OKUNAKA Akihito "INTER-WORLD/Cocooner: Apparent motion of celestial bodies"

 

SAKAUE Yoshitarou
Honorary Advisor to BB Plaza Museum of Art and former Director of Itami City Museum of Art

Introduction

Since the 1990s, with the accelerating pace of internationalization, contemporary art has become fixed and hollowed out, becoming more distant from everyday life and from history.
Amidst the diversification of social values, I had the opportunity to see many of the works produced and presented by artists who have gathered at "Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival" and who are carrying on the "cultural and artistic traditions" built by our predecessors and who also reflect social phenomena in their work.
In conjunction with the Osaka-Kansai Expo, "Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025" welcomed artists from over 20 countries around the world and, under the theme of "social impact," aimed to visualize economic revitalization through culture and the arts and current social issues, providing opportunities for dialogue and encounters with audiences at various venues across Osaka city.

 

Chapter 1: An Invitation to a Diverse World: EXPO PUBLIC ART

This summer, I visited four venues in Osaka City. First, I would like to introduce some of the public art installed at the Expo site on the artificial island of Yumeshima. The concept is "an invitation to a diverse world." Incidentally, the term "public art" was coined in the United States in the 1960s, and can be interpreted as "artworks in public spaces," but its meaning is quite ambiguous.
MORI Mariko's spiral "Cycloid III", with the large roof ring at its back, is a refreshing sculpture with the shining white aluminum of its material, which, along with the work's upward orientation, also resembles a Möbius strip. Cycloid is a general term for the path a circle traces when it rotates according to certain rules.
Incidentally, public art does not only refer to three-dimensional sculptures. One such example is HASHIGUCHI Lintalow's horizontal mural entitled "Anima Harmonizer." The title is a coined word meaning "one who harmonizes and plays with souls." The rapid-fire line drawings, made with white paint on a black base, give the impression of "letters as living creatures born from paint," as the artist puts it, dancing wildly in ecstasy as they are smeared with white paint in one go.

 

In front of the trees planted at the installation site, TAZAKI Asuka's massive 13-meter-long wall art, "Forest Path - Blue Forest," creates a stunning space of reality and fiction. As I admired the work, I found myself ruminating on Tazaki's words, "The color is what the heart hears." As we gaze at the trees painted on the wall in front of the upright trees, we find ourselves drawn into a mysterious world.
Among the public art pieces on display this time is INTER-WORLD/Cocooner: Apparent motion of celestial bodies (Cocooner is a slang term), a piece that visitors can enter and that stands out from the surroundings. At first glance, the oval-shaped piece evokes a cocoon. Artist OKUNAKA Akihito says that by lying down inside the inflatable, cocoon-like piece, approximately 14 meters deep, visitors "can feel the air, water, and sun," as he puts it. Given the scorching heat that has been hitting us every day, it's not possible to enter during the day, but it's an interactive piece that's only accessible from the evening onwards. I was given special permission to enter for just a few seconds. I immediately lay down and looked up, and the elastic floor somehow gave me the illusion of being in my mother's womb.

 

HIWA Kazuhiko's work "HIWADROME: type_ark_spec2" is a three-dimensional sculpture that glows white in places even from a distance. Wheelchairs painted white are stacked up, and bells are attached to some of the wheels, catching and reflecting the sunlight. The artist himself uses a wheelchair in his daily life. As I gazed at the work, wondering if the intention of the work was to promote symbiosis between able-bodied people and those with physical disabilities, I noticed pigeons. Perhaps the pigeons had built nests and taken up residence there during the Expo. I was surprised, and at the same time, I felt a warm feeling at the mysterious sight.
The creator of the primary structure "Hard Boiled Daydream (Sculpture/Spook/Osaka)," which stood out as a striking piece within the Expo site, was KANEUJI Teppei . The work is more anti-sculptural than sculptural. The colorful, planar structure of materials has a painterly effect thanks to the flatly applied color surface treatment. In addition, the weightlessness of the structure is eliminated, enhancing the visual sense of weightlessness diffusing into space, creating an open, expansive space, making it an outstanding work.

