. breaking stereotypes and turning what you see in the image into something completely different.

This time, the theme will be "SNS," and you and Kagami-san are meeting imiarige for the first time, right?

Kagaemi: Yes, today is the first time for us to meet. I was browsing Instagram last summer, and I suddenly discovered imiarige. I thought, "This person has a sense of humor," so I followed him and commented, "Interesting! That was our first contact. Then, imiarige also commented, "Thank you," and we began to communicate like a correspondence (laughs).

His Instagram is the best @imiarige

Photo posted by Kenkagami(@kenkagami) -. Aug 9, 2015 11:21 PM PDT

imiarige. I originally followed Kagami-san's account. One day, out of the blue, Kagami-san introduced me on Instagram. After that, the likes didn't stop for about 10 minutes (laughs).

How many followers did you have before Kagami discovered you?

imiarige. about 80 people.

KagaemiBut now it's over 1,000, isn't it? That's because he's interesting. So I was talking about imiarige's work with Mr. Teifu, and we were talking on Twitter about inviting him to HOUYHNHNM's. Then I sent a message to imiarige, and he seemed to have seen our exchange. When I sent a message to imiarige, he seemed to have seen our exchange (laugh) and immediately said yes.

imiarige: I don't know if it was that Twitter conversation, but I got a little bit more followers then, too (laughs).

We had a first contact last summer, and after about a year of correspondence, we finally had a chance to meet, but how do you feel now that you have actually met?

Kagaemi: I was picturing someone around 40 years old with a beard like Hayao Miyazaki, but he looks younger and cleaner than I expected.

sub-templeKen and I were talking on Twitter about what kind of person imiarige-san is. Ken and I were talking on Twitter about what kind of person imiarige-san is, and our imaginations got too big, so we raised the bar higher and higher.

What was it about imiarige that interested you two?

KagaemiThe general use of Instagram is to take a picture of an everyday scene and upload it with a comment, right? But in imiarige's case, it's different. He uploads photos of daily life, artwork, and entertainment-related photos, and adds a few words to them as if he were making a big joke. That's what makes it interesting.

John Cage - 4:33 min.

Photo posted by ◎San(@imiarige) -. Oct 30, 2016 7:01 AM PDT

RADIOHEAD

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Brazilian, can you hear me?

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TAICOCLUB Tent Location

Photo posted by ◎San(@imiarige) -. Jun 3, 2016 11:26 PM PDT

You also do something similar on your own account, don't you, Mr. Kagami?

Kagaemi: There is no intelligence in my post. . but iimiarige's post has intelligence. It's like the scent of an art college graduate (laughs).

sub-temple. Yes, yes, there is a sense of being out of the loop. It cuts a different angle from the high street, and I am very surprised by that point of view. . It's kind of artistic.

Kagaemi: Yes, that's exactly what art is. . it breaks stereotypes and turns what you see in the image into something completely different. The series on the president of APA Hotel, for example, is great (laughs ).

TV TOKYO Logo

Photo posted by ◎San(@imiarige) -. May 24, 2016 7:00 PM PDT

OMOIDE IN MY HEAD

Photo posted by ◎San(@imiarige) -. 2016 Aug 30 4:04 AM PDT

sub-temple. the stuff is so advanced that sometimes I don't even know what it means.

Kagaemi. I'll still press "like" even if I don't know what it means. . Because I feel frustrated that people know I didn't press "like" because I don't understand it (laughs).

The reality of imiarige's personal life.

sub-temple: Where do you always start your stories and where do you post them? Images? Or comments?

imiarige. both. Sometimes it's images, sometimes it's comments. I have an image in my mind that I want to upload, and then the image or comment comes up. Also, I have a large stock of images on my phone. I try to save the images that have good power to draw. In some cases, I add comments to them and process them.

KagaemiI see! That's why they're up so often.

imiarige. but I try not to work too hard.

Kagaemi. I know, I know, too many twists and turns are not good. You have the perfect balance between the two, imiarige-san.

What made you start Instagram in the first place, imiarige?

imiarige. I was simply bored with Facebook, so I started it as a way to communicate with new friends. . I had been playing with my friends by comparing people to food for a long time. Instagram may be an extension of that.

KagaemiI see! . That's why I am still able to make interesting posts. . This kind of thing is like training a muscle, and continuity is power. You have established your own style, imiarige.

imiarigeI don't have a goal in mind, but for now, I try to post whenever I have an idea.

KagaemiWhat do you usually do at your place?

imiarige. a regular job . . I also play in punk and hardcore bands. My favorite music is Shibuya-kei, like Citrus, Hoffdiran, Kaj Hideki, etc. .

