Eleven years later, BEAUTIFUL LOSERS leaves something to be desired. | feature

Eleven years later, BEAUTIFUL LOSERS remains today.

It all started here. These were the words of Barry McGee, one of the artists who belonged to the "Alleged Gallery" on New York's Lower East Side at the time. The place, which was a place of expression for nameless artists, opened in 1992 and suddenly closed in 2001. However, it later developed into a traveling exhibition called "Beautiful Losers," which was called a miraculous movement. The traces of the movement, which have since been passed on to posterity in the form of books, films, and retrospectives, can still be found in various parts of the world. Eleven years have passed since then, and the phenomenon of "Beautiful Loosers" is still deified in a way that cannot be verbalized. What exactly were the "Beautiful Loosers"? We would like to reexamine the words of Aaron Rose, the mastermind and curator of this phenomenon, to find out.

Photo_Shin Hamada

Interview & Text_Yuho Nomura

Translate_Saya Nomura

Edit_Yosuke Ishii

©︎Ryan McGinley

©︎Cheryl Dunn

©︎Michele Lockwood

©︎Michele Lockwood

©︎Ivory Serra

©︎Ivory Serra

©︎Adam Wallacavage

©︎Joshua Wildman

©︎Aaron Rose

©︎Ivory Serra

August 2, 2019, when this interview was conducted, coincidentally also marked the end of the 15-year history of "12 Gallery" in Yoyogi Uehara, which was started under the great influence of "Arranged Gallery". The encounter between Aaron Rose and Taro Hirano, who preside over the respective galleries, led to Susumu Hamada, who continues to work as a photographer and artist, taking charge of the photography for this exhibition. It was not a coincidental coincidence, but rather, it seems as if those who resonated with each other were drawn to the place as an inevitability. Yes, just like the "Arranged Gallery" of those days. Things that have a beginning will one day come to an end. But if there is a solid will, the baton will be passed on to the next runner. That is why Aaron Rose's sincere desire for art will be passed on to the next generation in various forms.

PROFILE

Aaron Rose

Curator/Editor

Born in 1969 in Portland, Oregon, USA. Born in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A., he started skateboarding in the late 1980s with a group of skaters who gathered in Washington Square Park, the setting of the movie "Kids. In 1992, he rented a vacant house for $400 on the Lower East Side, which was not as vibrant as it is today, and opened "Arranged Gallery," which means "a place like a gallery. The gallery has produced many internationally renowned artists in various fields, including Mark Gonzalez, Barry McGee, Mike Mills, Harmony Korine, Thomas Campbell, Margaret Kilgallen, Ed Templeton, Jeff McFedridge, Manny Mark, and many others. In 2002, he curated "Beautiful Loosers," the culmination of his activities at Arranged Gallery, which regrettably closed in 2002. Beginning in New York, USA, the exhibition traveled to six countries including Japan. Currently, he is also involved in various projects and free paper production for the "Artist Network Program," which is part of the artist support program of the brand "RVCA," with whom he has a close relationship. He is known not only as a curator, but also as a multi-talented creator who works as an editor, artist, and film director.