Case 02_Gallery MISAKO&ROSEN The Year the Online Revolution Happened."
Misako Rosen & Jeffrey
Photo: Mie Morimoto
MISAKO&ROSEN
Opened in 2006, this art gallery is located in Otsuka, Tokyo. The gallery has a long list of domestic and international artists, including Richard Eudrich, Kaoru Arima, Shimon Minamikawa, Ken Kagami, and Motoyuki Tatefu, and has participated in many international art fairs. The gallery's owner, Misako Rosen, agreed to be interviewed for this issue.
www.misakoandrosen.jp/
INSTAGRAM:@misakoandrosen
MISAKO&ROSEN" is a gallery that is located in the center of the city of Tokyo.
Rosen Misako:It has been 14 years since we opened this year, and we have gradually developed a concept that is uniquely our own. I think we are now able to create a taste that is "MISAKO&ROSEN" in its own way.
Ken Kagami, "Abstraction."
Exhibition view 2020 MISAKO & ROSEN
Photo: KEI OKANO
Ken Kagami's exhibition was held from October to November. The theme of the exhibition was abstract paintings, and the content was humorous in a way that is typical of Mr. Kagami.
Rosen Misako:It is difficult to describe in one word, but there are artists such as Ken Kagami, Trevor Shimizu, and C&K (COBRA & Ken Kagami) who exhibit works with comedic elements, while there are also artists with an abstract side, and others who concentrate on painting very much. There are artists who concentrate on painting very much.
What kind of customers do you have?
Rosen Misako:There are all kinds of people. Some are extremely wealthy, some are salarymen collectors with regular jobs, and some sell their works to art museums on the academic side. There are collectors both in Japan and abroad.
I assume that 2020 was a particularly difficult year for art galleries.
Rosen Misako:I think this was the year of the "online revolution. In short, everything is now online. When we were setting up, the artists couldn't come, so we had to get instructions remotely. We also have a space in Belgium, but we can't go there, so we get instructions online from people there, like, "A little more to the right! We also had to give instructions to the people on site to set up the space. We also introduce the works online during the period when visitors are not able to come.
I would say that it can't be helped, but it seems that it is inevitably difficult to do.
Rosen Misako:It was hard to do and not that much fun anymore. Not being able to invite artists means no expenses. But the reason why we spent so much money was because we wanted to work together, and we wanted foreign artists to come to Japan. That is why I feel sad. It means that the artists themselves will not be able to see their own exhibitions.
Paulo Monteiro, "A red of blood and fire and some everyday works"
Exhibition view 2020 MISAKO & ROSEN
Photo: KEI OKANO
The exhibition was set up remotely. Looking at the layout that makes the best use of the space, it is easy to imagine how difficult it would be to set up the exhibition remotely.
Rosen Misako:In April, we held an exhibition by a Brazilian artist named Paulo Monteiro, and we tried until the last minute to get him to come, but in the end he could not, so we just held the exhibition.
It was the same for artists in Japan. Kaoru Arima, an artist from Ishinomaki City, came to Tokyo for one day, set up quickly, and left immediately. Kazuyuki Takesaki from Kochi had a big exhibition coming up this year and could not travel much, so he set up remotely for his own safety.
I guess that doesn't change the fact that you still have to exhibit, right?
Rosen Misako:Yes, we do. We have to do it because this is our business and we cannot run our business without doing it.
Do you feel that collectors are willing to buy under these circumstances?
Rosen Misako:It seems that there was a high level of buying interest, with some fairly expensive works selling well. Collectors could no longer see art in the world because they could not travel. Then the opportunity comes around to us, and they focus on our galleries, which have the same level of work as overseas.
For example, we are handling the work of Richard Eudrich, an artist whose work is exhibited at Gladstone Gallery, a mega-gallery in New York, and people who learn of his work through searches and other means check out "MISAKO & ROSEN," and then link it to our other artists' works. And then they would check out the works of our other artists. That has sometimes led to sales. Of course, there are limits to what can be done online, but we still managed to do our best, and the results were not bad.
Just posting information about your work on the Internet and waiting for it to sell never works. Online is only a means to an end. We use it to introduce our current works to our customers and communicate with them.
Sometimes I would get the camera so close to the work that I could see the details.
In this sense, I believe that it is precisely because we have worked hard to build a community while traveling around the world and have established connections with customers in various countries that something is possible online, even under these circumstances.
C&K (COBRA & Ken Kagami) "Romantic Comedy"
Installation view 2020 MISAKO&ROSEN
Photo: KEI OKANO
Relationship (History)
2020
C-print
Image : 59x39cm Frame 62.4x42.2cm / dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist and MISAKO & ROSEN
An exhibition using toilet paper. The exhibition had been on view since February, although the Corona buyout scandal that followed was reportedly a bust. Artists sometimes create works that are prophetic," Rosen said.
Do you feel that more and more people are interested in art?
Rosen Misako:For more than 20 years now, people have been talking about "increasing the number of people interested in art...," so I don't think this is a particularly new movement. People talk about "supporting young artists," but the term "young" should not be used by itself, but rather, attention should be paid to mid-career artists who have been working properly. They need to continue to build up their careers just as much as young artists. I hope that you will actively collect the works of these artists.
Speaking of "young," it seems that the younger generation in the art industry, one generation younger than myself and even younger than that, are working hard. In particular, the so-called "artist-run spaces" are becoming more active. The "Artist Run Space" is a space that is open to the public.XYZ collective"4649"im laborSpace such as the following is typical.
Q: Were there any exhibitions held this year that left a lasting impression on you?
Kazuyuki Takesaki, "The Day It Rained and Cleared
Installation view 2020 The Museum of Art, Kochi
Photo: Kazuto Tanaka
Rosen Misako:I am talking about Kazuyuki Takesaki's "The Day It Rained and Cleared" held at the Museum of Art, Kochi. The Corona did not allow him to borrow any of his works, so he had to show all new works. He still managed to do it. Even though it was a new work, we could see the path he has taken, and it was a wonderful exhibition that fully expressed how the artist himself perceives the landscape, crossing mountains and valleys, and loving the humidity of the land.
Lastly, what are your goals for MISAKO&ROSEN in the future?
Rosen Misako:I am currently preparing for Trevor Shimizu's exhibition, which is scheduled to open on January 17 next year. We are going to hang a huge painting, and my goal is to finish putting up the canvas by the end of the year (laughs). As I mentioned earlier, we have no choice but to exhibit. Even if we are asked to close the gallery, as long as there are works in the gallery, the exhibition will still be held. We can then show them to our customers online, and we just have to keep on doing it.
