Ken Kagami is an internationally acclaimed contemporary artist and the owner of "Strange Store" in Daikanyama, Tokyo. He is also the owner of "Strange Store" in Daikanyama, Tokyo. He will be joined by his close friend Masanao Hirayama and Goichi, who is a popular topic of conversation on Instagram, to discuss the theme of humor.
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 is also actively involved in collaborations with apparel brands, and is the owner of the Daikanyamastrange store." offers a variety of goods, including T-shirts of his own creation.
Instagram:@kenkagami, ,http://kenkagamiart.blogspot.jp/
Kagaemi:
Kagaemi:
Kagaemi: I guess it's because I'm interested in "humor". There are many interesting people around me, and they all have a sense of humor. And I personally think that Hima and Goichi, whom I invited this time, are interesting.
KagaemiI'm working in production management. I order fabrics and that kind of work.
KagaemiGoichi-kun looks like this, seems to like clothes, and looks cool at first glance, but I sense a great sense of humor in what he thinks. He first came to Strange Store as a customer, but as I talked with him, I began to think he was an interesting kid. Her Instagram is very unique, and her hair is interesting, too (laughs).
KagaemiIt's like a little girl.
Kagaemi: LOL!
KagaemiI would like to think about "humor" with them this time.
KagaemiI don't think there is much difference between comedy, art, and a sense of humor.
KagaemiYes, that's right. Comedy is just called "comedy," but if we call it "art," it may become art. For example, what Downtown's Matsutchan is doing can be called "art.
KagaemiI remember one of Kagami's interesting and memorable tweets. Around spring, you uploaded an image of a crayfish called "Janken Pon Pon" (rock, paper, scissors). That was my personal favorite. It was interesting that the crawfish tried to play rock-paper-scissors-paper. It was like, "All you get is a rock, paper, scissors! I can't play rock-paper-scissors!
KagaemiHima: You got the point, Hima? I'm glad to hear that!
Kagaemi: If you want to express something unique, a simple approach is still the best way to do so, because it is easy to understand.
KagaemiI think you're right. Also, I was thinking, Hima-kun, Goichi-kun, and I usually post unique images on SNS, don't we? But I think that most people just enjoy seeing those kinds of posts. If there is more than a little sympathy, I think that person can also transmit interesting things, but when I ask, "Don't you do it?" I ask, "No, no, I can't think of anything that interesting. I guess the big barrier is the "do or don't do" part.
KagaemiI think the general public would feel embarrassed or shy.
KagaemiI can't live my life if I'm ashamed or anything like that.
KagaemiDo you upload your work with the intention of making your followers laugh?
KagaemiI don't: I don't think I'm thinking about that. I upload them for myself. I forget ideas easily, so I guess it's like a memo. When I create something, I go back to Instagram and look for ideas. But I don't show anything really important. There are things that I don't want to show to anyone. For example, "I'm actually a homosexual (laughs). If I uploaded something like that, they would pull it down, right? Worst case scenario, they might delete your account...
KagaemiI think I'm distant from the general public, but on the other hand, I'm learning a lot. I feel that I am distant from the general public, but on the other hand, I learn a lot from them. On the other hand, I learn a lot from them.
KagaemiI've been invited here today, too, but I still feel the distance between us.
KagaemiGoichi-kun, did you watch comedy or something like that?
KagaemiI was watching "Downtown no Gottsu Ekimae" on DVD. I watched "Downtown no Gottsu Ekimae" on DVD. I also used to go to see Rakugo (Japanese comic storytelling) performances under the influence of my father.
KagaemiGoichi-kun has a mysterious view of the world. One of my favorite instagrams is the series of people who put bamboo sticks and dustbins on their bicycles. It's very mod-like and cool.
Kagaemi: You have a different sense of style than Kagami-san.
KagaemiBut when ordinary people see the post, they will say, "What's this? But if a normal person sees the post, he or she will say, "What is this? But that doesn't mean that I have to explain it to them. It's more like conveying uniqueness through the atmosphere.
KagaemiI think it might be so.
KagaemiDo you consciously incorporate humor into your work?
KagaemiI think my encounter with Mr. Kagami may have been a turning point for me. I didn't even think about it before we met, but after getting to know each other, I became more aware of it, and I realized how important humor is.
KagaemiHima's work is somehow coherent, and that is what makes it interesting. It is simple, but there is something chaotic about it that cannot be imitated. When I became friends with Hima, he told me, "Actually, I work for an architectural firm," which strangely made sense to me. Hima himself may not have been aware of it, but I felt that without something special, he would not have been able to draw such a refreshing picture despite his perversity.
Kagaemi: The installations are constant in tone, too.
KagaemiI am conscious of putting what I want to show in the center, though.
KagaemiI think that's what's good about it. I guess that is the Hirayama world. It's crazy, yet clean.
KagaemiI think that Kagami is very good at adjusting the humor to the right level. I think Kagami is very good at finding the right balance between the two.
KagaemiI'd really like to get some tougher stuff up.
KagaemiI wonder if there is a boundary in the story itself that says "up to this point it's funny," and if it crosses that line, it may lead to dislike.
KagaemiI think that's what I'm most careful about. Art is the same.
KagaemiI'm an adult too, you know (laughs).
Kagaemi: LOL!
