About this catalogue:
I am glad that it arrived safely.
Three years went by, and this exhibition from VOICES had almost emptied the artist's studio. His most important works since his debut are in Taiwan now, and many friends of the natives have kept them. Looking back the hand-printing process of the catalogue, and the collaboration with the artist of Germany and Japan, I realise why perfectionist is powerful. One thousand copies were produced for the global channel, and I am much honored to share with you one of the copies. I thank for the fact receiving readers' letters, which leads to the accumulation of history. Nevertheless there exists social chaos, I trust that there are still traces of the everlasting value.
Cutting-edge technology, design and aesthetics, from the indexing of the Victoria and Albert Museum to ALIEN Art Centre, we can never forget that up to this day, his works have been to 20 nations including Japan, Germany, Spain, America, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Luxemburg, Vietnam, Mexico, Thailand, Belgium, Finland, China, Britain, Australia, France, Argentina, Estonia and Chile..., but he gives his retrospective of 20 years to Taiwan. Through the three years of writing communication with the artist, the first time we met each other was 20 days prior to the exhibition opening.
On the opening day of the exhibition, three generations of his family specially flew to Taiwan from Hirosaki, Japan, wearing official Kimonos and suits for their first time in Kaohsiung. His niece and nephew are dancers of Kabuki and gymnasts, while his brother inherited the family business which has expanded to 13 branch stores all over Japan up to this day. He stated that his father had retired from his grandfather’s watch and jewelry store to pass it on to his brother a decade ago, and he has been away from his native family for two decades, spending half of his life in Germany by the age of 40. His quiet father did not speak much still during this visit, but he appeared to be in a good mood.
At the exhibition venue, there was a film named “EN (Fate)” from a couple of animators. These two friends came from a long way to recommend themselves, facilitating the most important visual images of this exhibition; they had never met the artist prior to arriving at the ALIEN Art Centre for inspection before the exhibition layout, and said that they were informed of this exhibition through the internet. At the exhibition venue, Jiro Kamata remarked: “I make a story, and you make history.”
History can certainly be written, but the real article is generational scenery.
I want to thank for your participation of the process.
Acknowlegement ｜
Jiro Kamata, Kamata family, Shao Yung-tien, Amanda Hass, Tomohiro Akiyama, Jun Watanabe, Otto Künzli, Levi Higgs, Kellie Riggs, Sool Park, Makiko Akiyama, Doris Dörrie, arnoldsche Art Publisher, Yui-Mom Construction, Bayerischer Kunstgewerbeverein e.V., Erwin und Gisela von Steiner-Stiftung, Kulturreferat der Landeshauptstadt München, ALIEN Art, and many others.
