"Watanabe Osamu Exhibition" at Shunan City Museum of Art and History: Introducing the Origins of His Creative Work in His Hometown (Minna no Keizai Shinbun Network)
The exhibition "Watanabe Osamu Exhibition ORIGIN" by Shunan-born contemporary artist Watanabe Osamu has opened at the Shunan City Museum of Art and History, looking back on over 20 years of his career.Summary
The exhibition "Watanabe Osamu Exhibition ORIGIN" by Shunan-born contemporary artist Watanabe Osamu opened on November 13 at the Shunan City Museum of Art and History. Watanabe was born in 1980 and, after graduating from Karyo High School, went on to study in the Design Department of Tokyo Zokei University. He has incorporated the technique of "sweets deco"—decorating works with life-like cream, sweets, and fruit—into his art, and has been active both in Japan and abroad. Titled "ORIGIN," meaning the source of his creativity, this exhibition in his hometown looks back on more than 20 years of activity, displaying works he made in childhood, his graduation project from university, recent representative works, and large-scale new pieces. Watanabe's creative origin lies in his experiences at the sweets school his mother ran; his familiarity from an early age with colorful cakes and whipped cream is said to connect to his current artistic expression. The venue features three-dimensional animal works decorated with sweets and cream, a work inspired by a merry-go-round, and works themed on traditional Japanese culture, as well as new pieces inspired by the red panda of Tokuyama Zoo. In the "Sweets Banquet," imagined as a Rococo-era palace, an entire wall is decorated with sweets and a table is set with cakes and dishes; visitors can sit in chairs and take photographs. Watanabe attended the opening ceremony on the first day and cut the ribbon together with Shunan City Deputy Mayor Dogen Toshiharu and other related parties. Watanabe said, "It has been 27 years since I moved to Tokyo for university. I can finally show my works to everyone in my hometown. I think I have created the best exhibition as a culmination of my work so far." He also expressed his ambition: "This is also a new beginning. Going forward, I want to connect with various technologies and cultures and express an even more dreamlike world on a larger scale." The museum shop sells goods based on Watanabe's works and also offers capsule toys called "Fragments of Production" (200 yen per play) using decorative parts created in the making of his works. During the exhibition period, gallery talks and workshops by Watanabe will be held, and related projects will also be developed at nearby cultural facilities such as Tokuyama Zoo and the Central Library. Opening hours are from 9:30 to 17:00. The museum is closed on Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a holiday). Admission is 1,300 yen for general visitors, 1,000 yen for university students, and free for those 18 and under. The exhibition runs until December 27.
(Source：Yahoo!ニュース)