Kagaemi. you're not a punk at all (laughs). What did you study in college?

imiarige. I went to an arts college and was in the video production department. . I like music, so I wanted to make music videos. . But my current job has nothing to do with that.

sub-templeDo you have a girlfriend?

imiarige.: I've been gone for almost 10 years now....

all of us: (Laughs)

The appeal of social networking sites is that they allow us to see the various personalities of their users.

Are you on any other social networking sites?

imiarige. I'm on Instagram, and Facebook is the only other one. I used to be on Twitter and Mixi, but I don't do them anymore.

Kagaemi. The great thing about social networking is that you can communicate with people you don't know. If we hit it off, we can actually meet in person, as we did today. I used to be a social networking naysayer, but since I switched from a cell phone to a smartphone two years ago, I've been hooked (laughs).

How did you get so hooked?

Kagaemi. because it's fun.

sub-temple. When I first started Instagram, I used to post pictures all day long.

Kagaemi: You're losing followers because you're throwing out a bunch of stupid stuff (laughs). (Laughs): I have to kill the poop stories in particular. . Because you lose followers all at once. . And my wife gets angry with me. She says, "You know, there are people eating here, too," as if I were in elementary school. But what's interesting is that when I make a series of posts, I lose about 40 followers at once, but for some reason, I also gain about 40 new followers.

SHIT HOUSE 2016 mixed media

Photo posted by Kenkagami(@kenkagami) -. Sep 21, 2016 7:39 PM PDT

Photo posted by Kenkagami(@kenkagami) - Sep 22, 2016 8:33 PM PDT

Photo posted by Kenkagami(@kenkagami) - Oct 19, 2016 11:12 PM PDT

Let's see what's in your bag.

Photo posted by Kenkagami(@kenkagami) -. Oct 23, 2016 7:31 PM PDT

Photo posted by Kenkagami(@kenkagami) - Oct 9, 2016 5:55 PM PDT

Previously publishedhere (place close to the speaker or where the speaker is)In the article "The Post I Like", Mr. Kagami says, "It is difficult to get likes on posts that I think are good".

imiarige. there are some. But the displacement is interesting.

Kagaemi. When you start getting 300 or 400 likes on everything, you might want to be a little careful. . That's probably a sign that it is no longer interesting. A general and standard sense is important, but individuality is the most important thing.

imiarige. In that sense, I don't try to get a lot of likes. I don't use hashtags or anything like that.

KagaemiI think it's a good idea to have a person who is not showing his/her face, but is giving a coordinated outfit. They are probably ordinary housewives, but they have tens of thousands of followers. And then, "Your clothes are always so nice! Which top is yours?" and they write comments like, "Thank you very much! What you're wearing today is ●●●●", "You look so stylish when you wear it", "Really? Really? We always exchange something like this. It's getting interesting (laughs). (Laughs.) Only such people would not show their own faces, but they would show their children's or husbands' faces.

imiarige. there are a lot of interesting people out there when you dig. Once upon a time, I was addicted to searching for the hashtag "# marriage certificate," and I would upload the moment when the witnessing guarantor submitted the marriage certificate of the married couple. It was like, "What the hell are you doing uploading your friend's personal information?" (laugh).

Kagaemi. there are a lot of interesting accounts. They think they are being fashionable, but when you look at them objectively, they are very funny. But that means that while there are people who find our posts interesting, there are also people who think, "What's so funny? But that means that while there are people who find our posts interesting, there are also people who wonder, "What's so interesting about it? This diversity is one of the charms of social networking. I am sure there are many interesting people on Twitter as well.

Instagram is a kind of gallery of the virtual world.

You are a photographer, so how do you deal with Instagram as a tool for posting photos?

sub-templeI think there are people who upload their own works, but I simply upload my daily life. I also post information about exhibitions.

Kagaemi. I don't think it's very interesting to show your work on social networking sites. I prefer it to be raw.

sub-temple. Depending on how you use it, you can create your own view of the world, like a gallery. There is a box called "Instagram," and I think it is up to you to decide what you want to express within that box. In a sense, it is an independent world, so I see it as something completely different from the works I express in the real world.

Photo posted by Motoyuki Daifu (@motoyukidaifu) - Oct 29, 2016 7:23am PDT

First collaboration #fumikoimano #keizokitajima

Photo posted by Motoyuki Daifu (@motoyukidaifu) -. Oct 1, 2016 8:27 AM PDT

Arima's packing!

