Art and Adolescence: Salasa’s Journey with a Silent Confidant

Anticipating the Energy of Serendipitous Creations in a Two-Person Exhibition

Among the AWT participating venues, you selected Takahashi Ishii Gallery to visit the “The Toys of Peace” exhibition. What made you choose this particular exhibition?

Salasa: When I saw the main visual for the exhibition, it immediately caught my attention. I thought the serendipity that comes from a two-person exhibition could also make it interesting, so I chose it.

Do you enjoy works that involve an element of coincidence?

Salasa: Yes, I do. When I create music, I usually collaborate with a trackmaker. While I provide references and share my thoughts, the results are often something I never expected. There’s something special about working with others—moments when the collaboration produces something that pushes me beyond my own limits. I believe that the unexpected energy and chance that come from creating together hold a unique power, not just in music but in all forms of art.

In the installation-style exhibition, the gallery staff mentioned that the video works feature a character that mirrors the artist, overwhelmed by the act of creation. You seemed to really connect with that.

Salasa: The feeling of being overwhelmed by the act of creation really hit me—it was so much like myself. It wasn’t one cohesive story, but rather a patchwork of different images coming together. I resonated with it so deeply that it created its own meaning within me.

Salasa: I liked the painting works simply for their color schemes and the overall vibe. They felt very familiar and approachable.

Romance in Works that Hide the Unexpected in Everyday Life

Have you been to Takahashi Ishii Gallery before?

Salasa: It was my first time. That’s part of why I picked it.

Do you usually visit galleries or museums?

When I was attending Joshibi (Joshibi University of Art and Design) and after I dropped out of university, when I was going to art school, I went quite often. It was fun to research and share with my friends about artists I discovered. After I started my music career, I hadn’t been going to museums or galleries much, but recently, I was recommending artists to a friend and realized, “I really like art.” It reminded me that I wanted to visit exhibitions again.

(*Note: Art school refers to the one in Jimbocho, Tokyo, founded in 1969, which offers programs in painting, printmaking, photography, contemporary art, composition, DTM, theater, fashion, manga, and design. The school was founded by Koji Ishii and Hiroshi Kawahashi of the Contemporary Shiso-sha, with the logo design created by Haruhiko Akasegawa.)

Which artists did you recommend to your friend?

Salasa: Koichi Mitsuoka and Tomotoshi. Mitsuoka creates works by writing words with tape in the streets, and his word choices are always spot on. He even built his own art center along the Tamagawa riverbanks, and I really like the raw, earthy feeling that comes through in his work.

Find Koichi Mitsuoka’s Instagram posts here.

Salasa: Tomotoshi also runs a space called the TOMO City Museum in Sumida Ward. His works often involve creating specific movements in the city, which in turn shape the actions of the people around. I think I’m drawn to the romance of how, within everyday scenes, unexpected movements or locations can suddenly appear.

Taro Okamoto and Genpei Akasegawa: Confidants of Adolescence

When did you become interested in art?

Salasa: I’ve always liked things like masks, clay figures, and folk crafts since I was a child. I used to want to go to the Mingeikan (Folk Crafts Museum) and, when traveling, I preferred pottery experiences over outdoor activities. So, when I learned about Taro Okamoto and Haruhiko Akasegawa in high school, I was really moved. It was right during my adolescence, and I felt like there was no one at school I could talk to or relate to, so when I found out there were people who understood, it felt like a kind of salvation.

They were like friends you could talk to, then. How did you come to know about them?

Salasa: My dad was a surfer and loved California culture, so I was familiar with hippie culture and things like Woodstock. I started researching 1960s culture and movements, and through Taro Okamoto’s “Tower of the Sun” at the 1970 Osaka Expo, I learned about him. I also read books on contemporary art and thought Haruhiko Akasegawa was really interesting. That’s when I began thinking about studying art. Since I didn’t have any drawing experience, I looked for a course that didn’t require drawing for the entrance exam.

You studied art production at Joshibi, right?

Salasa: Yes, but I stopped going after about a year. After leaving university, I studied oil painting, architectural history, and art history at a private contemporary art school run by a woman who graduated from Musashino Art University. Later, I attended a course called “The Backdoor to Contemporary Art” at an art school for about six months.

A Place of Inspiration: Attending Events and Galleries to Meet Icons

I saw in another interview that, during your teenage years, you went to meet artists and activists you were interested in.

Salasa: Yes, from around my senior year of high school to after I dropped out of university, up until about 2021, when I didn’t think I would become a musician. I was interested in a lot of different things, and I thought, if I had to make a living, I wanted to do something I enjoyed. So, whenever there was an opportunity to attend events or exhibitions by people I admired, I would go.

Who did you go to meet?

Salasa: The first person that comes to mind is Fumita Hasegawa. I happened to come across a book of his, which I found fascinating, and I went to meet him at a flea market event he was holding in Nakameguro.

When I was a teenager, I also admired eri from DEPT. For about six months, before I debuted, I worked at the store “Mingtian Haohao” run by eri and the others. It was a time when I really wanted to absorb everything I could about what my role models thought and how they lived. The people I met and the experiences I had during that time have connected to where I am now, and it was a time full of great encounters.

(*Note: DEPT is a pioneering vintage select shop in Nakameguro. Owner eri is also known as an activist for environmental issues like climate change.)

You were very proactive during that time.

Salasa: Yes, I was incredibly spontaneous. I even went to Kyoto alone with my guitar and ended up singing at a gallery unexpectedly [laughs].

Earlier, you mentioned that since starting your music career, you’ve distanced yourself from galleries and museums. Why is that?

Salasa: With music becoming my job, there were changes in my environment, and during the pandemic, when I was feeling down, I went to the Setouchi Triennale. I ended up being more moved by nature than the artwork. Since then, I realized that I’m more drawn to things like nature—things that can’t be controlled—rather than what people create. So, I hadn’t been going much. But today, while looking at the artwork, I realized that it’s still fun and exciting. I think I’ll visit more exhibitions again.

Justin Cagiat & Raphael Delacruz: “The Toys of Peace” Exhibition Venue: Taka Ishii Gallery (complex665)

A two-person exhibition by Justin Cagiat (born 1989, Tokyo) and Raphael Delacruz (born 1989, San Francisco). This exhibition is composed of new works created through their collaboration, featuring diamond-shaped paintings alongside a film installation, The Toys of Peace. The title of the work, which evokes the short story Toys of Peace, is reflected in the teaser, offering a glimpse into the dreamlike imagery of the film’s world.

Exhibition Period: October 5, 2024 (Saturday) – November 10, 2024 (Sunday)
Venue: Taka Ishii Gallery, complex665, 3F, 6-5-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
URL: Taka Ishii Gallery