The exhibition is filled with things the two of them "love," including iconic tile motifs.

—What were your thoughts when you received the offer to hold this solo exhibition?

Sasaki : I was happy because I thought it was a great opportunity to be able to do it in such a wonderful place. Also, since I was doing it with Yurika this time, I approached it with a different mindset than when I do exhibitions on my own.

Nakatsu : First of all, I thought it was absolutely essential to clarify what kind of exhibition Sasaki wanted to have as an artist. Of course, like Sasaki, I would be very happy to have an exhibition at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , and it's a great opportunity. We'll also be exhibiting collaborative works with our products, so it's definitely a chance for a lot of people to see it. However, even though we say "exhibition," everyone has different priorities. So, at first, I consulted with Sasaki to find out what he thought.

—What are some of the unique attractions of this exhibition?

Sasaki : The theme we chose is "BETTER THAN BEFORE BREAKING." Initially, it started with the fact that both Yurika and I are interested in objects. Things break, don't they? For example, if you drop pottery, it will shatter. But in Japan, there is a culture of repairing such things called "kintsugi." Rather than throwing away something that has broken, you can reconstruct it by processing it, and you may even feel more attached to it than before it broke. I think that kind of feeling is wonderful. I've been doing repairs myself for a while now, and I've been thinking about this even before I was asked to do this exhibition, but right now we're in a difficult situation because of the coronavirus pandemic. Our normal lives have been shattered, but I hope that when things recover, the world will be a better place. I hope to convey that through this exhibition.

Nakatsu : We discussed with Sasaki-san that we wanted to do something that is related to this collaboration and is different from what we do in other exhibitions. The items that we will be exhibiting as Maison Eureka are the items from this season that are currently on sale, but we have also created a limited edition collaboration sneaker that Sasaki-san has specially hand-painted. I love it too, it is a sneaker with Sasaki-san's iconic artwork of tile patterns and finely colored details. In addition, postcards of Sasaki-san's works and everything else on display are available for purchase, and the prices are set to be affordable, so I think it will be a really good opportunity for people who have not been very involved with art until now. And, Sasaki-san's exhibitions up until now have been rather for connoisseurs, so to speak, exhibitions that only people who are really interested in art would definitely come to, but I think that at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , it will be an opportunity for a wide range of people to come and see it, not only people who are knowledgeable about art, but also people who are interested but not very knowledgeable. I would be happy if people become interested in art through this exhibition.

You can find Mitsukoshi Isetan Online Store's Men's Creators and Men's Contemporary products here.

Text: Kei Osawa

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