Consept
Artist Network (AN: an) is a non-profit organization formed by the artists of various cultural backgrounds from various countries with the purpose of establishing a flexible and equal network, where they are supposed to work closely with respect and understanding for each other, so that they could exchange ideas, information, artworks for more flourishing and smoother interpersonal communication.
'Art is long, life is short.' There are limits to what one artist can do.
'There is no royal road to learning art.' At the same time, you could say, 'Where there is a will, there is a way.' AN seeks our own way to build up network through steady and honest efforts.
Artists are a part of social world, who struggle to continue their activities of creating artworks and introducing them to public. The struggle or their way to realizing it could be a form of art. 'Art is long, life is short.' There are limits to what one artist can do.
'There is no royal road to learning art.' 'Where there is a will, there is a way.'
AN is a down-to-earth non-profit organization. Artists, who belong to AN, will produce projects by themselves, from A to Z (= from A to N in Japanese alphabet), or from planning, execution to reporting results, doing so they could confirm the position of their art in society.
AN will produce projects of any form, which extends from exhibitions, lectures, workshops, symposiums, publications, online events, solo shows, groups shows to collaborations (that could be with those who are non-artitsts.) AN is willing to ask for the support to work with Overseas Establishments, museums, educational establishments, local authorities, local societies, galleries, big corporations and small businesses, sometimes AN joins somebody's project, as it is also one of our essential missions to provide our support and information to other organizations.
The administrative office of AN is managed by the same members for a fixed period of time. Each project is to be initiated by the leader, who originally proposes the project idea, and the role of the leader is to end along with the end of the project. The leader is required to disclose information, account the concept, keep the people concerned updated with the process, organize the exhibition, and report out the result. Members and other people concerned are asked to adjust opinions by discussions and meetings based on the respect for the leader's ideas.
AN proposes this form of an organization as 'an idea' (an ) to society.
An organization can be described as 'wrap' that wraps up filling (like a Chinese dumpling). However good the wrap looks, you cannot tell the taste until you eat it.
The art projects and artworks are like the relationship between wrap and filling, whose quality is judged by the filling ( an ), which means 'concept'.
AN is subject to propose promising concept by artists working closely together.
AN also is looking forward to the projects overseas and in local areas, where artists can stay together like living in a hermitage ( an), and where they can travel together as if riding on a horse saddle ( an) side by side.
Artists put themselves in a different life and in a different culture to take a second look at their own culture, so that they give a deeper understanding on the universal issues or dark side ( an ) of modern society beyond the cultural boundaries, beyond the country boundaries. AN is encouraged to speak up to society through the projects in the standpoint of artists.
AN is still a young organization that has just started and looking forward to growing up together with artists and people who work together. It is our great pleasure if our effort would make a steady step toward better international communication surrounding art scenes.
Chikako Maria Mori
Exhibitions
Four Seasons:Winter 2008
December 4th - December 20th 2008 11:00 - 19:00 lastday -16:00
December 8th, 9th, 16th closed* December 3rd opening party 18:00 -
artworks
Kinya Nakatani, Kazuhiko Kakegawa, Makiko Takamura, Chikako Maria Mori
thumbhole and documentation
Kurt Gebauer, Shelly Goldsmith, Boris Nieslony, Dagmer Pachtner, Doris Maximiliane Wuergert
Gallery DODO
"MOVING"
4th-23rd April 2006
The Museum of Arts & Crafts ITAMI http://mac-itami.com
2-5-28 Miyanomae Itami Hyogo 664-0895 JAPAN
Sponsored : 2006 Japan Art Fundhttp://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/
Name Backup : Goethe-Institut Osaka http://www.goethe.de/ins/jp/osa/jaindex.htm?wt_sc=osaka
Artists:Dagmer Pachtner, Kinya Nakatani, Kazuhiko Kakegawa, Makiko Takamura, Chikako Maria Mori
"here-now"
Artist Network 22nd-27th August 2005
Gallery Kaze,
7-11-10 New Ginza Bld. B1F Ginza, Chuo-ku Tokyo JAPAN
Support : Austrian Embassy, Canadian Embass, Deustsche Botschaft, Tokyo Amerian Center, British Council, Mexican Embassy, Peruvian Embassy, Brazilian Embassy, Portugish Embassy, Goethe-Institut Tokyo
artist: Norber Brunner, Ona B., Magda Dejose, Sean Caulfield, Boris Neislony, Dagmer Pachtner, Doris Mazimiliane Woergert, Susanne Berkenheger, Miguel Angel Velit, Joao Pedro Pedoroso, Alexandra Julyan, Edd Perman, Bark Hampson, Shelly Gordsmith, Chrity Wyckoff, Kathy Marie Kenyon, Makiko Takamura, Akiko Taniguchi, Kinya Nakatani, Mami Higuchi, Etsuko Fuzuki, Sueko Matsuzawa, Masumi Miura, Chikako Maria Mori
'Globalisation' is generally viewed with suspicious eyes by the artistic community. However, I believe that the existence of networks such as the A-N Artist Network reminds us of the fact that alongside the Coca-Colas and Starbucks of this world, there also many positive aspects to the so-called 'global village'. A-N provides artists with an opportunity to transcend boundaries in the physical sense (the membership straddles four continents to date), in the technical sense (members work in diverse media - be it print-making, performance art or installation work) and in ideological terms (members work within distinct intellectual frameworks, whilst sharing a desire to engage in the sharing of ideas). 'Here-Now' represents an important collaboration between 27 members of the network. Participating artists come from 10 countries and have not all exhibited together before. Thus there will inevitably be questions raised by the new context and the juxtapositions of existing and new work. As the first large-scale exhibition from the group. [is this correct?!] it will surely whet the appetite for further exhibitions, events and projects from A-N. At the present time the A-N Artist Network is still in infancy. I very much look forward to seeing it grow, and being involved in its development. Networks such as this are essential as a positive arena for the exchange of ideas in an ever-changing and uncertain world.
Rebecca Hill Keeper of Art / C21 Outreach Officer Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery
