In early January I spent a few days in Hong Kong. Guided by Nakanishi Taka, the author of the excellent "Hong Kong Art & Culture Guide" (Gijutsuhyoron-sha), I had the opportunity to visit a number of interesting places and meet some outstanding creators (thanks a lot, Taka-san!). One of the events she took me to was the "What’s Good Conference", a 4-day design meeting initiated by capable graphic designer/editor S.K. Lam at Hong Kong Art Centre.
Participating with presentations were Colette and Maison Martin Margiela from France, Japanese Groovisions, Hattori Kazunari, Nakamura Yugo and Sato Kashiwa, as well as Droog Design (Netherlands), John C. Jay (USA/Japan), Peter Saville (UK), and others that somehow fall in the "design" category in an extended meaning. But there were also Christopher Doyle (Australia/Hong Kong), who is known for his photography work for movie director Wong Kar Wai, and artists Aoshima Chiho + Takano Aya from Japan. Unfortunately I could only attend the conference on a single day, but the presentation by Aoshima + Takano alone was exhausting enough…
It was a little strange to see two mature artists who usually don't work together appear like school girls going to the bathroom hand in hand in the first place. Both are members of Kaikai Kiki, and their styles may indeed be similar, but at this international congress the duo looked simply out of place. My amazement reached its peak during their dumbfoundingly amateurish presentation.
Speaking in a low voice and in short expressions, the two showed only a handful of pictures without the shadow of a system. The organizers had reserved plenty of time for the speeches and translations, but each of the artists finished in about ten minutes. In an act of mental acrobatics the patient moderator switched to interview mode and somehow managed to fill the time frame, but again answers came in low voices, with insufficient explanations and out of context. Looking around in the audience I spotted quite a number of tired visitors who seized the occasion to take a nap. I had a hard time staying awake myself…
The apology, "to talk is not the job of an artist" surely doesn't work here, as all invited creators were given an explanation of the event’s outline, upon which they agreed to participate. Appearances at conferences like this have to be made as "presentators" rather than "artists", and that’s the least visitors who managed to get hold of one of the expensive tickets can expect. Kaikai Kiki’s director Murakami Takashi has been teaching his students the importance of presentations, and Murakami himself is setting a good example for this, but these girls here seem to be "unworthy pupils".
Compared to this washout, Sato Risa made a favourable appearance at the press conference for the Expo 2005 Aichi Japan Art Program, "Diverse Ways of Happiness" (1/14 @ Spiral Hall). Reading a speech she wrote down beforehand (explaining that the story would get long and confusing if she improvised), Sato made a nice contrast to Expo producer Izumi Shinya, who had just finished his redundant introduction and then continually raised laughs for failing to give sufficient answers on questions from attendants. Sato Risa delivered a kind of presentation one could call "artistic". The program she participates in, by the way, is a public art project of seven young artists born after 1970, including also Tea Makipaa, Nawa Kohei and Sawada Tomoko. While this sounds very promising as a measure against the "trouble caused by old people", it is more or less the Expo’s only official art project (with the exception of individual projects organized by the participating countries'/groups'/companies' pavilions, and performance-like programmes by the likes of Robert Wilson and Laurie Anderson). But according to Izumi, "Ferris wheel and merry-go-around (sic!) are art too"… Pinch me, somebody!
Anyway, the ability to deliver good presentations at conferences is essential. Not only is this what audiences expect, but I would consider this a basic form of personal etiquette. I can only hope that Aoshima and Takano learn from this.
Ozaki Tetsuya / Editor in chief / REALTOKYO