Event period: 2024 December 16th (Mon) - December 22nd (Sun)
Location: Gallery Kaze (Hakata)
It was my first solo exhibition in Kyushu. My customers on social media and online stores had been longing for my solo exhibition in Kyushu for over 10 years. I chose a "gallery-style" venue. I actually came to check it out about 10 years ago, and decided then that "this is the place to hold my first solo exhibition." I actually wanted to use the entire first floor, but with the owner's advice, I ended up using half of it for the exhibition.
The Shintencho shopping street in Hakata Tenjin, where Gallery Fu is located, has the appearance of a local shopping street, and there are always a fair number of passersby. - Since this is the place/location where I am having my first solo exhibition, it would be better if there were a lot of passersby - I was able to get my glass art seen by many people, regardless of whether this calculation was compatible with my art.
Since the space was half that of the exhibition venues in Tokyo and Kyoto, I was constantly puzzling over how to display the works. If I framed them one by one, they would be lined up cramped on the wall, so I quickly made frames that could display multiple pieces at the same time, and somehow managed to display the works at the usual intervals and with the same feel.
Having a solo exhibition in a new place/location brought back to me the same fresh feelings I had when I first started doing solo exhibitions. I'm sure these were emotions I had buried deep inside. "What will people think when they see my work?" "Will they buy it?" etc. Fortunately, at the venues where I usually hold my exhibitions, there are few people who are seeing my work for the first time or just passing by, and most of the people there are familiar with my work, so I think having a solo exhibition in a new place/location brought those emotions back up.
I'm really grateful to all the customers who came for the first time in over 10 years, those who had been waiting for several years, and those who came from far away. To be honest, I was a little hesitant about this solo exhibition, given the schedule, the size of the venue, and the timing. And speaking personally, I got sick (not something that could be contagious, just gastrointestinal problems), so it was a pretty tough week, but the impressions and reactions of the people who came saved me during those six days.
"Ichigo ichie" is a wonderful phrase, isn't it? I am grateful for this encounter and will continue to work hard on creating works. Just as each piece is unique, the encounters at solo exhibitions and with people may also be "one-offs" (i.e., only for that moment in a lifetime). I will continue to do my best to create one-of-a-kind works and weave unique connections with them.
Thank you so much to everyone who came to my exhibition! I'm truly grateful.