We just got back from an amazing trip to Japan.

We took two galleries with us - The Match Box History Gallery and A snapshot Gallery . (see image list for names of works). We enjoyed introducing them to all.  We travelled to Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Yokohama catching up with participating artists, visiting galleries and arts organisations, and meeting the people of each city.

We look forward to writing more about our trip soon. 

In the mean time here are a few snapshots

  

Ginza, Tokyo - our two new friends,  university students at the UNSW who saw our artwork at Awespace, Sydney and were amazed to then see us on the streets of Tokyo - so were we! -  a really small world!   Here they are with our gallery featuring works by L-R Yutaka Katoh, Leanne and Zoe MacDonell -   the first  artists from Japan and Australia to create work for our galleries.

Outside Nagoya train station - One of our many gallery guests viewing works L-R by Simon Cooper, Leanne and Jennie Tate.  We have been exhibiting Simon and Jennie’s  works since we took our first Match Box Gallery out on Australia Day 2006

We spent so much time on the trains - two of the many curious guests to our galleries viewing our snapshots - our train conductors waiting to board the bullet train.

Yodogawa - Osaka. Collaborative artist duo, Yodogawa Technique giving us a tour of where they first started creating work together - on the banks of the Yodogawa River, Osaka. 

Mount Fuji on a perfect sunny day from the bullet train - shinkansen

 

Come back here to view more snaps shortly.

Naomi spent over a month in Japan exhibiting the project at the International Design Museum, Nagoya�and spending time in Tokyo.

Throughout the trip Naomi introduced the Australia Japan Match Box Project to future collaborators and members of the public, travelling with 2 Match Box Project Galleries, featuring 12 participating artists.

MATCH BOX GALLERIES ARRIVING AT NARITA AIRPORT

Match Box Galleries by Leanne Shedlezki

Photographs by Naomi Shedlezki (c) 2006

All works in Galleries 15 x 20cm. Works from Left to Right

Side A of the first Gallery exhibited the work of Leanne, and the first Australian and Japanese Match Box Project participants, Zoe MacDonell and Yutaka Katoh.

1. Yutaka Katoh, Made in Japan, 2006 mixed media
2. Leanne Shedlezki, Friendship, 2006 archival inks on etching paper
3. Zoe MacDonell, Fantasyland, 2006 mixed media

Side B exhibited the works of Leanne and two artists exhibiting in Japan during Naomi’s travels. Imants Tillers and Hirotoshi Sakaguchi.

1. Imants Tillers, Hereafter, 2006 acrylic, gouache on canvasboard No. 77318
2. Hirotoshi Sakaguchi, untitled, 2006 acrylic on board
3. Leanne Shedlezki Matched, 2006, mixed media

 

We invited Sydney Curatorial team, back in 5 to curate a Match Box Gallery. They invited Mark Brown, Hamilton Darroch, Helena Leslie, Luis Martinez, and (late) [ant mrav], 5 artists from Sydney who respond to their immediate environment within their practice.

1. Luis Martinez, Bungarribee Rd, 2006 pencil on paper
2. back in 5 bin5, 2006 mixed media
3. Mark Brown Voodoo Point fragments 3, found industrial fragments & engravings

1. Helena Leslie, Shadow Series, 2006 pencil on paper, plastic figurine
2. (late)[ant mrav], Unscreened/So Where the Bloody Hell Are You? 2006, enamel on fly screen
3. Hamilton Darroch, Journey Text, 2006, mixed media

Below are a number of Match Box Tokyo experiences

IMANTS TILLERS AT PRISM: CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIAN ART EXHIBITION

Imants Tillers met with Naomi and Match Box Tokyo participants. He conducted an Artist Talk at the Bridgestone Museum of Art where his work was exhibiting in Prism:Contemporary Australian Art.

Imants and Tokyo Artists pictured in front of the Bridgestone

Match Box Gallery in front of Bridgestone’s window featuring Imants Tillers Prism, 1986.

SAKAGUCHI RESEARCH GROUP ACTIVITIES AT TOKYO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FINE ART AND MUSIC (TOKYO GEIDAI)

During a visit to Sakaguchi’s Art studio, Sydney Match Box Tour participants reminisced about the great time they had in Australia.

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In honour of the inaugural Match Box Projects’ Sydney Art Tour and Cultural Exchange Program, Naomi presented Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music with numerous books on Australian Contemporary Art. This was thanks to the generous donation of books by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

TOKYO ART BEAT’S 2ND ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, AT SUPERDELUXE.

www.tokyoartbeat.com is a wonderful bi-lingual website on what is happening in Tokyo in the Art and Design scenes, including great instructions in english on how to get to the many galleries and museums in Tokyo. A definate read before and during a trip to Tokyo .

