New Art Space "YAMADART" Opens in Kanazawa. A Report on the Creative Hub Born from Onsen Ryokan Culture
A new art space, YAMADART, opened in Kanazawa's Korinbo area, founded by an established onsen ryokan family.Summary
A new art space named YAMADART has opened in Kanazawa's Korinbo area, located near the temporary site for the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. The space is operated by Yamadaya (now Kashi), an onsen ryokan with over 120 years of history, with Kohei Yamada, the sixth-generation owner, serving as the director. YAMADART aims to be a "window" connecting the city and culture by inviting contemporary artists whose roots lie in forms not traditionally considered fine art, such as crafts and street culture. Currently, the gallery is hosting the solo exhibition "TAMA" by New York-based artist Gen Sarutani, featuring ten new works created after a four-month residency in Yamanaka Onsen. These works utilize the traditional Japanese technique of *kanshitsu* (dry lacquer) to create massive, perfectly round sculptures, inviting viewers into a meditative state through the lacquer's mirror-like effect. Sarutani, who comes from a family of lacquerware artists, explained that his motivation stems from the current precarious state of the lacquer industry. He hopes that through his art, which showcases the natural changes and shadows inherent in the material, visitors will become interested in the underlying lacquer techniques themselves, contrasting with the Western sculptural ideal of permanence.
(Source：Tokyo Art Beat)