Studio Visit Report - We visited Kaihatsu Yoshiaki's studio!

TEXT: Akiko Inoue PHOTO: Masamasa Nishino Published on June 18, 2015

I visited contemporary artist Yoshiaki Kaihatsu at Bankart studio NKY.
Currently, 49 artist/creator groups are in residence at Bankart.
Between June 20th (Sat) and 28th (Sun), the "BankART Artist in Residence OPEN STUDIO 2015" event will be held, where resident artists will be able to showcase the results of their three-month stay.

Kaihatsu's studio is located at the back right hand side after going up the stairs on the third floor of BankART.
I went to visit it right away.

Panoramic view of the studio and Kaihatsu Yoshiaki

About Kaihatsu Yoshiaki...

As many of you may already know,...
Kaihatsu's works, such as the "Daylily Art Circus," an exhibition in which art works are loaded onto a truck and travel around Japan, and the "Politician's House" which he opened in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, often contain communication within the works themselves or induce communication, and before we know it, our actions themselves become part of the work.

Left: Daylily Art Circus Right: Politician's House

Regarding the work currently being developed by the developers...

We spoke to him about the project he is currently working on.

Objects and flat pieces are lined up in a crowded space around the studio.

These are objects and two-dimensional works made from materials such as wood and vinyl, and amazingly, all of these works can be purchased starting from 200 yen.
You can set the price as you like as long as it's over 200 yen, but I'm happy that I can not only get a good price, but also buy directly from the artist.

A note handwritten by the developer

When you purchase a work, you will also receive this card.
On this card is a number and an email address...

This number is one more than the 147,800 works created by Pablo Picasso, who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most prolific artist of all time.

In other words, the project Kaihatsu is currently working on has set him the goal of "creating one more piece of work than Picasso" over his lifetime.

By the way, it is up to the artist to decide "what constitutes a work as complete," but this work is an unfinished object or two-dimensional work in itself. After we purchase it, we display it in our room and send a photo of it to Kaihatsu-san, and it will not come into existence as a work of art until then. In other words, our action is an absolute prerequisite for the work to be completed.

[Steps to completing the work]
Purchase the work directly from the developer
↓
Display it anywhere you like.
↓
Take a picture of the decoration and email it to the developer.
↓
Now we just have to wait for a response from the developers.
When you receive the work number from the developer via email, write that number on the back of the card.

With these four steps, the piece you purchased will be completed.

I immediately tried decorating my room with them.

The work number is "No. 11". Only 147,790 more to go until Picasso!

We encourage everyone to visit Kaihatsu's studio and find your favorite piece.

▼ BankART Artist in Residence OPEN STUDIO 2015 Details
Bankart OPEN STUDIO 2015
June 20th (Sat) - 28th (Sun) 2015 11:00-19:00
Opening party: Friday, June 19th, 18:45~ (General admission: 500 yen)