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Gallery

frantic gallery was opened in 2007 in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. It tries to introduce new artists with a unique style, as well as reflect new trends and movements in contemporary art. Frantic gallery pays attention to all kinds of media and will introduce Japanese artists to a foreign audience, as well as bring artists from abroad to the Japanese audience. The gallery supports new and emerging artists with a unique perspective and tries to build a bridge between different cultures and generations. The gallery introduces the works of artists with original sensibility and distinguished means of expression. It is a platform through which the infinite potential of contemporary art is explored. The gallery introduces young and promising artists and aims to provide opportunities for artists to organize shows and develop new concepts, working as a bridge between artists and society… Let’s put an end to these banalities!!! “frantic is a young gallery…” – Yes, as with hundreds of others. “frantic presents new art” – Yes, but shouldn’t we remind, that in the end the pursuit of novelty is a task of fashion and marketing, but not an artist or an art gallery. “frantic searches for fresh discoveries” – Yes, but shouldn’t we point to those whose art might already be sold, but yet not properly discovered. “frantic exhibits interesting art” – Yes, but shouldn’t we propose, that the feature of “being interesting” might not be at all one of the necessary qualities of artistic expression, but something that poisons art and reduces it to entertainment or a hollow provocation. “frantic presents Japanese artists” – Yes, but only those Japanese artists, who are outside of the label of “Japanese Artist”; those artists who resist stereotypes and the stupefied image of Contemporary Japanese Art. “frantic searches for up-to-date art” – Yes, but that up-to-date art might be rooted in the oldest of aesthetic traditions. Anything, however not the following, can be questionable: even while being in the epicenter of art-fakes, art-pimps and art-casinos frantic gallery will do its best to preserve its autonomous and self-conscious position…even if in the end we are called “Just crazy!!!”.

Interview with the director of frantic gallery Yasuhisa Miyazaki Art Journalist: What was your first encounter with art? Yasutoshi Miyazaki: Well, it was through my own artistic activity in middle school. The school was preparing designers, so we had additional classes for painting. I am not and have never been an artist, although my teachers appreciated my work and were always confiscating my drawings. They said it was needed as reference material. Although, I doubt anyone has ever referred to it since. AJ: And what about contemporary art? Y.M.: The first strong impression I had was simply from monographs I could find in bookstores: Francis Bacon, as well as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol with his “Death and Disaster” series. Nevertheless, not just an impression but my first strong experience of art was an exhibition of Robert Frank at the Yokohama Art Museum in the mid 1990s. I was sure that it was a painting exhibition when I looked at the flier, but it turned out to be photography. I was surprised that a photo-image could be so strong, and that art could actually delude or capture an onlooker. After this happened, I started to collect photography. AJ: And what pushed you to open a gallery? Y.M.: Well, if I like to see art, I would like to show art as well: I wanted to help artists present themselves, as well as to be involved in an exhibition of art. AJ: What are the general qualities of the art you present in art project frantic? Y.M.: I can say that we are interested in art that works with the effects of the grotesque, erotic, violence and black humor. We are interested in twisted visuality and ignore everything that looks “simply beautiful” or “plainly cute”: our image is one which disturbs; figures that look different when you see them for the second time; art that presents several ideas simultaneously; art that provokes desire and produces lack, not satisfaction. AJ: Excuse me, can you explain more of what you mean by “twisted visuality”? Maybe you mean… Y.M.: Listen, honestly speaking I don’t think this explanations give any representation of frantic gallery. Maybe you should visit one of our exhibitions… AJ: No, No, I still have questions. I wanted to ask… Y.M.: Ok, I have a proposition. I will show you several works from my photo-collection. By looking at them you can understand, what is the triggering point for frantic and how we want it to be in the nearest future. AJ: Just one more question. I wanted to know how you deal with economic crisis. Does it affect you and how you… (Image 1) Moriyama Daido, “Kawasaki/Kanagawa”, 1869 (Image 2) Gilles Berquet, Untitled, mid. 80ies Image 3 Zhang Huan and Ma Liuming, “The third contact”, 1995 Image 4 Hagiwara Yoshihiro, Autistic Space, mid.80ies Image 5 Hiromi Tsuchida, Untitiled, mid.60ies Image 6　なし Image 7 Michiko Kon, Untitled, mid.90ies Image 8 Slawomir Rumiak, Lina W Dawnym Stylu, 1998 Image 9 Joel-Peter Witkin, Coubert in Rejlander’s Pool, 1985