhibited in the group show, that I came to know that her objects (clothing?), which just barely seemed to maintain their shape, are actually meticulously sewn and structurally fit for wearing. In Hirate’s attitude toward production, I sensed sincerity, never making light of fashion, combined with her desire to entertain. True, among the works scheduled to be included in her solo exhibition, objects she wore will become objects, literally; yet when Hirate appears wearing clothing of her own making (a uniform of the kind worn by high school baseball players), the fashion element isn’t lost. Since what I’m seeing are photos, I can’t be sure of details, but her uniform too seems to be quite suitable as clothing. Though being seen from such a perspective may go against Hirate’s own intentions, Hirate’s true essence isn’t adversely affected no matter how she is viewed – she’s that strong an artist, I think. In retrospect, that may be precisely where her persuasive power comes from.

Ryoji Tanaka　(Web Designer)