Minako Hayashi collects fragments that strike a chord in her daily life, like sun-faded old paper and plant seeds, and uses them to create collages. Her exhibition, "Tsubu-Tsubu Research Institute g Branch Office ~? is Treasure~," is now open at Granvista Gallery Sapporo. We'll introduce you to the charm of her quiet yet profound world of art, which scoops up the memories and presences slumbering in everyday life.

The display in front of the entrance. The plants, collected and stored in glass bottles, are beautiful.

Calling herself "Researcher H of the Tsubu-Tsubu Research Institute," Minako Hayashi collects and studies "tsubu-tsubu" (grains or particles) that drift in the space between the everyday and the non-everyday (the world of imagination). For her, "tsubu-tsubu" are the various fragments and elementary particles that have struck a chord with her, serving as "keys or tickets that allow one to travel freely in an imagined world." The "Tsubu-Tsubu Research Institute g Branch Office" is where she can fully enjoy this research.

Items collected by Researcher H, such as dream diaries and scrapbooks, are on display (Photo: Yasushi Yamagishi)

Plant seeds, fossils found on the beach, various scraps of paper, records of dreams, strange stories... Visitors to this exhibition will surely be captivated by the beautiful presence of the modest fragments (including kindness received from others) collected by "Researcher H." "At the root of my collection and research is something like a prayer, a desire to preserve good things, like sun-faded paper that has captured the passage of time, and the richness of nature's blessings," says Hayashi.

"Mr. H's Greenhouse" (Photo: Yasushi Yamagishi)

The collage works lining the walls are perhaps the heart of her research. It's a fresh surprise to see how seemingly insignificant fragments like paper scraps, thread, and old photographs are layered to create a wonderful world you could gaze at forever. The collage works are something you should definitely take your time to appreciate at the venue.

"Paper Room." Box created by Yukio Kishimoto of Zoofactory (Photo: Yasushi Yamagishi)

"I love old things that have been cherished and passed down by people, things that hold the memory of someone's life. I create with the desire to give form to the images and presences of things that already existed, like items left forgotten on display in a small back-alley shop," she explains.

"Street Corner Collage," made from fragments collected while drifting between the everyday and the extraordinary.

"I have this image that everyone has their own small laboratory inside them, where they conduct research and experiments every day. I would be happy if my research could cause a chemical reaction with someone else's spirit of inquiry, leading to the birth of something new," says Hayashi. This exhibition is a great opportunity to rediscover the wonderful fragments you might have overlooked in your daily life, and it's also fun to think about what it is that you love and are researching yourself.

Granvista Gallery is only open on weekdays, so if you're thinking, "I can't go because of work...," Hayashi will be holding a two-person exhibition at Gallery Inukai from June 3rd to 14th. Be sure to check the Tsubu-Tsubu Research Institute's Instagram for more details.