 

In the official catalogue for this art festival, artist BAKIBAKI writes about his masterpiece mural, "Genealogy of Hope," "From ukiyo-e to manga, and from paintings on walls... I pray that the hope bestowed by our ancestors will become a cultural exchange with the visitors of the Expo." The work is based on "The Attendants of Sanuki-in Rescuing Tametomo" by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, who was active in the Edo period, and is painted on a black background with the artist's BAKI patterns, which combine traditional Japanese patterns with subculture. The screen, which also makes full use of traditional motifs, is like watching a scene from a new kabuki play.
Sculptor TOMINAGA Atsuya has placed five heart-shaped stones near the West Gate. Carved from each of the five continents, the stones will be polished by visitors to the Expo during the period, representing the eternal aspirations of humanity that transcend national and cultural boundaries. Tominaga's intention is to share "love" and "peace." The participatory "Love Stone Project EXPO 2025" will become a memory of the Expo as people from around the world polish them, and the brilliance of the stones will illuminate a world where hearts are connected.
The public art pieces within the gorgeous Expo site sometimes serve as backgrounds for commemorative photos, sometimes invite visitors into cocoon-like works, and sometimes polish stones representing the five continents, demonstrating their presence as sculptural art in public spaces.
What impressed me was that, in contrast to the long lines of visitors entering each pavilion, the public art within the venue did not pander to the visitors.

 

Chapter 2: Reflections on people and life - Reshaped Reality: 50 Years of Hyperrealistic Sculpture

Across the sea to the east of the Expo site, the Osaka Culturarium Tempozan (formerly the Suntory Museum) is hosting the "Reshaped Reality" exhibition, which traces 50 years of hyperrealistic sculpture.
This traveling exhibition, organized by the German research institute IKA (Institute for Cultural Exchange), aims to revive the essence of humanity through the physical expression of 27 sets of 39 hyperrealistic sculptures.

 

Here, I'd like to introduce some of the works that made the biggest impression on me. Duane Hanson's "Body Builder" is a life-size work of a man sitting on a bench press platform, so meticulously crafted that it could be mistaken for a real person. Since around 1960, Hanson has been taking casts of real Americans and creating sculptures out of polyester resin and fiberglass. The work, featuring a bodybuilder with a beautiful physique lost in thought with his eyes downcast, expresses the essence of an idealized American dream, while also emanating from the sculpture a sense of everyday fatigue and emptiness. The realism of the work makes us unconsciously project our own images onto it, circulating back and forth between reality and illusion.
One of the most eye-catching works at the venue was "Caroline" by French artist Daniel Farman, a female figure standing facing a wall. Her arms and head are hidden in her sweater, and the way her upper arms rest against the wall evokes in the viewer a moment of anguish or despair. The fact that she is facing away from us creates an effect that further stimulates our imagination.
The female figure seems to be performing a solitary pantomime, or perhaps eternally waiting for something.
Many viewers will likely be contemplatively drawn to Australian artist Ron Mueck's "Untitled (Man in a sheet)", which makes them realize that the scale of a sculpture cannot be measured by its size. The expression of the tiny old man wrapped in a white sheet exudes a sense of spiritual loneliness, allowing one to experience the limits of perceived distance. It is a small piece with a strong impact.
We will have to reexamine the meaning of being human.
Australian artist Sam Jinks' "Seated Woman", a nude statue of a woman seated with her knees hugged to her chest, is made with natural hair, demonstrating an extremely high level of skill. Though the statue is human-scale, standing at 73cm tall, it quietly conveys the fragility of women and the transience of life. It's a pose that forces deep contemplation. Perhaps it's a question for individuals who remain hidden away within civil society.
Another Australian artist, Patricia Piccinini, has a statue of a young girl with a hairy body that is unnatural. She is holding a small, mutant-like creature in her arms as if she were holding it dearly. When we gaze at the statue, we realize that it is asking us questions about what it means to be human, and it conveys a sense of tranquility and innocence.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had the opportunity to contemplate what it means to be human through this exhibition, which explores the trajectory of hyperrealism and the exquisite depictions of the human body by many artists. The sculptures, so easily mistaken for the real thing, offer a sense of realism that raises the unsettling possibility that they might actually come true.
This may be a bit repetitive, but the hyper-realistic human sculptures create a scene in a tranquil space, emanating a presence that defies easy impressions. Throughout this exhibition, I was forced to contemplate the universal essence of humanity, which is expressed even though the materials and techniques have changed.

