Although a considerable amount of time has passed (lol), Thank you for coming to the "Liberated Zone" ART EXHIBITION!
So many people came, and from the first day, I felt glad that I had the chance to "communicate." It was my first solo exhibition in many years, and I truly felt that I was glad I held it.
I actually wanted to hold more solo exhibitions, but it was difficult to do so while running a shop. One of the reasons I finally closed the shop was to "hold a solo exhibition and express myself in new ways."
I was able to fulfill that desire.
Harajuku has seen an increase in foreign visitors, and many passersby also visited, allowing me to speak with people from overseas and hear their impressions, which was also a refreshing experience.
"Liberated Zone" is also the theme of KOBINAI's 2022 AW collection and what I want to convey to the world right now.
You can access the "Liberated Zone" anytime, from anywhere, depending on yourself. Everyone should actually be able to go to the Liberated Zone. But without even realizing it, we stopped going to the "Liberated Zone" to play.
Without even realizing it, we ask, "What was the 'Liberated Zone'?" "How do I get there?"
That's how it's become.
So, I created an exhibition that visualized this "Liberated Zone."
"Liberate your mind and brain, blast away the constraints, have your own thoughts, put them into words, and move forward."
When I created this "Liberated Zone," I myself liberated my mind and brain during the creation process. I drew as I pleased, and as words overflowed from my brain, I frantically wrote them down with a pen.
I thought, "This is what 'humanity' is all about."
Sometimes, without reason, purely instinctual.
When did our brains become so rigid in thought and freeze up?
What do you mean, freeze? I'm moving perfectly fine! Some people (including myself) are surprisingly caught up in something or have fixed ideas.
I wanted to say, "Let's get rid of that."
What I've been feeling recently (and by recently, I mean the last 3-4 years)
"What is cool?" It feels like everything is too cool, too neatly organized, lined up in a row, everyone's together, and it's creepy.
It's uncomfortable.
That's how I felt.
I don't know why, but is it just that everyone is acting cool and appears cool?
There's no human-like rawness, no human-like shuddering, intense sensations. Everyone seems to be hiding their true selves behind masks, trying to appear (or be perceived as) cool.
That's how I felt.
It reminds me of KOBINAI's 2019 work, "Assimilating Clown." I felt the same way back then. Everyone was wearing masks, and I couldn't tell what their true faces were. That's what I thought.
What has changed over the years is that
I've become eager to not only express these thoughts but also to propose solutions.
If you're cool, then just create a liberated zone. And if everyone could just feel a little bit like they "want to be liberated" or "need to be liberated," that would be enough.
Here's also the video of "Kaiho Dance" by the Liberation Girls that was played at the ART EXHIBITION.
I created avatars of myself wearing KOBINAI's clothes for this season, placed a camera within the field, and filmed it.
I used full-body tracking to make each person dance and move themselves. I then combined three of these into a single piece of work.
Please take a look.
This time, I want to show the exhibition space, so I'll upload it to YouTube again once I've compiled it.
For those who couldn't make it this time, please come to the next one. The concept for my next exhibition is already taking shape in my mind.
Well, it's been a while, but I have so much more to write about, so I'll update again soon.
A summary of the Liberation Area ART Exhibition!
Hi, I'm Maimi.
Although a considerable amount of time has passed (lol),
Thank you for coming to the "Liberated Zone" ART EXHIBITION!
So many people came, and from the first day, I felt glad that I had the chance to "communicate."
It was my first solo exhibition in many years, and I truly felt that I was glad I held it.
I actually wanted to hold more solo exhibitions, but it was difficult to do so while running a shop. One of the reasons I finally closed the shop was to "hold a solo exhibition and express myself in new ways."
I was able to fulfill that desire.
Harajuku has seen an increase in foreign visitors, and many passersby also visited, allowing me to speak with people from overseas and hear their impressions, which was also a refreshing experience.
"Liberated Zone" is also the theme of KOBINAI's 2022 AW collection and what I want to convey to the world right now.
You can access the "Liberated Zone" anytime, from anywhere, depending on yourself. Everyone should actually be able to go to the Liberated Zone.
But without even realizing it, we stopped going to the "Liberated Zone" to play.
Without even realizing it, we ask, "What was the 'Liberated Zone'?" "How do I get there?"
That's how it's become.
So, I created an exhibition that visualized this "Liberated Zone."
"Liberate your mind and brain, blast away the constraints, have your own thoughts, put them into words, and move forward."
When I created this "Liberated Zone," I myself liberated my mind and brain during the creation process.
I drew as I pleased, and as words overflowed from my brain, I frantically wrote them down with a pen.
I thought, "This is what 'humanity' is all about."
Sometimes, without reason, purely instinctual.
When did our brains become so rigid in thought and freeze up?
What do you mean, freeze? I'm moving perfectly fine! Some people (including myself) are surprisingly caught up in something or have fixed ideas.
I wanted to say, "Let's get rid of that."
What I've been feeling recently (and by recently, I mean the last 3-4 years)
"What is cool?" It feels like everything is too cool, too neatly organized, lined up in a row, everyone's together, and it's creepy.
It's uncomfortable.
That's how I felt.
I don't know why, but is it just that everyone is acting cool and appears cool?
There's no human-like rawness, no human-like shuddering, intense sensations. Everyone seems to be hiding their true selves behind masks, trying to appear (or be perceived as) cool.
That's how I felt.
It reminds me of KOBINAI's 2019 work, "Assimilating Clown."
I felt the same way back then. Everyone was wearing masks, and I couldn't tell what their true faces were. That's what I thought.
What has changed over the years is that
I've become eager to not only express these thoughts but also to propose solutions.
If you're cool, then just create a liberated zone.
And if everyone could just feel a little bit like they "want to be liberated" or "need to be liberated," that would be enough.
Here's also the video of "Kaiho Dance" by the Liberation Girls that was played at the ART EXHIBITION.
I created avatars of myself wearing KOBINAI's clothes for this season, placed a camera within the field, and filmed it.
I used full-body tracking to make each person dance and move themselves.
I then combined three of these into a single piece of work.
Please take a look.
This time, I want to show the exhibition space, so I'll upload it to YouTube again once I've compiled it.
For those who couldn't make it this time, please come to the next one.
The concept for my next exhibition is already taking shape in my mind.
Well, it's been a while, but I have so much more to write about, so I'll update again soon.