A group exhibition by four artists, "About Drawing - What is Drawing? -," is currently being held at "Picture Book and Cafe Goldilocks" in Higashi-ku, Sapporo. Unlike the usual exhibitions where paintings are neatly arranged, this space is filled with anonymous works and objects, allowing visitors to experience art in a sensory way. Enjoy the exhibition in the mountain cabin-style cafe.

View from the entrance. The cafe is on the right and the main gallery space is in the back.

The group exhibition "About Drawing - What is drawing? -" was planned by Tsuge Hibiki, an art writer and painter who writes for publications such as Bijutsu Techo. "Among the contemporary artists I've seen in Sapporo over the past few years, I reached out to artists who have a unique perspective on 'drawing' and 'expression' and who continue to take a challenging stance with each visit," said Tsuge. The artists participating in this exhibition include Aida Chinatsu, who recently won the Sapporo Cultural Encouragement Award in 2022; Kasami Kodai, who has recently been presenting works in the form of installations* that develop the "situation for viewing paintings," Homma Kota, who majored in sculpture but began creating paintings in 2021 after graduating; and Tsuge.

*Installation: A technique in which an entire space is constructed as a work of art using objects and devices.

A talk event held on December 14th (Photo provided by the artist)

"The spatial composition of this exhibition is an attempt at an artistic session, similar to a free jazz improvisation, where one artist intentionally shifts phrases or changes the rhythm of the other's playing, creating an experimental installation space through a one-shot session." So what exactly is it?

An exhibition featuring works by Kasami, Tsuge, and Aida (Photo: provided by the artists)

The first thing that catches your eye in the main gallery are paintings without artist names, alongside aquariums, overturned display stands, and haphazardly placed pieces of wood and blue tarps. Many questions may arise, such as "Why an aquarium in a group exhibition of artists?" and "Who painted this?" However, even so, there are sure to be pieces that you can stare at for hours, and devices that will never cease to pique your curiosity. The key to this exhibition is to rely on your own senses and enjoy the space as a whole.

An area where Tsuge's works overlap with Homma's collection (Photo: provided by the artist)

Please note that works are displayed in every corner of the venue, with small drawings propped up on the floor and objects caught on lighting rails. After carefully viewing the traces of the artist's exhibition activities, take a look at the exhibition map with the names of the works and artists in hand and try to figure out who the work in front of you belongs to.

You can feel the individuality of each artist emerge from the artworks, and re-watch the works while thinking about the meaning of the titles. Of course, it's good to look at the exhibition map from the beginning, but personally I would recommend viewing it "first without the exhibition map, then with the exhibition map," which is twice as good as one gets.

A mountain cabin-style cafe lined with picture books

The owner of "Picture Book and Cafe Goldilocks" is Aida Chinatsu, one of the participating artists in this exhibition. Not only will Aida herself be at the shop on weekends, but she also sells her homemade bread on weekends only. (When I visited, I took home a canelé, which I also recommend!) There are also works on display in the back of the cafe, so don't miss that. After viewing the exhibits, why not spend some relaxing time in the cafe with a picture book?