飯川雄大『デコレータークラブ』& トートバッグ & ぬいぐるみ 3点セット       Book Design：高見清史 (view from above)     発行：赤々舎、せんだいメディアテーク     Size： H303mm × W225mm   Page：218 pages   Binding：Hardcover (with cushion material in the cover)     表紙2種類（中身同一）   2 types of covers（Same Contents）   Limited：100 set（Book & Tote bag & Stuffed animal）   ISBN：978-4-86541-183-6	¥ 10,000（tax include）  国内送料無料！ 【国内／Domestic Shipping】 A B   お支払い方法は、銀行振込、郵便振替、 クレジットカード支払い、PayPal、PayPay よりお選び頂けます。 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 【海外／International Shipping】 Cover Image A B    　　　 Book + Asia shipping ¥14,550 JPY Book + World shipping ¥17,900 JPY Please choose a cover image, and shipping area.

DECORATOR CRAB 

Iikawa Takahiro 

"It's not that I want to make big things." Work was moving forward on a plan to install one of the artist likawa Takehiro's key works, Decorator Crab - Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat, in a park in Sendai. Measuring 26 meters high, 28 meters wide, and four meters deep, the piece was equivalent in size to a normal eight-story building. Behind the superficial catchiness of the gigantic, pink, eye-catching work was a scheme to change our way of seeing and acting without us noticing. However, despite a variety of adjustments to many different aspects of the work and high expectations around its completion, the work was ultimately never realized.

In addition to attempting to understand things like the con- cept behind the Decorator Crab series, and the conditions necessary to complete these works, through images and essays, this book sets out to document a case in which a process proved impossible to execute, leading an art project to remain unrealized.

The first half of the book contains images of works based on the Decorator Crab concept that likawa launched in 2007, as well as essays by learned individuals. These deal with subjects such as how likawa's awareness of issues like vision and perception are reflected in his works, and how he came to make works that are premised on involving the viewer.

The second half traces likawa's Sendai project from the be- ginning, and the Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat proposal from conception until abandonment, through photographs and documents. It also sheds light on the conditions surrounding the work, which like a real cat was willful and did not behave as expected, by addressing questions such as why likawa conceived of a work of such immense size, and why it proved impossible to realize, from the perspective of both the artist and the management.

The book is intended as a collection of likawa Takehiro's works until this time and also a reference source focusing on the case of an art project designed for a public space. It is our hope that many artists and people who are considering working with artists will read it.

Sendai Art Node Project

(sendai mediatheque)

------------------------

"Contemporary public sculptures that are rooted in these conditions provoke actions in real spaces, stimulate discussion, and make an impact on viewers in virtual spaces as in the physical world."

── Kimura Eriko（Curator / Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art）

《Can Sculpture Camouflage Itself in Public Spaces? 》

"Still, as discussed earlier, the artist's expression of "Kawaii" is more complex than that. This somewhat aligns with the notion that Kawaii is not so much a plain form of art in the actual sense." 

── Lee Areum（Aesthetics Researcher, Co-director of YPC SPACE [Seoul, South Korea]）

《Rise of the Kawaii Monster -- Meeting Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat》 

"Reactions to artists' seemingly preposterous ideas may serve as a barometer of a city's tolerance and vibrancy." 

── Igarashi Taro（Architectural historian and critic）

《Transforming Landscape Through the Power of Imagination》 

"For Iikawa and the Decorator Crab strategy of catalyzing "unforeseen encounters," impact isn't limited to the mental"massage" of viewers' immediate reactions of confusion or delight, like "How cute!" "But it's impossible to get the whole thing in one photo!" The work's appeal could also spark administrative efforts toward its materialization."  

── Kai Kenji（Artistic Director, Sendai Mediatheque）

Roundtable Discussion 《Toward a Sendai Edition of Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat》

飯川雄大『デコレータークラブ』       Book Design：高見清史 (view from above)     発行：赤々舎、せんだいメディアテーク     Size： H303mm × W225mm   Page：218 pages   Binding：Hardcover (with cushion material in the cover)   Language：Japanese, English   表紙2種類（中身同一）   2 types of covers（Same Contents）     Published in March 2024    ISBN：978-4-86541-183-6	¥ 5,000＋tax  国内送料無料！ 【国内／Domestic Shipping】 A B   お支払い方法は、銀行振込、郵便振替、 クレジットカード支払い、PayPal、PayPay よりお選び頂けます。 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 【海外／International Shipping】 Cover Image A B    　　　 Book + Asia shipping ¥8,850 JPY Book + World shipping ¥11,600 JPY Please choose a cover image, and shipping area.