 

●Chapter 4: The potential of art in a transforming town - Never give up. Kamagasaki Art Center -

I visited Kamagasaki for the first time in decades. The area known as Kamagasaki is located in the northeastern part of Nishinari Ward, Osaka City, and has a population of approximately 23,000 people in an area of 0.62km². However, it is reported that approximately 40% of the population is elderly, and approximately 84,500 households are on welfare. Furthermore, a 2021 survey reported that there were 943 homeless people. Kamagasaki remains a town where day laborers and low-income earners gather, searching for affordable housing.
During the period of rapid economic growth, the area functioned as a "town for day laborers," and was lined with cheap lodgings (doya) and inexpensive restaurants, making it known as a "doya district." Even today, there are about 74 cheap lodgings and daily-pay apartments clustered together.
After the 1966 riots in the Nishinari district, the local government took the lead in naming the area "Airin District," with the aim of shifting Kamagasaki's image from a "workers' town" to a "welfare town."
Many workers from Kamagasaki were employed to build the venue for the 1970 Osaka Expo, develop Osaka's urban infrastructure, and provide labor for construction and civil engineering projects in the Kansai region.
However, the collapse of the bubble economy and the resulting recession in the construction industry, along with the decrease in work due to mechanization at construction sites, have led to an increase in homeless people. Currently, as the workforce ages and the influx of inbound tourists has led to the transformation of these places into lodgings for foreign tourists.
During that time, Kamagasaki's unique culture and community have been formed by the local people, many volunteers, and supporters. Even now, the existence of individuals and groups who are actively engaged in confronting social issues and providing support should be respected.

 

We started off by checking out the Kioku Shugei-Kan “Tansu,” a fashion brand shop featuring handcrafts by local women. Established in 2018, this Nishinari-based workshop and shop displays and sells original products made from blankets and fabrics collected from the community. Housed in a renovated wooden house that survived the recent Osaka air raids, the shop is full of warmth and humanity. As the name suggests, the shop is impressively filled with several old chests of drawers, symbolizing the everyday life of the people. The warmth of handmade items is also evident in the original clothing, created in collaboration with foreigners living in the Nishinari area. We hope this will help expand the circle of communication between makers and buyers.

 

Next, we headed to Cafe Atariya, a newly renovated version of Sanno Harmonica Nagaya. The cafe, which professes to be "front, back, middle and corner," serves as a place where visitors from overseas and local residents can enjoy conversation over tea. Occasionally, the cafe also showcases works by artists with ties to Kamagasaki and artists from across Asia. We hope that this space will develop into a unique art space through interaction with local people and those from overseas.

I visited the Dobutsuenmae Shopping Arcade for the first time in a long time. There is a guesthouse, cafe and garden in the arcade.
I stepped into Kamagasaki University of the Arts (Cocoroom). Its slogan is "Never give up. Kamagasaki Art Center." At first glance, the building looks like a coffee shop, but it is in fact Kamagasaki University of the Arts, run by the art NPO Cocoroom. Since around 2003, the center has been hosting a variety of activities, including exhibitions of paintings, poetry, haiku, calligraphy, and photography by local people, as well as a guest house. Inside the art center, the rooms have unique names, such as the Book Café, Cocoroom Room, Poet's Room, and Haiku Poet's Room.

 

It can also be said that the "creative" activities of the people who gather at Cocoroom are formed from the social and everyday environments and conditions in which they live. The existence of Kamagasaki University of the Arts, which connects awareness of the place of daily life to the creation and development of art, is an important source of comfort.
In particular, the "Kama Daimyojin" shrine in the garden is named after a well that was built in 2019 through the collaborative efforts of local residents and volunteers. It is fair to say that the well, still filled with water, is a symbol of "connecting hearts (solidarity)." Above all, the diverse artworks that are painted and pasted on the ceilings and walls of the facility are energetic art that symbolizes solidarity with the community. We would like to pay tribute to the people who continue to move forward even while being tossed about by the currents of the times.

 

Chapter 5: North, South, East and West, a crossroads of cultures - Re: Human ─ The New Human Condition -

 

