Isetan Men's Net's Christmas project, " 2018 ISETAN MEN'S Presents 'Our X'mas Stories' ," aims to liven up the Christmas season in 2018. It will introduce the individual "Christmas stories" of six women active in various fields.

After graduating from high school with a degree in art, she expresses herself through various forms of expression and techniques, including oil painting, acrylic painting, collage, sculpture, and photography, without being bound by preconceived notions or frameworks. In 2016, she directed a "punk tea ceremony" with Sōsuke Matsumura, the head of SHUHALLY, as the theme, with a punk theme. In March 2016, she held a solo exhibition, "THE FIVE SENSES," featuring archival works and an experiential exhibition themed around the five senses. In November 2017, she released her first zine, "ME.", at BRICK&MORTAR's "ZINE SONIC." In September 2018, she held her first solo exhibition, "KNOWN," presenting four types of installations: three-dimensional objects, photo film collages, sound, and video.

Contemporary artist Sayaka Ena, who held her first solo exhibition "KNOWN" in September of this year, showcasing four types of installations—three-dimensional objects, photo collages, sound, and video—was also in charge of the logo and background design for the Isetan Men's Net "Christmas Gift Special" TOP page. Through her artwork "Sakushoku," she expressed a unique Christmas worldview.

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Wa1

What does Christmas mean to you?

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What I remember most from my childhood is my parents buying me an advent calendar, which I could flip through each day until Christmas, and the Christmas parties we'd have as a family.
For the past five years or so since becoming an adult, I've been going every year on the evening of the 25th to a bistro run by a couple I really like. Only on the 25th do they serve turkey as an appetizer, and everything there is delicious. When I go out or travel around Christmas time, I feel like, "I've really become an adult."

I often visit the main Isetan Shinjuku store, but Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building was a refreshing experience. The main store has a solid, imposing presence and a "square" shape that gives you ample time to browse, but Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building has a slender, vertically elongated shape that gives it a very stylish feel. The first floor has high ceilings and is bright, but the higher you go, the more mature the atmosphere becomes, which is a strange feeling. Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building is probably not a square but more of a "trapezoid or rhombus" shape, giving me the feeling that "I'm looking, but I'm also being looked at." The form of the building and the floors gives you a pleasant sense of tension, and before you know it, your gift-hunting has become serious.

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Question 2

What are some memorable Christmas episodes and presents you've received?

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What I was happiest to receive was... Azzedine Alaïa's gloves. When I put on the gloves, I felt like my hands had transformed into "beautiful sculptures," and the experience of thinking "how beautiful" my own hands were became a turning point in my own sense of aesthetics. They were long gloves that I could even wear to parties, and when I told them how I felt, they apparently went out of their way to find "pretty things" and give them to me as gifts.

Another thing that made me happy was receiving the Fujifilm Classe Double, the last film camera they ever released. I often use digital cameras when creating my own work, but I've always thought that "the blinking of the eye is like a camera," so I was interested in cameras that shoot with film. After using this camera, I realized the fascinating aspects of photography, thinking, "A camera is just something that captures light, yet it's so difficult!" On sunny days, I take my camera with me when I go out. I don't consciously think about it much, but I'm probably always searching for material for my work.

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Test3

Please tell me about the gift you chose at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building .

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First, there's a group of 6-7 people who get together every Christmas for a "drunk party" (lol) at an Italian restaurant, followed by karaoke, and we always have a gift exchange with a 3,000 yen budget. The rule is that the gifts have to be "something actually useful" for 3,000 yen, so we look for them at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . Since the members are both men and women, it's good to have something unisex.

The other person is my older brother, who is 10 years older than me. His birthday is on December 25th, and we're still close and he dotes on me, but this will probably be the first present I've ever given him (laughs). My brother is the complete opposite of me in personality; he's completely oblivious to his personal belongings. Even though he has a family, he's the kind of person who wears sweatpants, so I want to give him something nice as a way of saying, "Congratulations on turning 40!"

What does NEXT Ena Sayaka want to convey to the two of them?

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