DECORATOR CRAB 

Iikawa Takahiro 

"It's not that I want to make big things." Work was moving forward on a plan to install one of the artist likawa Takehiro's key works, Decorator Crab - Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat, in a park in Sendai. Measuring 26 meters high, 28 meters wide, and four meters deep, the piece was equivalent in size to a normal eight-story building. Behind the superficial catchiness of the gigantic, pink, eye-catching work was a scheme to change our way of seeing and acting without us noticing. However, despite a variety of adjustments to many different aspects of the work and high expectations around its completion, the work was ultimately never realized.

In addition to attempting to understand things like the con- cept behind the Decorator Crab series, and the conditions necessary to complete these works, through images and essays, this book sets out to document a case in which a process proved impossible to execute, leading an art project to remain unrealized.

The first half of the book contains images of works based on the Decorator Crab concept that likawa launched in 2007, as well as essays by learned individuals. These deal with subjects such as how likawa's awareness of issues like vision and perception are reflected in his works, and how he came to make works that are premised on involving the viewer.

The second half traces likawa's Sendai project from the be- ginning, and the Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat proposal from conception until abandonment, through photographs and documents. It also sheds light on the conditions surrounding the work, which like a real cat was willful and did not behave as expected, by addressing questions such as why likawa conceived of a work of such immense size, and why it proved impossible to realize, from the perspective of both the artist and the management.

The book is intended as a collection of likawa Takehiro's works until this time and also a reference source focusing on the case of an art project designed for a public space. It is our hope that many artists and people who are considering working with artists will read it.

Sendai Art Node Project

(sendai mediatheque)

------------------------

"Contemporary public sculptures that are rooted in these conditions provoke actions in real spaces, stimulate discussion, and make an impact on viewers in virtual spaces as in the physical world."

── Kimura Eriko（Curator / Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art）

《Can Sculpture Camouflage Itself in Public Spaces? 》

"Still, as discussed earlier, the artist's expression of "Kawaii" is more complex than that. This somewhat aligns with the notion that Kawaii is not so much a plain form of art in the actual sense." 

── Lee Areum（Aesthetics Researcher, Co-director of YPC SPACE [Seoul, South Korea]）

《Rise of the Kawaii Monster -- Meeting Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat》 

"Reactions to artists' seemingly preposterous ideas may serve as a barometer of a city's tolerance and vibrancy." 

── Igarashi Taro（Architectural historian and critic）

《Transforming Landscape Through the Power of Imagination》 

"For Iikawa and the Decorator Crab strategy of catalyzing "unforeseen encounters," impact isn't limited to the mental"massage" of viewers' immediate reactions of confusion or delight, like "How cute!" "But it's impossible to get the whole thing in one photo!" The work's appeal could also spark administrative efforts toward its materialization."  

── Kai Kenji（Artistic Director, Sendai Mediatheque）

Roundtable Discussion 《Toward a Sendai Edition of Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat》

林詩硯『針の落ちる音』       Book Design：祖父江慎 + 根本匠 (cozfish)   発行：赤々舎   Size：H245mm × W224mm   Page：120 pages   Binding：Hardcover   Published in March 2024   ISBN：978-4-86541-179-9	¥ 5,000＋tax  国内送料無料！ 【国内／Domestic Shipping】  お支払い方法は、PayPal、PayPay、Paidy 銀行振込、郵便振替、クレジットカード支払いよりお選び頂けます。 【海外／International Shipping】 ＊ Please choose your area from the two below    　　　 Book + Asia shipping ¥7,500 JPY Book + World shipping ¥9,200 JPY

Hear a pin drop

Lin Shihyen

South Korean human rights activist Uhm Kiho says, "The one commonality of pain is that it is an experience that cannot be shared with others. But the loneliness born from pain that cannot be shared is the same for everyone." 

It's been 14 years since I started self-harming. I don't have a habit of self-harm, but there are still times when I do it. Whenever it came to the attention of my parents, the psychiatrist, and other people I interacted with, they would ask me, "Do you want to die?" The way I was at the time, I was never able to clearly refute that kind of question and it always left me feeling uncomfortable. Back then, I started self-harming out of fear of death; the sight of the red color flowing from the flesh color of my cut skin was instinctively frightening to me. 

My desire to live is surely what underlies that reaction. 

Before I knew it, I was past the age of 30. Upon reflection, I now realize that the strength inherent in life is much greater than I ever imagined when I was young. I wanted to witness the various forms of that strength with my own eyes. Emotions ebb and flow like the tide every day, yet the passage of time is always serene, shining within the landscape. If I can capture this in photographs, perhaps it will serve as proof of us being alive.

I hope the loneliness born from pain that cannot be shared will ease.

