[Overseas Expansion Case Collection vol.10] Conveying the appeal of “Japanese festivals” through drawing (Mr. Kawase Tadashi)

“Overseas Expansion Case Collection” vol.10 released!

The “Overseas Expansion Case Collection” series interviews people who have exhibited at events managed by Japan Promotion so far, and listens to valuable stories about reactions from countries around the world that they have actually witnessed and their subsequent activities.

In this section, which is the 10th in the series, the painter'sMr. Kawase TadashiWe asked them about their thoughts on disseminating Japanese culture through the production of works.

≪Click here for past articles≫
●vol.1 “Succeed in attracting tourists with a PR strategy that combines local characters and SNS! (Mr. Toshiaki Arisawa, Genki Creation Division, Susaki City)”
●vol.2 “Local reactions are the greatest harvest! Exhibited at Japan Expo Paris that got a lot of insight (Kyushu Economic Federation, Mr. Chiken Shigeyoshi)”
●vol.3 “Overseas exhibition experience triggered the “Oyabe Fairy Tale Party” (Mr. Yukihiro Funami, Tourism Promotion Division, Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture)”
●vol.4 “Rediscover local appeal through overseas exhibitions, improving on-site responsiveness is also a major weapon (Mr. Hiromi Kobayashi, Tochigi City Hall General Policy Department)”
●vol.5 “Making “Awa Odori” the Common Language of the World (Creative Dance Group Takarafune)”
●vol.6 “Pursuing World-Class Japanese Beauty with a Multifaceted Approach (KIRIE)”
●vol.7 “Calligraphy that conveys the way of life on the world stage (Fukushita Taro)”
●vol.8 “Aiming for a new dimension of calligraphy that stimulates the five senses (Miho)”
●vol.9 “Refining traditional skills and hearts on a global stage (“Amezaiku Tsuruji” Takako)”

≪About current activities≫

A full promotion was realized in Japan and France on the occasion of a solo exhibition in Paris

I continue to draw works with the desire to further spread the splendor of Japanese festival culture to the world. In 2018/10Solo exhibition held in ParisThen, 27 works will be exhibited,Of these, 1 item was sold, and 1 was donated to Charenton-le-Pont, next to Paris.After that, in 2019/2, I arranged my works exhibited in Paris, sketches I drew locally, and materials related to my solo exhibition, and held a “Paris Solo Exhibition Report Exhibition” in my hometown Nara. It was nice to be able to create a place where I could directly convey what I actually saw and felt with my own eyes to the local people.
When this solo exhibition is being held in ParisI was also interviewed by a local newspaper company,Multiple articles were published from before the exhibition to the “Report Exhibition” thereafter. I hope that as many people as possible will know the appeal of Japanese festivals through PR in various places.

≪Advice/Future Goals≫

Devise ways for people to enjoy encounters with works

Instead of just opening the door and waiting for guests,Make a firm conductor until people see your workI think this will become very important, especially overseas. For example, if you're Japanese, you can greet guests in kimono or serve them with tea... I think it would be nice to play videos related to the work.The first thing to do is to have them feel free to drop by.Nothing starts if you don't come across the work. I want more people, both domestically and internationally, to know the appeal of Japanese festivals. To that end, I plan to continue creating works and exhibiting them at exhibitions in the future. Also, in order to pass on Nara's culture, we have received many voices from local people asking them to create a permanent reference room with their works. We look forward to continuing our efforts to meet your expectations.

≪Know-how for success≫

[Before exhibiting]
‍● Exhibit at domestic and international exhibitions (public exhibitions, group exhibitions, etc.).
● Held a solo exhibition locally.
● Participate as one of the local artists at an art festival in Nara Prefecture, which aims to revitalize the region, and exhibit their works.
● Publication of a collection of works.
↓
[Support and ingenuity]
● In addition to the exhibited works, they brought sketches and introduced them to visitors as part of introducing themselves.
● By preparing an introduction text about the festival in the work in Japanese and French, I was able to have people deepen their worldview of the work and their understanding of Japanese culture even during a short stay.
● An article about the solo exhibition was published before and after the exhibition due to an appeal to local newspapers.
● I was asked to set up a place for dialogue with local art critics, and I was able to hear real voices about how my work would be evaluated overseas.
● The staff's active customer service led to the sale of the work.
★ Point ★
As a result of thorough preparation, we were able to convey the world view of the work in detail to the visitors.
↓
[Results]
● Sales of the exhibited works were completed on the first day of the exhibition.
● One of the exhibited works was donated to Charenton-le-Pont after the exhibition, and was also exhibited at an art exhibition hosted by the same city.
★ Point ★
I was able to contribute widely to the dissemination of Japanese culture in France through the sale and donation of works.
↓
[After that]
● After returning to Japan, a “Paris Solo Exhibition Report Exhibition” will be held in collaboration with a local gallery.
● Continue creating and exhibiting works to spread the value of “Japanese festivals” domestically and internationally.
★ Point ★
It continues to disseminate Japanese culture through paintings, with a view to both domestic and foreign countries.

Thank you very much, Mr. Kawase, for sharing this valuable story!
In vol.11 that follows, an origami accessory artist'sOrigami Art Okamoto YukoI would like to ask about the reactions of each country that I experienced during my local trips and how to enjoy communicating with visitors at overseas events.

◎ Interviewee: Mr. Kawase Tadashi

[Events you exhibited at]
Tokyo Aoyama “Miyabi” Art Exhibition (2017)
Solo exhibition at “Étienne de Causanne Gallery” in Paris (2018)

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