:SHINGANIST: Group Show and book
Curated by Usugrow

USUGROW, MOZYSKEY, TOSHIKAZU NOZAKA, BENE and JUN KANEKO. Although the history that came from America and Europe is still new, they were born and raised in Japan, and they met and got inspired by creative imported culture (music including punk rock, hip-hop, and other club music, skateboard, graffiti and tattoo, but note that tattoo is a special case since there has been an original tattoo culture in Japan, and also outfit including those factors) when they were teenager, then they got clear creative chance to express by relating it, and they became wholly devoted to not only artwork but also its action and philosophy behind. (Not that all the artists are influenced by things mentioned above) Although their arts are often summed up roughly with the words ‘street art,’ there is a nature extracted from each influences and a basic nature that they’ve looked back deeply at in everyday life in Japan as Japanese. When these natures got blended together, their artworks get simply realized as art and not necessary to be categorized anymore. Just because you create something based on Japan as subject, it doesn’t make an artwork Japanese. What is important is that the feeling and the process behind the artwork, and they surely reflect to artwork. Therefore, the nature of Japanese appears strongly in medium and process of expression than subject matter. Since Internet has popularized, traveling overseas isn’t hard anymore, various races have been mingling and the world is becoming borderless in our consciousness now, any reference to national identity might have been already reduced. However, there are definitely new expressions generated by this generation. This show is for many people who love art. And there will be also a new art book featuring the five artists coming out along with the show.

Text by Blackdot (Shingan Art Publishing, Inc.) & Usugrow
Transrated by Reddot (Shingan Art Publishing, Inc.)

Posted by Shinganist