- Interview with Kengo Kito
Translated by Rika Hiro
I am an artist based in Gunma prefecture, a professor, and a gallery director.
You perform various roles and have many responsibilities. Do many artists in Japan engage in a range of activities like you? Or are you a rarity, Kito-san?
There are almost none, I think. Some artists also act as investors, Murakami Takashi for example, albeit on a different scale. But almost no one is doing what I do. As far as I know, I have not heard of anyone in Japan.
You have been curating for a while, haven't you?
That's right. My hope was to contribute to the Japanese art scene even in a small way. Of course, galleries contribute to the art scene, but having gallery representation doesn't mean that everything goes according to intention. I thought it would be great if I myself could have a little more control and then COVID-19 also hit.
What do you think about the current art scene in Japan, how has it changed since you first started working as an artist?
This might apply to other countries too, but contemporary art used to play only a minor part in the art world in Japan, where curators, researchers, museumgoers, and collectors were all basically the same group of people. Fun as it was, it feels that things are now finally opening up a little more. I guess the art scene today has more money flowing through it than before. It's hard to judge if this is good or bad though. In contrast, the main art market is in Euro-America. So, for example, when buying and selling happen in the [End Page 167] United States, that local movement is the international trend. In this sense, contemporary art there means something completely different. If you show at one of America's five major galleries, your work is sure to be recognized as "correct art," work at the pinnacle of the art world, or at least it would be promoted as such. It is in this way that America has been creating the history of art. This is the reality, again, whether appropriate or not. There is a huge gap between Japan and the rest of the world. When it comes to art in America, there is a historical view of art, according to which galleries and museums operate, and artworks are dealt at a high price. In Japan, museums do not feature works that are popular in the art market.
Does this mean that Japan does not have an ecosystem of art?
Everything is disjointed, isn't it? It has been even more so recently, to an extent that is somewhat chaotic. In Japan—and I suspect the initial catalyst was Maezawa Yūsaku1— entrepreneurs have become increasingly interested in contemporary art over the past few years. Additionally, there are generational differences. Many in their 30s and 40s have become interested in contemporary art. To put it simply, money has been flowing in, which makes the scene full of thread and thrum, so to speak. Domestic auction houses, and of course global auction houses, are involved in this chaotic situation. Surprisingly, however, there always seem to be numerous beginners—it is only beginners that are steadily increasing. Seriously, the number of professionals in the art world remains small. Perhaps this situation is similar all across the world. Even if these beginners gradually acquire knowledge, newcomers are simultaneously and continuously coming onto the scene. This results in more art markets catering to beginners, which is how I feel a bit these days.
What do you think are the reasons there are no stepladders for collectors in Japan's art world—for beginners, intermediates, to advanced?
Those around me are studying art and have been developing greater knowledge about the art world themselves. However, many do not know artists, and in many cases, they do not understand art at all. Partly because I suspect there aren't enough opportunities in Japan to specifically learn about art and art history. There are lectures at...