Free! Surreal! Straightforward! The unique world of Kuka

Kanagawa Gallery Walk
File.9 GALLERY COOCA
Yamamoto Shino (Gallery Watts)

I happened to come across a colorful and cute picture in a flyer. A mysterious girl is depicted on a light blue background, surrounded by sea creatures. "Hmm? I remember observing them for a summer vacation project," I thought, and a memory from long ago suddenly came back to me. I was drawn to the picture, which seemed like a modern version of a sea monkey, and wanted to see the real thing, so I went to see it for the first time at GALLERY COOCA in Hiratsuka.

As I passed through the shopping street at the west exit of Hiratsuka Station, I saw a building that looked like a movie set at a wide intersection. "Cool!" I blurted out, and this was my destination.

Once you enter through the retro-feeling entrance, you'll find a rustic modern stylish cafe with a counter at the back.
On the other side of the white panel was the gallery space, where the light-hearted paintings that had drawn me here were lined up.

The artist is Justine Ikeda. Her works are always accompanied by English text, which is about everyday events and memories. Combined with the clear black lines and solidly painted colors, it's strange how an ordinary scene from everyday life feels so poetic.

And the color combinations are fun and intriguing.
"I love the colours of the rainbow, so I often use seven colours. They make me feel energised," says Justine.
"This bird seen from behind has a nuance that is rare for Justine," explained Momoko Kitazawa, director of the Kuka facility. "People and creatures with rounded outlines and simple faces are a characteristic pattern of hers, and they often appear. She draws what comes into her head one after another without hesitation. But this bird seen from behind is a shape that she observed closely and drew with an impression."

Justine's cute drawings capture the hearts of people of all ages and are also used in corporate designs such as cosmetic packaging and T-shirts.

Now, in one corner of the gallery there is a corner where artists can work, and today there are drawing papers and paints spread out there.

Suddenly, a man appeared and said, "Excuse me!" and began his fluent sales pitch, saying, "I will now explain about the 'Tsuji Taro Lucky Bear'." He spoke smoothly and quickly, concluding with the powerful words, "Your wish will definitely come true!", which made me want to say, "Here goes! I'll take one!" (laughs).
His pen name is Taro Tsuji, also known as Taro Ito. He is also one of the artists at Kuka. Taro Tsuji is good at memorizing things and making the same things over and over again.

This is a big version of the rake. An IT company is going to place an order for it at the end of the year, so it's a big deal.

There are many other unique artists who belong to Kuka, including one who creates many beautiful women by pasting pin-ups of models and actresses on the walls of his desk, one who creates relaxed and sculptural works that are full of a laid-back mood, and one who is good at performance.

"Kuka is an atelier for people with disabilities," says Kitazawa.
"Here, we aim to enable people to work and thrive in what they want to do and what they're good at."

People who are good at cooking are active in the cafe. "At first, we only served sandwiches, but there were individual differences in how people applied the sauce. We realized that it would be difficult to get everyone to do it the same way, so we added pancakes to the menu, which are easy to make and weigh the same amount."
On top of the sandwich there is a flag with a painting by a Kuka artist, which is also very stylish.

Watching the office workers and locals casually strolling in, it's clear that the shop has become a part of the town.
I thought that this was possible thanks to the design ability of Kuka's staff, and it turns out that many of the staff, including Kitazawa, are graduates of art universities or in the design field.

Kitazawa and the other Kuka staff are thinking about outlets such as licensing the designs, puppet shows, and live performances on location, and it seems that there are more opportunities to connect with society.

*Justine is in the center, and Kitazawa is second from the right

"What we at Kuka are good at is finding and bringing out the interesting parts and wonderful personalities of people that others may not notice," says Kitazawa.

This is true for anyone, regardless of whether they have a disability or not, but when your individuality is noticed, it leads to self-affirmation. Sayaka Yokomizo, who was not good at communicating with others, won the top prize in a handmade picture book contest sponsored by Zushi City in 2007. From then on, she gradually opened up, and in 2017 she was appointed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as a "Special Support Ambassador for Promoting Lifelong Education for People with Disabilities."
Yokomizo's works have so many characters that it's easy to see why he says, "He's good at kamishibai, where one person plays multiple roles with different voices." They are also on display in the underground passage at Hiratsuka Station, so don't miss it on your stroll around the area.

Its predecessor was a welfare facility established in 1992. The gallery section of the facility became independent in 2009 to form Gallery Kuka. Kitazawa and his team continue to promote the work of the approximately 100 people currently attending the facility, so that they can all connect with society and enrich the relationship between people, life, and art, regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

I wondered why I felt so good in Kuka.
Each piece is straightforward in its expression, and each piece exudes its own individuality. The persuasiveness of their plain expression . There is no logic to it, and it doesn't need to be. I felt the impact of seeing the true power of art.

In the hut inside the gallery, original goods by the artists are sold in a wide range of genres, including pictures, words, music, and advice. The humorous expressions are sure to make you smile and make a great souvenir!

The exhibition will be held once a month, and Justine's will be there until August 30th. By the way, the sea monkey-like character that I first thought was a girl is actually a "mermaid" according to Justine. I wasn't wrong! Yey!! (lol)

(Interviewed August 2019)

Gallery Information
GALLERY COOCA

14-8 Akashicho, Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, 213-0032
TEL: 0463-67-752
https://www.studiocooca.com/

Opening days: Check the website

"access"
▶︎About 10 minutes walk from JR Hiratsuka Station