Aloha Amigo! Federico Herrero x Kazuyuki Sekiguchi

2012.5.3(Thu.) - 2013.3.17(Sun.)

Information

Period:

2012.5.3(Thu.) - 2013.3.17(Sun.)
10:00 - 18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)

Venue:

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

Closed:

Mondays, July 17, September 18, December 4 to 13, 25, 29 to January 1, 15 and February 12 (Open on July 16, August 13, September 17, October 8, December 24, January 14, and February 11)

Admission:

□May 3, 2012 – November 22, 2012
Admission free
□November 23, 2012 – March 17, 2013

Admission Free to holders of same day tickets to "son et lumière, et".

For More Information:

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Phone: +81-76-220-2800
Facsimile: +81-76-220-2802
E-Mail: info@kanazawa21.jp

This is the second year (in fact, the sixth year of the project as a whole) of the museum’s three-year plan of “the Kanazawa Youth Dream Challenge Art Programme: Museum as Mediator”(*1). This year’s theme is “the existence of others,”─encounters and dialogues with others as well as one’s inner self through “seeing, hearing, feeling and expressing.” Musicians, who are interested in sound/music expression and relationships with the society and others, are invited to the museum to collaborate with young people, encourage them to experience the pleasure in expressing without being held back by stereotypical ideas. In order to do that, they need to use their five senses, despite the fact that museums are generally regarded as a place for visual arts. Now the museum faces the space-time axes of music expression.


Notes: (*1) On “the Kanazawa Youth Dream Challenge Art Programme: Museum as Mediator” Based on the recent study which reports that art museum education is useful for the character formation of young people in their late teens, the project of “the Kanazawa Youth Dream Challenge Art Programme” launched by 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in 2007 aims to create the museum’s original activities to develop wide-ranging local art and culture encouraging young people, particularly those aged between 18 and 40 including “NEET” (not in education, employment or training) and “FREETER” (permanent part-timer), which are today’s problematic social issues, to participate in social activities. With the keyword “Museum as Mediator,” the programs are to be serialized for three years since 2011 to provide and develop “encounters/dialogues with one’s self, others and society.” As the project aims at phased socialization and globalization, there will be better retention rate of capable personnel and the enhancement of management methods. If we shared our local cultural activities with others internationally, we could promote further exchange of information as well as people, and have bright prospects for the 10th anniversary of this project.

  • Project Overview

    Artist Federico HERRERO’s encounter with ukulele player SEKIGUCHI Kazuyuki has made it possible to create the space-time for expressing the world of fine arts fused with the world of sound/music. With the program in which the two worlds of sound/music and fine arts are blended as a long-term project, young people of Kanazawa can experience diversity and possibilities of communication appreciating the opportunity to think and create in their contemplation over one’s self/others and local area/the world. There emerges the world of sound, which is resonant with Federico Herrero’s comfortable and delicate world of painting, and young participants can learn how to express their emotions and impressions with sounds. Sounds and colors construct varied relationships between young people and community.

  • A. Creation of Space

    As a place to accompany the world of ukulele music, which expresses good rapport between nature and humans, Federico Herrero creates a space where various human relationships are stimulated.

  • B. The project development of “Aloha Amigo - Life with Ukulele”

    1. Project with young people
    Project participants led by young people implement various projects, which send out information to visitors as well as elementary and junior high school children together with artists and the museum. For this exhibition in particular, young people aged between 18 and 39 organized “Aloha Amigo Aina” (tentative title) playing the central role for the project. In addition, people aged 18 and above who are experienced in playing the ukulele formed “Aloha Amigo” to support young members’ activities.

    2. Opening Commemorative Talk Show
    Date: Thursday, May 3, 2012
    Venue: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa Lecture hall
    Free: Admission free (Numbered ticket is required.)
    Programs:
    13:00-13:30 Talk between Federico Herrero x Kazuyuki Sekiguchi
    13:30-14:30 Artist talk by Federico Herrero
    * The entire audience exits and the second group enters.
    15:00-16:00 Talk between Kazuyuki Sekiguchi x Gen
    Numbered ticket:
    Ticket [1]
    13:00- Talk between Federico Herrero x Kazuyuki Sekiguchi
    13:30- Artist talk by Federico Herrero
    Ticket [2]
    15:00-16:00 Talk between Kazuyuki Sekiguchi x Gen
    *The seating capacity is 50 for each of [1] and [2]. Numbered tickets are available from 10:00 on the day in front of the lecture hall.

    3. “Ukulele Free Stage!─Everybody can be a ukulele player”
    Everybody can enjoy playing the ukulele in this project held every day.
    Date / Time: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 – Sun, March 17, 2013 / 14:00-15:00
    Venue: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa Gallery 13
    Programs:
    1. Everybody, even beginners, can enjoy playing simple chords in this course.
    The capacity is 20 on a first-come-first-served basis on the day.
    2. Participants playing the ukulele and singing songs are photographed, and shown on YouTube later.

    Notes: A variety of projects are implemented during the exhibition period, including “Saturday Ukulele Workshop” to be held every month or every other month, “Ukulele Summit in Picnic” (tentative title) scheduled at the end of August. “Everybody can play the ukulele @ school” (tentative title) is another project in cooperation with elementary and junior high schools in Kanazawa. For details, please visit the museum website.

Artist Profile

  • Federico HERRERO,
    Some Aspects of the Funeral March for Mr. Climent, 2002
    Collection: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
    © Federico HERRERO
    Photo: SUEMASA Mareo

    Federico Herrero (artist)

    Born in San Hose, Costa Rica in 1978 and currently lives there. Studied education at Universidad Hispanoamericana, painting at Pratt Institute (New York), and architecture at Veritas Academy (San Hose). He has been working to produce project-type paintings on the theme of the relationship between a place and human beings. The striking feature of his paintings is to paint various patterns by using different materials such as magic markers and spray paint on varicolored surface with camouflage uniform-like pattern. Canvas is not always used for his painting. He paints on walls, floors, and the bodies of public transportation vehicles such as buses. Iconographic images unfolded are, for example, people surrounding the artist, familiar happenings in our everyday life, and images emerging momentarily. They are integrated in a picture which is more two-dimensional than 3D. 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa’s collection includes three pieces of his painting, and Herrero painted a picture on the shuttle “art bus” connecting the museum and Kanazawa city. For this project, Federico Herrero creates an art space collaborating with ukulele music of Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, emphasizing the exchange with young people of Kanazawa.

  • Kazuyuki Sekiguchi portrait

    Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (“ukulelian”)

    Born in Niigata Prefecture in 1955 and currently lives in Tokyo. While working as a bassist of Southern All Stars, he has been actively playing his own role as a ukulele player. He is a musician who can produce harmony among people through his music. In addition to releasing many songs featuring ukulele music, he has annually participated since 2000 in “UKULELE PICNIC” held in August every year. He is also engaged in activities to promote the hula dancing and amateur ukulele performance. In 2000, he coproduced and released “Whistle and Ukulele” with Naoto Takenaka, and in 2002, he released “MY BLUE HEAVEN~” in the name of “Kazuyuki Sekiguchi featuring KONISHIKI.” He is also active as a novelist and illustrator.

Credit

Organized by:

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Kanazawa Art Promotion and Development Foundation)

In Cooperation with:

KIWAYA, bonnyColArt Co., Ltd.