Lin Shihyen

Special edition, book with print

【国内／Domestic Shipping】   お支払い方法は、PayPal、PayPay、Paidy 銀行振込、郵便振替、クレジットカード支払いよりお選び頂けます。 【海外／International Shipping】 ＊ Please choose your area from the two below    　　　 Book + Asia shipping ¥34,500 JPY Book + World shipping ¥35,200 JPY	【国内／Domestic Shipping】   お支払い方法は、PayPal、PayPay、Paidy 銀行振込、郵便振替、クレジットカード支払いよりお選び頂けます。 【海外／International Shipping】 ＊ Please choose your area from the two below    　　　 Book + Asia shipping ¥34,500 JPY Book + World shipping ¥35,200 JPY

Related Exhibition

林詩硯 写真展「針の落ちる音」  会期：2024年3月27日（水）～4月14日（日） 時間：13:00〜20:00（平日） 11:00〜19:00（土日） 会場：PURPLE（京都市中京区式阿弥町122-1 3F） 会期中無休 トークイベント 「針の落ちる音」を編んで 3月30日（土）14:00〜 林詩硯（写真家） × 姫野希美（赤々舎 代表）

【past exhibition】林詩硯 写真展「針の落ちる音」  2024年2月6日（火）～2024年2月19日（月） 10:30～18:30（最終日15:00まで） 会場：ニコンサロン（東京都新宿区西新宿1-6-1 新宿エルタワー28階） 定休：日休み

---

Artist Information

林 詩硯（リン　シイェン） 

1991年　台湾 台北市生まれ

2015年　台湾科技大学デザイン学科卒業

2020年　東京藝術大学美術研究科先端芸術表現修士課程修了

2021年　Portrait of Japan 選出

2021年　IMA next "Memory" ショートリスト選出

2022年　個展「針の落ちる音」Totem Pole Photo Gallery

2023年　第3回 PITCH GRANT 受賞

2024年　さがみはら写真新人奨励賞 受賞

身体と精神の関係性に関心を持ち、ポートレイトを中心とした作品を制作している。

Lin Shihyen 

1991 Born in Taipei City, Taiwan

2015 Graduating from the department of Design, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology

2020 MA, Department of Intermedia Art in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts

2021 Selected for "Portrait of Japan" and shortlisted for IMA next THEME#24 "Memory"

2022 Solo exhibition "Hear a pin drop" at Totem Pole Photo Gallery. 

2023 3rd Pitch Grant in 2023 Grand Prize

2023 Solo exhibition "Hear a pin drop" at THE GALLERY(Nikon Salon Tokyo)

2024 Sagamihara Emerging Photographer Incentive Award

Her work focuses mainly on portraits and is particularly interested in the relationship between the body and the psyche.

---

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邢磊（XING Lei） 『潮汐』	Ryu Ika 『The Second Seeing』	LILY NIGHT 『ABSCURA』	Ahn Jun 『Self-Portrait』	李岳凌（Yehlin Lee） 『Raw Soul』

大道兄弟『My name is My name is...』       Book Design：大道兄弟   発行：桜の花本舗 × 赤々舎   Size： H252mm × W227mm   Page：64 pages（52 images）   Binding：Hardcover   Published in March 2024    ISBN：978-4-86541-180-5	¥ 4,000＋tax  国内送料無料！ 【国内／Domestic Shipping】  お支払い方法は、PayPal、PayPay、Paidy 銀行振込、郵便振替、クレジットカード支払いよりお選び頂けます。 【海外／International Shipping】 ＊ Please choose your area from the two below    　　　 Book + Asia shipping ¥6,500 JPY Book + World shipping ¥8,200 JPY

My name is My name is...  

DAIDO Brothers 

A picture is worth a thousand words" makes total sense when encountering Yuki and Koki Daido's photographs.

Twins, Osaka native and at 26 years of age, they can be found roaming the streets of Osaka discreetly taking photos during their spare time.

Social media today has transformed photography from what was once the preserve of the highly trained professional into a "photographic democracy", affording the potential for all citizens with a smartphone to hand to call themselves "Photographer".

The twin's documentary photography casts a cool, empathetic eye over what might be consid- ered the trite, banal and mundane.

Their dispassionate gaze illicits a gamut of emotions in turn humor, meloncholy and irony, they draw us into a potentially romantic view of the rapidly disappearing scenes of Japanese society. What may be an eyesore to most, may well be a source of immense inspiration to others.

Their images certainly evoke emotion. It is no surprise they mainly shoot on film, their DIY ethos lending an urgent and compelling air to their world view. We are also drawn to their distinctive style and choice of subject. It far supercedes a need for technical prowess. So intent on creating a representation of their own world, not only do they take the photo- graphs, but painstakingly produce their own hand made, eminently collectible photographic books. Lucky are the few who manage to get their hands on one.

When asked what inspires their photography, Yuki replied "I don't know, but I am looking for something and I often shoot when my mind has wavered and I am upset by my own useless- ness, that's when I go out and shoot photographs".

Their dedication to their craft as a means to it's own end is a very rare pursuit in the face of relentless contemporary social media forces. How refreshing for us to see their work that clearly reflects the pure enjoyment of the process as fulfilling in and of itself. We very much look forward to seeing much more of their take on the world.

"SEARCHING FOR UTOPIA"

Words by D.K.H.