Kagoshima gallery SOMETHING celebrates its 7th anniversary with solo exhibition
Sakuramochi (left) and Yusuke Tsukada (right) inviting visitors to the exhibition
The shop and gallery SOMETHING in Tenmonkan, Kagoshima City, is currently holding an exhibition “The Blue World – Sakuramochi Solo Exhibition (Japanese title: あおいろせかい – さくらもち個展)” to commemorate its seventh anniversary.
The gallery, operated by Keio Hotel Kikaku, celebrated its seventh anniversary on February 2. Yusuke Tsukada, who became in charge of the gallery in 2019, says, “In the beginning, I had no connections to any artists and had to start from scratch.” He became acquainted with Kagoshima-based illustrator Sakuramochi, who expanded his connections to young artists, and proposed a collaboration project with her to express his gratitude and support for her work.
Sakuramochi also commented that the gallery was where they had grown together. She usually draws soft and gentle warm-toned illustrations, but for this exhibition, she chose blue as the theme. Around the year before last, she began to desire to use blue in her artwork and has been working on pieces with the color.
In addition to approximately 50 illustrations and paintings using the blue tone, the exhibition showcases art objects made of Sakurajima pumice stone dyed blue, and blue textiles dyed by Sakuramochi are displayed on the ceiling. She used materials other than paint to express blue. For example, Japanese paper was used as a painting medium and was pasted onto the canvas or used as a base to create a textural effect. She also exhibits works using antique lace, glass buttons, and other materials, which are attached to the surface and applied with layers of paint to create a metallic feel. Sakuramochi said, “These textures can only be felt by seeing them in person. Please experience them at the exhibition.”
Sakuramochi also drew an illustration to commemorate the seventh anniversary using her signature warm colors. Ten types of commemorative items featuring the illustration, including pins and totes, are available for purchase at the gallery and online.
When Tsukada tweeted on the gallery’s social media to announce the anniversary, many artists retweeted, and the number of views quickly exceeded 12,000 overnight. He added, “We hope to continue to support young artists in Kagoshima by providing them with a place to present their works in the excellent location of the Tenmonkan.”
The exhibition is open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. until March 5. Admission is 300 yen.
