i am in japan !
day 1:
the gallery is epic.
made me think of lower east side - 1980's some friend's art opening - wabi wonderful.
- painted over pipes, funky architecture, great neighborhood vibe - NOT FANCY - soulful and my idea of perfect.

it's llane's midcentury silk & linen braided stools and my sea of sculpture in there.
the curator's cube gallery is cozy, but the tall sliding glass windows that march across the entire face of the building open up the sense of space out onto the sidewalk.

there's a tiny tight stair case at the back of the gallery that leads up to the well lit marketplace space where matt will create his store of kurta's, incense, ceramics & my talismen pieces.
i am so excited for the mix of stuff he has pulled from many artists - "i'd shop there" !
above the marketplace is the gallery's enchanted 3rd story studio apartment, with more of the same soulful flavor and light, then up again to an office and a make shift bar......

it meanders and charms.

the opening reception will have folks winding up & down from "story to story".

it's gonna be a lot of work to set up & a lot of fun - that all begins next tuesday.

the support crew that was there to greet me mid day today - all work for landscape products & they are ALL BROS !

Kata,Yo, Kenji & Tatsuya.

they were painting all matt's fixturing, wrapping up the SF General Store show & awaiting our arrival and planning session.

we went straight to Tokyu Hands for all the gear we need to get this show "off of the ground".

Tokyu Hands is 13 stories of what they call a 'Creative Life Store'.

it was a wonderland of every conceivable tool, art supplies, dime store notions, packaging materials, leather craft stuff, fabrics, masks - a dream depot for folks that DO shit.

 

i have landed in a very magical place and in the inspired and capable hands of Shin Nakahara.

off to the airport tomorrow 8am to 2 climb aboard 2 planes to ultimately arrive at Amami Oshima where we will beach comb & dye goods for the party at an historic dye compound specializing in indigo & mud dye.

there's 2 nights there & then 2 nights in Kagoshima, Shin's birthplace, with a very active puffing volcano and an ebonized kind of driftwood that is supposed to perhaps yield another piece for the show - if time allows me to assemble something new........we will see.

so jet lagged, so turned on by all this,
loving the journey and the adventure of it all,

love to you !

chi