It's no big deal. It's messy and shameful. That's why I want to love.

KUTSUNA Miwa

 

AIDA Makoto's "Umeboshi" series was first shown at the exhibition "I can’t stop the patriotism" held at Mizuma Art Gallery in 2021. Why is this work, which makes us recall the Japanese flag undeniably, being exhibited here in Osaka in 2023? I would like to write about that.
First of all, I would like to state that there is no political agenda behind the exhibition of this work.And that the work "Umeboshi" has a meaning as one of the works in the exhibition "STREET 3.0: Where is the Street?" Furthermore, the first thing  I would like to explain is the purpose of the exhibition.
 

I am writing this text on October 30, 2023. The Osaka EXPO is being worried day by day, and the Japanese economy is repeatedly in an argument over the missing countermeasures of tax cuts and benefits that have been faked in addition to the rapidly rising prices of commodities.On the international situation, air strikes from Israel against Gaza have intensified, and in the U.S., there have been a number of shootings in various parts of the country before Halloween.Co-curator MIDORIKAWA Yutaro described this era, in which justice of all kinds is intermingled and many people are unable to clearly envision the future, as "an era of crisis".
 

In such an era, what is our way of life, and where is art heading? This exhibition, "STREET 3.0: Where is the Street?" was initiated based on these questions.
The purpose of this exhibition is to create a crossroads of art by introducing a wide range of artworks, mainly by Osaka-based artists, from graffiti and murals that originated in the culture of the street to works that explore new ways of art that take the street as a "road" and not the mainstream. 
 

Then, I would like to mention about the artist AIDA Makoto and his position in this exhibition.I have always felt a teasing attachment and affinity for AIDA Makoto. 
In an era of crisis, most people prefer something light and comfortable, but the message contained in AIDA Makoto's works is heavy, his ideas are domestic, and he seems to deliberately choose scandalous expressions. If we were to choose a word, we would say that AIDA Makoto is a rather awkward and troublesome person. He is an artist who is dangerous, troublesome, sometimes ridiculous, and sometimes teasingly adorable. However, in this age when smart and rule-abiding things are highly appreciated, we can say that a harsh wind is blowing that is forcing these "troublesome people" into the corner.
 

For example, there are stubborn people who cannot conform to the atmosphere of the era or the norms of the community, dropouts due to their clumsiness, and those who shout loudly about their unbendable claims. The stubborn attitude of those who are excluded in this age of diversity, those who can be called a minority born of the current era, overlaps with AIDA Makoto's piece "Umeboshi". And we should not ignore the fact that if something is a little different, anyone would be forced to take the side of the minority. The cheapness of Japanese bento with sour and salty pickled plums on top is an anachronism and does not suit the current era, but we cannot escape from the nostalgia and sad attachment that has seeped into our hearts. Looking back on a sequence of ordinary days, we are tempted to turn away from them because they are shameful and miserable, but we cannot help loving these small days, and new art has always been born from these ordinary days.

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This time, "Umeboshi" will be displayed next to the "Kamagasaki Art Center Akankana Concept" by the Kamagasaki University of Arts, curated by poet UEDA Kanayo, and this configuration is what we would like to emphasize above all.

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Kamagasaki is a common name for a part of northeastern Nishinari-ku, Osaka City, and does not appear on maps. The town used to be crowded with day laborers, and now many elderly laborers and foreign immigrants live in the area. 
UEDA Kanayo has been working with people who have arrived in Kamagasaki with nowhere to go, travelers, the homeless, people with disabilities receiving welfare, people who support them, and others whose situations are difficult to describe in a word, together continued to preserve with "a place for meeting and expression" called "Kamagasaki University of Arts (Cocoroom)" for more than 20 years. 

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The "Kamagasaki Art Center Akankana Concept" will exhibit a vast number of writings and creations by the city's residents that were born there. The words of these expressionists, who have never left their mark on art history, are not smart, and they pierce straight through in a rough and rugged manner. Some might say that they cannot be called art. 
However, I do not want to bring into this place the argument of "art" or "not art," nor the scale by which we judge whether things are good or bad. The act of pursuing only what is right may lead to the selection of only what is beautiful without waste, and there is a danger of ignoring the expressions that fall out of that process. I would like to see where the path of those who walk while turning their backs on the atmosphere of the times created by majority rule will lead them.

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It should be noted that AIDA Makoto is also one of those who have visited Kamagasaki University of Arts. 
We would like to reconnect the ties between Aida and Kamagasaki once again here .