Photo posted by Motoyuki Daifu (@motoyukidaifu) -. Sep 9, 2016 10:35 PM PDT

Kagaemi. but galleries are getting accounts on Instagram these days. In fact, it's too late for them not to have one. It is more efficient to distribute information about an exhibition on Instagram than to simply send out direct mail. Also, since there are no national borders in the social networking world, it is convenient to be able to contact people from overseas, and we sometimes receive business through Instagram, so it is not to be underestimated. . On the other hand, I sometimes get contacted by strange people.

Still, as an artist, there are more positives than negatives, aren't there?

Kagaemi. Maybe so. But there are also cases in which a general public, for example, receives a message from a store they are interested in that a new item has just arrived, and when they comment that they would like to buy it, they receive a response saying, "Please call the store," and business is concluded there. It's a win-win situation for both the store and the customer.

. However, if the number of business accounts increases, that lacks reality, too.

sub-templeKen mentioned earlier that he thinks there are interesting people on Twitter, and I also feel that Twitter is more interesting than Instagram these days. I think that just writing makes it more fake, and of course, I can see it differently from Instagram.

KagaemiI think it would be interesting if I tweeted something like "I won the lottery. I also tweet about things that I can't write on Instagram. I also use Twitter to communicate with Hima-kun (Masanao Hirayama, artist). There are many people who enjoy watching the exchange between me and Hima-kun.

imiarige is the Banksy of the Instagram world!

. Now, it is time for me to wrap up this issue.

sub-templeAs I mentioned earlier, I think what makes imiarige unique is the fact that they are making us aware of new ways to change our thinking through social networking.

KagaemiI totally agree with you. At first glance, it looks like pop music, but it is very sophisticated. It's a very sophisticated thing to do, with just the right amount of finesse.

sub-temple. Even in art, when you come into contact with a very good piece of art, you are shocked, aren't you? For example, when Urs Fischer makes a hole in a gallery wall or floor and says, "That's art! and change the value of various things. You are doing something gag-like in a comic format, but in fact, it is very artistic.

Do you do it with the intention of making someone laugh?

imiarige. I am not doing this for popularity, but most of all out of curiosity to see who will "like" this post.

Kagaemi. It's not necessary to make everyone understand. . That's the charm and the loneliness of art.

imiarige. That's why I try to give them a constant post. If I put my whole heart and soul into each post, it would look like I was trying to make a point.

KagaemiI think it's good! But it certainly doesn't feel odd, and I think it's good to convey the feeling of doing it plainly.

Have you changed your mindset after being hooked up with Mr. Kagami and Mr. Tefu this time? . For example, have you been thinking more artistically?

imiarige: No, not really. . I just try to avoid doing things that might offend or hurt people.

Kagaemi. serious, huh? But that's important. It's hard to do if you get angry. But I'm sure you'll be fine. I haven't been accused of any of my "Supreme" related posts so far.

all of us: (laughs).

sub-temple. It doesn't hurt anyone, and it doesn't offend anyone. I think it is a sense of doing something interesting while striking that fine line.

Kagaemi. Yes, yes, you're right, Mr. Tatefu. As I said before, something that is popular with everyone is dangerous. . So, in a sense, it is necessary to betray to the followers. And imiarige has a good sense of how to betray his followers. It might be a betrayal that the person sitting next to me now, who is supposed to be imiarige, is in fact not the real imiarige, but a shadow of him. . There is a real possibility of that, you know.

sub-temple. like a mastermind is in control (laughs). . that she hasn't been there for 10 years, that she was talking about Instagram, and that it was all directed by that mastermind.

KagaemiI'm like Banksy (laughs)! It's kind of like Banksy (laughs). "The Banksy of the Instagram world" (laughs). I can only dream about social networking sites.

Ken Kagami / Contemporary Artist
Born in 1974 . Born in Tokyo, Japan. He has released drawings, sculptures, and other works, and has participated in numerous art exhibitions both in Japan and abroad. He also actively collaborates with apparel brands, and his own store, Stranges Store (stranges.exblog.jp), in Daikanyama, Tokyo, offers T-shirts and other goods of his own creation.
Instagram:@kenkagami, ,kenkagamiart.blogspot.jp

Motoyuki Teifu / Photographer
Born in Tokyo in 1985, he graduated from Tokyo Visual Arts College in 2007. In 2013, he was nominated for the international photography award "Prix Pictet. He actively exhibits his work and is active internationally, not only in Japan but also abroad.
Instagram:@motoyukidaifu, ,motoyukidaifu.blogspot.jp

imiarige / Instagrammer

Are you really imiarige? Or are you a Kagemusha?

imiarige. but I don't have anything to show for it, so I'm here feeling like a shadow warrior myself.

Are you a man or a woman? Are you a woman?

imiarige. as you can see.

What does Instagram mean to you?

imiarige: Spice. Update Amount.

Instagram:@imiarige