installations and shows that caught our attention

designboom explores the art and design of Osaka 2024

The second edition of Osaka art and design is in full swing, transforming the bustling city into a vast showcase extending over nearly 50 public art places. Under the theme Expanding Resonance, the festival promotes interaction and collaboration between creatives from Japan and around the world. It celebrates the open expression of beliefs, freedom from constraints and the spirit of solidarity. During our visit to this dynamic event, designboom delved into various locations and the creative worlds they reveal, from Maki Takato’s exhibition inflatable Hopeful Monsters and a colossal tree installation on the ceiling of a dynamic neon Umeda hall light exposure in the lounge of the W Osaka hotel. Read on below to discover the projects that caught our attention.

Hopeful Monsters by Maki Takato | image courtesy of Osaka Art & Design

Ray Kudo presents “VAPID” at W Osaka

Emerging artist Ray Kudo (learn more here) presents its exhibition, VAPID, in the lounge of the luxury hotel W Osaka (learn more here). This exhibition presents a series of neon installations centered around the color black. The inspiration for VAPID comes from the stories of Osaka merchants during the Edo period (1603-1867), when luxury was forbidden and clothing strictly regulated. These fashion-savvy merchants lined their kimonos with rich, sumptuous patterns and prints, and Kudo captures their playful spirit in his vibrant neon artwork.

W Osaka is designed by Tadao Ando with the concept of an adult playground. The building’s minimalist black exterior contrasts with its opulent and colorful interior, filled with artistic designs and decorations inspired by Japanese culture and the four seasons.

VAPID by Ray Kudo at W Osaka | image courtesy of Osaka Art & Design

Hopeful Inflatable Monsters by Maki Takato

Visual artist Maki Takato (learn more here) has created a series of intriguing inflatables, including a colossal golden face inspired by the artist herself and a pink and red insect hybrid monster, which are currently on display at Nankai Namba Station in Osaka. The Air Sculpture series features fabric balloons that change shape with air, animated by internal sensors that react to their surroundings, bringing these monsters to life. This dynamic installation encourages viewers to become aware of their own physicality and engage in introspection.

The installation explores the boundaries between human and non-human, nature and technology, and physical and non-physical entities, from a mythological and ethnological perspective. The central piece, Hopeful Monster, explores the question: “What forms could life take when it is inserted into the dissonance of daily scenes? » Historically, the Japanese personified emotions like discomfort and fear, as well as unexplainable phenomena, into Yokai, pop culture characters, sharing them within their communities to foster empathy. Takato’s work updates the Yokai theme for the modern era, depicting the myth of a woman transforming into a new life form with motifs reminiscent of spiders and ants.

Hopeful Monsters by Maki Takato | image © designboom

Immersive textile installation ‘Nuno Nuno’ by we+

The immersive Nuno Nuno installation at the Takashimaya Osaka store showcases the expressive textiles of the NUNO company led by Sudo (learn more here). Designed by Reiko Sudo, renowned for her innovative textile designs, and contemporary design studio we+ (learn more here), this installation fills the space with textile cubes of different patterns, textures and hues. The exhibition highlights four key areas of production in NUNO’s collections: Kurume, Tsuruoka, Kyoto and Kiryu, expressing the dynamic energy of modern Osaka. Featuring textiles related to light, such as “kira kira” (sparkling) and “suke suke” (translucent), the installation reflects the dynamic future of the city.

the Nuno Nuno installation at the Takashimaya Osaka store | image courtesy of Osaka Art & Design

the final chapter of Kota Mochizuki’s Green Seed installation

GREEN SEED is a large, limited-time greenery installation displayed on the ceiling of a lobby in Umeda, a bustling district of Osaka. The concept imagines a lush world emerging in the middle of a large city in early summer, with a wide variety of plants thriving together. These vibrant plants symbolize the coexistence between man and nature and hope for the future. Since its creation in 2022, this annual early summer project has captivated passers-by. In its third year, the final chapter, the seed will grow into a large tree, marking the culmination of the project.

Covering the entire ceiling of the 9 meter high and 16.5 meter wide hall, this year’s installation features the roots of a large tree. The roots, which hold the soil together, represent the embrace of people’s dreams and hopes. The final chapter of this installation is supervised by Kota Mochizuki (learn more here), a florist who favors eco-responsible approaches, with the 2024 installation including artificial flowers made from recycled plastic bottles.