KagaemiI can give 180% of myself when I do art, but when it comes to commissioned work, I need to have a track record of making a sale, so I am a little conscious of that taste, despite appearances (laughs).
Kagaemi: Oh, wow! I see.
KagaemiI think there is a part of me that separates it from the rest of the world by saying, "It's just a job. However, I don't think I have ever finished a job without being able to express myself. I try to do my best to bring out a little bit of myself (laughs). But I don't think it's necessary for me to be "Ken Kagami's style.
KagaemiI wanted to do this, do that, and challenge myself in various ways. It would be more interesting and humorous if, when I die, people would say, "Ken Kagami was a person who was not well understood until the end," rather than, "Ken Kagami was such and such a person. That is why I try to take the initiative in doing various jobs (laughs).
KagaemiBut I still find humor in all of them, Kagami-san's work.
KagaemiI think I'm trying to be humorous. I may be trying to create some kind of humor. But humor is difficult. Personally, I like to deal with current topics that are in season, but that is very ephemeral. The best kind of humor is the kind that will still be relevant 50 years from now.
Kagaemi: Drifting is humor, right? Even children can understand it. When you get to Downtown, you need a sense of humor.
KagaemiDrifting" is a comedy about a funeral, but that kind of material has been around for a long time. It's what we call a black joke.
Kagaemi: Black jokes are difficult, aren't they? We were talking about when my parents went to a funeral, and my mother said to my father, "When I die, I want them to send me off like that. My father replied, "You can't talk to me like that" (laughs). (Laughs.) My father said that he would die before me.
KagaemiIt's kind of like rakugo, isn't it?
KagaemiI was a little amused by that. That was kind of interesting. It's a story about the relationship between the parents and so on. But that's the kind of thing I admire, isn't it?
KagaemiIt's a black joke, but there's humor and love in it. It's like they make each other feel at home. Goichi, your father has a sense of humor.
KagaemiI think it's a bit similar to that. Have you ever seen the video of Beat Takeshi congratulating Sanpei Hayashiya on his wedding? He is giving a congratulatory speech at the wedding of Sanpei Hayashiya, and it is very interesting because it is full of black humor.
Kagaemi: Do you talk about things in public that you wouldn't say at a wedding?
KagaemiI think so. Matsukchan has a sense of humor, but Beat Takeshi is also great.
KagaemiI'm too full of them to list them all.
KagaemiI'm curious about the person who Kagami uploaded a picture of on Twitter once upon a time. The one with the picture of flying people.
Kagaemi: Ahh! Martin Carsell! You know, the guy who throws people over the edge and takes pictures of the moment? His work has a great sense of humor, and the photos themselves are cool. It's a style that Japanese people can't create. I don't know, Japan has a bit of a cliche about it.
KagaemiI think the Japanese have a hard time blowing things up.
KagaemiJapanese people have a narrow perspective. I don't think that leads to humor. I feel similarly about magazines. Magazines overseas have respect for creators, so there are many opportunities for young people with a sense of style and humor. But Japanese magazines don't try to go beyond the boundaries. They try to create what they imagine, and end up with something less than what they imagined.
KagaemiI was once asked to do an illustration for a certain magazine, but the illustration was rejected in the end. In the end, a photograph was used instead of an illustration.
KagaemiI think it's a little bit too much to ask for a new drawing.
KagaemiYes, we will not be able to make interesting things.
KagaemiI think that's why the producers don't have a sense of humor or sense of style. As long as they have those two things, they will understand. When I work overseas, I get excited because everyone on the staff has the will to make something interesting. Because I know that the production side has that kind of feeling, the audience will be willing to accept it. But if you do that in Japan, people will say, "That's too much.
KagaemiThey would say: "I didn't ask for that kind of thing.
KagaemiI can understand the need to get numbers, but I would like to see Japanese magazines try a little harder to compete with the competition.
KagaemiI want to be able to end it with the next issue (laughs).
Kagaemi: LOL!
KagaemiIn short, I think that humor comes from leaving room for others. It is important to use one's imagination to wonder what would be created if one asked this person to do this, rather than to set a framework. I think it is important to use your imagination to think about what you would get if you asked this person to do this.
KagaemiGoichi-kun, that's a good point!
KagaemiI came here today to say something nice (laughs).
KagaemiI think humor has something to do with connecting people to each other. I am here now, a mere ordinary person, because of humor, and I was invited by Mr. Kagami.
KagaemiI think we can make more and more connections with other people who have a sense of humor. I can connect with people who really have a sense of humor.
KagaemiI think it's because we share the same sense of humor. I think they share the same sense of humor.
KagaemiI think it's a great thing to be able to connect with people in a way that not everyone can. There is humor that only a limited number of people can understand, and that is wonderful because it gives a sense of intimacy. However, I hope that people will not stay within that small world, but will continue to expand it.
KagaemiI think we are getting a little too serious this time around.
Kagaemi: Although, there were a lot of stories that I can't put here, though, right? Like the story of Hima's sexuality (laughs). (Laughs.) I really wish you would put them here.
KagaemiI'm not sure what you're talking about, but I'm sure you're right!
KagaemiI'm recording for the article, though. We talked for a long time today, but if we didn't record everything, that would be humorous (laughs). Well, if the worst happens and we don't record it, we'll put Hima's story in the article! Because we all remember that.
Kagaemi: Please give me a break... (chuckles).