The venue was the Semba Excel Building, which was built the year before the 1970 World Expo. Semba was an economic city of Osaka that gathered people, wealth, and information from all over the country, and was bustling with many shops dealing in finance, medicine, textiles, imported goods, and more.
"Senba" is an area approximately 2km north to south and 1km east to west, bounded by the Tosabori River to the north, the Nagahori River (now Nagahori Street) to the south, the Higashi-yokobori River (now the Hanshin Expressway Southbound Line) to the east, and the Nishiyokobori River (now the Hanshin Expressway Northbound Line) to the west.
The area around the venue was one of Japan's three largest textile wholesale districts, but after the 1970 World Expo, the center of the economy and information industry shifted to Tokyo, and the IT revolution brought about changes in the functionality of office buildings, forcing the town of Semba to undergo a major transformation, causing a decline in its former bustle.
Taking this background into account, this exhibition showcased works by artists who tackled themes such as "The future of humans," "What changes and what stays the same," and "A better way of life."
The first thing I encountered was a V-shaped bed from Shuzo Azuchi Gulliver's installation "Dolce Vita/Virgo." Gulliver's long-standing "ATCG" series combines the four letters that represent the bases that make up DNA - adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G) - in various shapes.
In particular, the two V-shaped beds in the first exhibit made me think that the act of human reproduction is likened to the exchange of genetic information.Also, by installing a blackboard on the wall of the exhibition room and by the artist himself writing in countless squares with chalk and erasing the letters, it could be interpreted as presenting traces of his thoughts and symbolizing the path to creativity.
I was greeted by artist YOSHIDA Momoko's masterpiece "E9 equip, after the banquet" (454.6cm, height 181.8cm) in the exhibition room on the upper floor.
Yoshida's indoor portraits and the many drink bottles on the round table evoke today's lifestyles, including food, clothing, and shelter.
However, would it be too much to say that from the person's expression we can see a skeptical view of today's information and consumer society, as well as a sense of nostalgia for the expansion of generations being swept away by the times?
Yoshida's unique creative process involves first creating a 3D model of the character and background based on an image, then recording it in video, and then extracting a frame from that to use as a rough sketch. Through this process, Yoshida consciously distances himself from the real world, and his creative attitude of aiming to create a "contemporary portrait" based on his own imagination is reflected in his work.
KANEUJI Teppei's works, which transformed 13 pavilions into installations (spatial art), are all unique. Kaneuji arranged over a dozen pavilions, both new and old, within the venue. Some of the titles include "Hell Pavilion," "Abstract Painting Pavilion," "Abstract Sculpture Pavilion," and "Newspaper Factory Pavilion."
These pavilions are unrelated to the Expo and are a collection of Kaneuji's ideas, giving form to his interests in personal history, time, cultural trends, etc. The composition of these works allowed us to see the rich wit and breadth of expression of Kaneuji, one of Japan's leading contemporary artists.
In 1994, I saw ISHIHARA Tomoaki's solo exhibition "Imagine a blind man and an invisible man meet in an art museum," held at Gallery KURANUKI in Osaka. I still remember the last line of an essay Ishihara contributed to the pamphlet for the exhibition: "The doors of the art museum open, and love begins."

 

In the 1980s, Ishihara pursued the roots of art and perception by using life-size nude photographs of herself in front of painterly backdrops. From the 1990s onwards, she developed her own unique style of expression through lenticular 3D paintings and photo collages.
This time, he exhibited two series: "ISM-Substitute" and "Transparent Ghost Complex." "ISM-Substitute" is a three-dimensional self-portrait made by layering parts printed on a 3D printer based on 3D scanned data of the artist's own body. "Transparent Ghost Complex" involved scanning the artist's own hair, converting it into vector data, outputting it on film, and then printing it onto three-dimensional photographic paper, which was then printed on canvas.
Each of these series may be a product of technology, using the artist's own body as material and transforming dimensions from analog to digital, to images, photographs, and paintings.
As we are in the midst of the AI ​​era and consider what humanity will be like in the future, we will be keeping a close eye on the development of Ishihara's work, which brings a new perspective to current society.

 

Meanwhile, KAWATA Satoshi, who has shown an interest in creating murals in public spaces, was inspired by OKAMOTO Taro's "Tower of the Sun", the symbol of the 1970 Osaka Expo, and presented his fresco "Taro no iro to katachi x Public" (2023) at the Shiga Ceramic Cultural Park.
Kawata was attracted to OKAMOTO Taro's artistic expression and the dynamism of primary colors, and used his work to provide an opportunity to think about "movement" and "change" in today's ever-changing society.
This time, the work was moved from the Ceramic Art Museum to the Semba Excel Building using a technique called strapping, and exhibited. I felt that Kawata's murals combined a primitive, vibrant, indigenous quality with the modern era.
In his photographic and video work AMA (Encounter of Two), KIM Sajik raises questions about ethnicity, race, nation, and human life and death in modern society.
The title of the work, AMA (Encounter of Two), is based on the keyword "virus," and Kim states that "viruses are engraved with the memories of human evolution and the history of othering."
Furthermore, Kim incorporates knowledge from a variety of fields, including biological evolution, the history of infectious diseases, folklore, anatomy, and cultural anthropology, and through her unique narrative world, she injects his photographs and videos with questions about how individuals and groups confront and coexist with "others." Her work will undoubtedly motivate us to recognize the differences between people and the coexistence of diverse values, and to share an understanding of a symbiotic society.
Another collaborative work, "Miracle Forest EXPO'70 - Generative AI Video Ver. 2 (Video Installation)," by HATA Yoshio + ENATSU Masaaki + ENATSU Yoshihiro, is a must-see exhibition corner.

