Rapport nr. 3+4 2010-straight.indd - Norske Grafikere

Bernard Joisten, “Red castle”, 2009, wallpainting.
Foto: Asbjørn Hollerud
Aurélie Pétrel, “Falaise”, 2009, photographic
installation, color photograph, PVC transparent
adhesive film. Foto: Asbjørn Hollerud
Bernard Joisten, “Forever More”, 2010, duratrans,
digital print, 118,4 x 179,5 cm. Multiple.
Installation view at Shijo station, Karasuma
subway line, Kyoto, Japan. Foto: Asbjørn Hollerud
are produced by and for Super Window
Project:
2007: “Escapade”, Perrine Lievens.
2008: “An exhibition of photographs”,
Guillaume Leingre; “Circumnavigator’s
paradox”, Mathieu Mercier ; “Eye of the
Beyonder”, Item Idem.
2009: “Red Jacket vs White Jacket”, Pierre
La Police ; “Repetition”, Aurélie Pétrel ;
“More”, Bernard Joisten ; “Forever more”,
Bernard Joisten; “No man’s land”, (group
show: Bernard Joisten feat. Shinichiro
Arakawa, Guillaume Leingre, Mathieu
Mercier, Aurélie Pétrel, Takashi Suzuki) ;
“Pays Extérieurs”, Sandrine Pelletier. 2010:
“Folding Space”, Morgane Tschiember ;
“Direction of Materials”, “Nissed”, Soshi
Matsunobe ; “Bau”, Takashi Suzuki;
Bouke de Vries; “The Show Must Go On”,
Guillaume Leingre. Super Window Project
publishes the “The Show Must Go on”
review by Guillaume Leingre to be released
in autumn 2010. This work will be the final
chapter of the first cycle of the programme
(2007-2010) and will mark the beginning
of second phase that will come to life with
the conception of a new venue for Super
Window Project. Or something else... We
have 4 projects for 2011 that implies further
connections between Japan and Europe. I
want to break the walls of the gallery!
AH: Is there any other galleries in Japan
that are owned and run by a foreigner?
BO: No! But there is Jeffrey Ian Rosen,
director of Taka Ishii Gallery (Kyoto/
Tokyo) and co-owner/ director of Misako
Rosen (Tokyo). He is amazing and I admire
him very much. Bold, great culture, eye,
vision and very smart, fun and witty.
AH: Do you get a sense of belonging to
an art community in Japan?
BO: Yes and no. People know me, know
the boldness of the program, but I still
Bernard Joisten, “Armory”, 2009, fiberglass,
synthetic resin enamel paint, variable dimensions.
Unique. Courtesy Super Window Project, Kyoto.
feel like an outsider. First because I’m a
foreigner and after almost 4 years I still
do not speak Japanese... Unfortunately...
Second, because my interests in arts, the
way to present the program, to work,
so close to the artists is quite a unique
position here. I am trying hard to make a
commercial break, to sell my artists here in
Japan but in the meantime I also propose
an alternative, something different
because I am driven by a vision. Not by
the market. Otherwise I would have never
started a gallery in Japan. Nevertheless
I feel intellectually close to some people
here like gallerists like Taka Ishii, Takuro
Someya, Hideki Aoyama, or curator Mami
Kataoka (Mori Museum) who have a more
conceptual and radical approach... but the
art community is international, which
is the Japanese paradox. Japan is not on
the art map for many reasons... too far,
too expensive, too socially complex... and
with a huge language barrier. A place like
Hong Kong with an art fair like ARTHK
already secured its position as a central
hub for arts in Asia, in just 3 years, in the
very moment of a dramatic recession. Not
Tokyo.
AH: How do you pick your artists for the
gallery? Do you look for a conceptual or
visual coherence between them?
BO: Not at the very beginning maybe...
encounters, discussions with artists, other
gallerists, curators, led me to make some
choices... But now after almost 3 years, I
think the coherence of the program gets
more and more obvious, concise, focused.
I guess the coherence of the program
is me ! For the first 3 years, I wanted to
build a story, each exhibition being the
opportunity to write a new chapter of the
book. I feel we really turned a page in 2009
Baron Osuna. Foto: Asbjørn Hollerud
with Aurélie Pétrel’s double exhibition and
in 2010, Soshi Matsunobe’s projects mark
an evolution. From now on we will be
more and more radical. We are aiming at
something, something hard to define other
than by art itself. As I said before, probably
the coherence of the program resides
mostly in the fact that the artists working
with SWP are looking for something,
formally and conceptually and it is great
to be part of this exchange, this challenge.
I also see that architecture shaped my
Bernard Joisten, “More” (left to right) : “Mask
2.006” (45 x 65 x 20 cm), “Mask 2.003” (60 x 65 x 20
cm), “Mask 2.005” (60 x 60 x 20 cm), “Mask 2.007”
(50 x 60 x 20 cm), “Armory” (variable dimensions),
2009. Foto: Asbjørn Hollerud
foreseeing. Architecture intended as a
structure of thinking. Probably this is
something very central and part of the
Morgane Tschiember, “Folded Space”, 2010, steel, enamel paint, mirrors, Japanese stone, variable
dimensions. Unique. Courtesy Super Window Project, Kyoto. Foto: Asbjørn Hollerud
coherence points towards that direction.
A coherence that is more conceptual than
visual. I also believe that artists do not
belong to me or to the program. They’re
free to go, to work with other galleries... as
well as we can work with other galleries or
“entities” too. It’s all about sharing a vision.
AH: How is the Japanese contemporary
art scene different from the European
scene?
BO: It is dramatically different. The
main reason is that Japan is an island,
with a powerful barrier: language.
European capitals are all connected. 2
hours maximum of flight between major
places, powerful artists, museums, art
centers, curators, collectors, magazines
and galleries that shaped the 20th
century history of art alongside with
Americans... plus some of the biggest
and most challenging art fairs : Art Basel,
Frieze, Fiac, Art Forum, Artissima which
we will be part of next November with a
group show (Mathieu Mercier, Morgane
Tschiember, Perrine Lievens, Bouke de
Vries, Sandrine Pelletier, Soshi Matsunobe,
Guillaume Leingre).
AH: How do you feel about running
a gallery in the traditional Kyoto
compared to the high speed Tokyo?
BO: I feel lucky to be part of something new
happening in Kyoto. Since I started, Taka
Ishii, Tomio Koyama, Kodama moved to
Kyoto. Collector Naomi Rowe opened eNarts,
Megumi Matsuo reopened in a huge
space, Kohei Nawa developed Sandwich...
Kyoto is turning into a cultural city, where
2 art fairs bloomed this year, Art Fair
Kyoto, and Ultra Kyoto. Being member of
Ultra Kyoto, I can tell you that it will be
held next year too and promise a lot of
surprises.
AH: What other galleries in Japan do
you recommend?
BO: Takuro Someya Contemporay Arts
and Aoyama Meguro, both in Tokyo.
Younger generation of galleries, promising,
fresh and very adventurous.
AH: What are the future plans for Super
Window Project?
BO: Keep eyes and brain wide open.
Evolve. Break the walls.
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