Baanai was born and raised in Kugenuma. Lately, he's been enjoying surfing about once or twice a week. He sets a rule for himself to limit himself to two hours at a time, because once he's in the water, he gets completely absorbed and can't stop. In the second chapter, we spoke with Baanai at his favorite Kugenuma beach, mainly about his upcoming solo exhibition.

The tagging style I incorporated into this work came about through a chance discovery.

--We asked for your honest thoughts on this second exhibition, held to commemorate the first anniversary of the remodeling Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building .

"Actually, this will be my first solo exhibition of the year, so I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm very grateful that my last exhibition also started at Isetan. Last year, I was invited to do the opening of the event, and this year, I'm really happy to be invited again for the first event of 2020, and at such a commemorative time as the first anniversary. Around this time last year, I never thought I'd be able to hold a solo exhibition again at the same time and in the same place."

--In your previous exhibition, "inaiinaibaanai," you expressed a new worldview through the layering of letters and colors, in addition to the continuity of the words "ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU." What is the concept of this exhibition?

"I plan to showcase the entire series using 'tagging' (graffiti drawn with spray paint, etc.). Last time, because the venue was undergoing renovations, I didn't know what the venue would look like until just before the show, so I started without any idea what to expect. But this time, I did it last year as well, and I have a good understanding of the space, so in that respect, I think it will be easier than last year."

--Apparently, the reason you decided to use the 'tagging style' this time was purely by chance.

"At the end of last year, I happened to try out some liquid acrylic paint that I had bought a while ago, and I found that it dripped more easily than the paint I usually use. As a result, the overlapping letters looked like capillaries, and I thought that was really interesting."

--And another characteristic of the works on display this time is their "layered nature."

"Although it's not visible, the bottom layer of every piece is actually filled with the words 'ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU' (Thank you very much). In the exhibition, I express my feelings about those words as both internal and external, and also the principles of this world and universe, which are made up of visible and invisible things, in my own way."

--If you were to hold a solo exhibition next year, it's highly likely that it would take a different form.

"I don't think I'll change my approach to continuing to draw 'ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU,' but if I keep making works with the same style all the time, it would be boring, and I don't think I would evolve as an artist. So I always want to create something new, something cool, something profound."

--What kind of vision do you have for yourself as an artist going forward?

"This is a very long way off, but I want to create art that will last for 100 or 200 years. As an artist, that's one of my desires. Also, this might not be related to my personal vision, but I want to live in a world where people who work hard and diligently on their own are rewarded, so I want to work hard to achieve that."

Text: Kei Osawa

Photo: Hideyuki Seta

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