 

Originally, the site of the 1970 Osaka Expo was planned to be used to build a business center. However, due to Osaka's rapid urbanization and growing social interest in environmental issues, the plan shifted to creating a "cultural park surrounded by greenery." HATA Yoshio began photographing Expo Forest, one of Japan's largest urban parks (commonly known as "Expo Forest"), in 2021. This work combines these photographs with a collaboration between ENATSU Masaaki (music) and  ENATSU Yoshihiro (video) to create an AI-powered "Miracle Forest" in 2070. In a sense, this "cultural park surrounded by greenery" has been artificially reforested. It is said that it takes 100 years for a self-sustaining forest to take shape, and now Expo Forest has become a park that is home to many insects and wild birds.
Global warming, air pollution, and environmental destruction are becoming more serious issues today. As greenery disappears from cities, the "Expo Forest" video, even though it was created using generative AI, suggests to us the existence of creatures that live in forests and the activities of humans.
That's why I said it's a must-see corner.
The exhibition at the main venue that stands out as being filled with human energy is "Kamagasaki University of the Arts." Kamagasaki, commonly known as "Kamagasaki," is known as Japan's largest flophouse, which once supported Osaka during its period of rapid economic growth. Today, with the passage of time, the area is facing a multitude of problems, including unemployment and an aging workforce.
In recent years, with the increase in inbound tourism, new challenges have arisen, such as an increase in foreign residents and attracting tourists. Under these circumstances, Kamagasaki is seen as a city of renewed challenge, and an art initiative that is deeply connected to the local community has been born.
Based on the philosophy that "wherever there are people who want to learn from each other, there is a university," the non-profit organization "Cocoroom: A Room for Voice, Words and Hearts" was opened in 2012. As a "place for encounters and expression," Kamagasaki University of the Arts is a place for interaction with a variety of people, not only local residents but also tourists from Japan and abroad, artists, and more.
Incidentally, Cocoroom was recognized by the Japan Foundation as "an organization that deepens ties and cooperation between Japanese and overseas citizens through artistic and cultural activities, exchanges wisdom and ideas, and thinks together," and received the Regional Citizen Award in 2020.
Poet Kanayo Ueda, one of the members of the NPO Cocoroom, has a significant presence. She founded the Kamagasaki University of the Arts in 2012, which continues to carry out a variety of cross-disciplinary activities, inviting local people who live and work there.
If we look up the word "art" in the Kojien dictionary, we find that it is defined as "human activities and their products that seek to create and express aesthetic value by making full use of certain materials, techniques, and styles. They are classified into various types depending on the perspective, such as visual arts, expressive arts, sound arts, time arts, and spatial arts."
If so, art is the act of "creating." This may include "creating" consciously or unconsciously. By expanding the definition, aren't our everyday "clothing," "food," and "shelter" also art?
This time, paintings, poetry, calligraphy, music, plays, physical expressions and other works that were born from this effort were on display, and the entire exhibition room was filled with passionate messages that resonated with me.

 

●In conclusion

This year's Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival will feature exhibitions at each venue under slogans such as "What is the boundary between art and non-art?", "Why do people want to see art?", and "Is art powerless to address social issues?"
Study: It is no exaggeration to say that the works by a combination of artists at the exhibition venue of the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival evoke the history of the exhibition site and people's memories and thoughts.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels hopeful for the future when I see so many artists questioning "what does art do" in today's "age of division," with many of their works asking the question "what does humanity mean?"
Above all, I would like to pay tribute to the insight of the Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival Executive Committee, who have opened the door to a new era by asking, "What can art do?" in this "age of division."
Additionally, the choice of venues other than the Expo site and the exhibition approach reflected serious themes such as what it means to be human and social issues, which differed from the festive atmosphere of the Expo site.
In this way, we would like to highly commend the efforts of those involved in planning an art festival that is the polar opposite of the Expo site, and which has set artistic and advanced goals.

 

[Note] In writing this article, I received many suggestions from the catalogs and books I referred to.

Tomoaki Ishihara, "Imagine a blind man and an invisible man meet in an art museum," Gallery KURANUKI, 1994; Motoo Yoshimura, "Motoo Yoshimura's 'Landscapes' and 'Poetry of Life,'" Kyoto Tsushinsha, 2013; Atsuya Tominaga, "Stone," Ippodo Gallery, 2024; Official catalogue, "Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival," ARTLOGUE Inc., 2025