At their 2nd anniversary party, local artist/illustrator, Nobumasa Takahashi drew a wonderful tribute to Match Box’s Tokyo Art Beat.

Nobumasa’s tribute: It was wonderful to see it evolve on the big screen.

Match Box back in 5 Gallery with the Directors of Tokyo Art Beat

SAKAGUCHIS SOLO OPENING PARTY

Jennie Tate, who was in Japan filming her experimental film on the Sumida River popped in to the opening of Hirotoshi Sakaguchi’s solo exhibition at Omotesando Gallery. It was a wonderful surprise for him and a great opportunity to catch up with Hirotoshi and his students who had visited Jennie’s home/studio on the Match Box Project Sydney Tour in August.

A DAY WITH DESIGNER AND MATCH BOX LABEL ENTHUSIAST, YUTAKA KATOH

Yutaka Katoh is a Designer and Match Box Label Collector. Through his generous support, Match Box gained a wonderful insight into the history of Japanese art and design on matchboxes on a research trip to Japan in May. Yutaka become the first Match Box Project Participant from Japan. Naomi joined him in Shibuya where he was judging a Match Box design competition.

LINDA DENNIS SOLO EXHIBITION AT YOUKOBO

Linda Dennis, is currently a PHD candidate at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts, and a wonderful ambassador for Australia. Last year she instigated the Interimage exchange between Tokyo Geidai and QCA, Griffith University, which led to 10 Japanese artists travelling to Sydney (for a Match Box Project Sydney Art Exchange Tour of the Biennale of Sydney, and the art scene ) and Brisbane to conduct activities with QCA staff, alumni and postgraduate students. Naomi visited�Linda at Youkobo Art Space, Tokyo where she was installing work for her solo exhibition. �

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Linda and helpers at Youkobo Art Space.

The response to the Match Box Galleries by the general public was amazing. Naomi took numerous photos of the locals. This photo was taken at�Asakusa with one of the�locals after he was�introduced to Match Box Galleries.� Co-incidently he�knows Match Box’s Yukata Katoh quite well!

Special thanks to Qantas for their invaluable support

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Our�first International Exhibition was held at the Design Museum, International Design Centre, Nagoya from the 14th - 31st October. Naomi travelled to Japan to exhibit the�works of 30 Match Box Project’s participants in 5 Match Box Galleries.

Whilst in Nagoya Naomi travelled out and about with our Match Box Gallery curated by back in 5.

Naomi attended the yearly Nagoya Art and Design Fair at Nadya Park.

Festival visitors with Match Box back in 5 Gallery

Performing artists with Match Box Projects back in 5 Gallery. 

Naomi was introduced to Nagoya by night by members of Futoumei.

In Nagoya, Naomi visited the yearly Nagoya festival.

VISIT TO AICHI PREFECTURAL UNIVERSITY OF FINE ARTS AND MUSIC

Naomi gained a great insight into the university life�of art students through visiting current students and alumni of Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music who have created work for Match Box Galleres. Naomi visited their studios and the university’s yearly art festival.� The quality of work being exhibited was outstanding.�

Associate Dean of Aichi Geidai introducing Match Box Gallery to his students at the festival.

KAZUHIRO IMURA’S FIRST SOLO OPENING

Naomi attended Match Box’s inaugural participant from Nagoya, Kazuhiro Imura’s first solo exhibition in Nagoya - his work for Match Box is easily recognisable

Travelling back and forth between Tokyo and Nagoya on the amazing JR Bullet trains (Shinkansen), numerous times, Naomi introduced the projects to many curious onlookers;

Fellow Australians travelling through Japan.

Osaka Women’s Volleyball group who were on their way to a tournament. Thanks to an apple iPod, many Match Box Gallery guests were able to explore Sydney through Match Box images.

Special thanks to Qantas and the International Design Centre Nagoya for making our trip and exhibition happen

We are�from Sydney, NSW, andhave chosen�Sydney, Tokyo�and Nagoya as our major zones of exchange for our first�Match Box Project.� Sydney & Nagoya are sister cities and NSW and Tokyo Metropolitan Government are sister states.

In May, Leanne and I travelled with Match Box Galleries to Japan. It was Leanne’s first venture to the land of the rising sun,�whilst it was my 7th time.�I have lived on and off in Japan for the past 12 years. We travelled�to Fukushima where I was based for a year in 2002 and to�Tokyo and Nagoya�to explore the art scenes and�introduce the Match Box Projects to future participants.

We met amazing people along the way. See our blog entries on Furudono, Tokyo and Nagoya

We thank the following for their support.

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