4. KONMASA BLDG (2021 - 2024)
After returning home, starting from 2019, I continuously held a series of exhibitions.
The "Meditation Spaces" I crafted gradually approached their ideal form, navigating through various challenges.
In April 2020, my exhibition was set to occur in a museum in Nagano Prefecture.
However, due to the impact of the COVID-19, the setup was finished, but the decision was made to close from the very first day.
With nothing much to do, I returned to my hometown of Nagoya City・Arimatsu. During my stay, a junior from my middle school days approached me. We originally got along well, and that led to discussions about collaborating on something.
Trusting that two people could accomplish more than one, I relied on him, and we set out to create our ideal meditation space.
In December 2020, he found a suitable property for KONMASA The Art Building.
He also managed to find investors, completed the contract, and started the construction. However, he disappeared after a short while, leaving behind a significant debt.
Everything was difficult. Yet, these events played a pivotal role in the inception of KONMASA The Art Building, for without his involvement, there would indisputably be no KONMASA The Art Building.
The ordeal was intense, and I sensed that my endurance had limits.
I framed this hardship as an ascetic endeavor, setting a limit of 999 days for myself.
If, by chance, I couldn't withstand these trials for 999 days, I imposed a stipulation: to remove my tank top.
For 999 days at KONMASA The Art Building, I managed a cafe and gallery, engaging in daily interactions with customers.
The countless signs left on the first-floor surface were from individuals who practiced meditation in a private room and the artists I connected with. As days went by, the ever-increasing list of names resembled a form of training, much like constructing a mandala.
On the second floor, I hosted exhibitions of familiar artists and artists I admired, rotating them periodically. Among these, the exhibition by On Kawara, who had deeply impressed me in New York in 2015, became an invaluable time for both KONMASA The Art Building and my own life.
Moreover, exhibitions included tank top artworks created with students from my alma mater, a junior high school, and exhibition by the local Arimatsu indigo dyeing artist, Kaei Hayakawa. These activities could only be conducted in my hometown, the unique "place."
The meditation room on the third floor evolved over 999 days, constantly pursuing the perfect meditation space. On the fourth floor, a photo gallery continuously explained KONMASA throughout the 999 days via diverse exhibitions.
Then, at the entrance — on the 1000th day — I unearthed the tank top buried in the concrete ground, physically experiencing impermanence.
After enduring ascetic practices, only one tank top remained.
This lone tank top embodied the emotions of 999 days,
and after 1000 days, it was the first time the title "KONMASA BLDG" was bestowed upon it.
KONMASA BLDG DAY 1 (May 31, 2021)
KONMASA BLDG DAY 1000 (Feb 24, 2024)