ARKO2023 - After three years, Natsumiko Taniwara's "New Take of the Bamboo Cutter" blooms.

The painter, Tanihara Natsuko, unaware that paint is on her long hair, heads towards a pitch-black support that exceeds her height.

The Ohara Museum of Art in Kurashiki City is hosting ARKO (Artist in Residence Kurashiki, Ohara) 2023, aimed at supporting young artists and promoting unique expressions from Kurashiki.

The mysterious world of Tanihara Natsuko, which is both eerie and vibrant, has been created in the atelier left behind by Kojima Torajiro and has been open to the public since July 11, 2023.

I visited the atelier in the midst of her production.

What is ARKO, supporting young artists?

ARKO (Artist in Residence Kurashiki, Ohara) is a project implemented by the Ohara Museum of Art since 2005, aiming to support young artists, utilize the atelier used by the Western painter Kojima Torajiro, who laid the foundation for the Ohara Museum of Art, and promote expressions from Kurashiki. Selected artists can focus on their residency production in Kurashiki City.

Artists selected through public recruitment stay in Kurashiki for up to three months, creating works in the atelier located within Muishin-so, which was Kojima Torajiro's base of activities, and the completed works are exhibited at the Ohara Museum of Art. Tanihara Natsuko was selected as a resident artist through the public recruitment for "ARKO2020," but due to the spread of COVID-19, ARKO was forced to be postponed. Now, as "ARKO2023," Tanihara's residency production is finally taking place, and her completed works will be exhibited at the Craft Hall of the Ohara Museum of Art (Munehiko Shiko Room).

Ohara Museum of Art: Exhibition/Event Information (ARKO2023 Tanihara Natsuko)

In 2023, Tanihara Natsuko engaged in creative activities as the 18th resident artist.

Biography of artist Tanihara Natsuko

Tanihara was born in 1989 in Saitama Prefecture and currently resides in Hyogo Prefecture.

She completed her master's degree in oil painting at Kyoto City University of Arts in 2016 and her doctoral course in fine arts at the same university in 2021.

She is currently engaged in creative activities based in the Kansai region.

Creation at the atelier of Kojima Torajiro in Sakatsu, Kurashiki City

"Please be careful not to slip on the dead grass. Don't trust this stone either; it might suddenly collapse," I was guided to the atelier, which was located up a slope in the mountains, making me think, "Is this really Sakatsu, Kurashiki City?"

This is the site of Ohara Magosaburo's villa, "Muishin-so," where the Ohara Museum of Art was built, and it is usually not open to the public.

It is said to have been built in 1927 to create a painting for the declaration of war against Russia to be donated to the Shoto Memorial Art Museum in Meiji Jingu Gaien, and it has no electricity and no air conditioning or artificial lighting.

Tanihara has been engaged in creative activities in this atelier since April 2023.

The light from the west, east, and south windows changes position depending on the day, so the design incorporates indirect light from the ceiling and natural light from the north.

It is a typical atelier architecture of the time.

With a total floor area of about 150 square meters, the large atelier has over 70 square meters of production space, and outside the windows, there is a deep green forest and rich nature.

The start of Tanihara Natsuko's residency filled with three years of thoughts

Tanihara Natsuko was selected through the public recruitment for "ARKO2020," but the residency production was postponed due to the spread of COVID-19.

After three years, the residency production began anew as "ARKO2023" from April 2023.

She expressed concerns that this residency might not happen.

When asked about her thoughts during the three years of postponement and her activities in the atelier, Tanihara said the following:

"I was looking forward to it. At first, I felt a bit intimidated because it was Kojima Torajiro's atelier. I was a little nervous, but now I am painting freely."

Tanihara uses black velvet as a support and employs oil paints, acrylic paints, as well as sequins and metal powder to express unique images in her distinctive style.

The work she is tackling this time is large, measuring 2,275mm in height and 1,457mm in width.

It is quite a significant piece.

Now is the time to depict Tanihara Natsuko's 'The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.' As she acclimated to the environment, the atelier became a treasure trove of ideas, and her desire to create something that can only be expressed in Ohara grew stronger.

In her creative activities, Ms. Yahara has a rule to create original stories.

Inspired by the legend of Momotaro's Urashima during location scouting, she depicted the story of her unique work, 'The New Tale of the Bamboo Cutter by Natsuko Yahara', in six pieces.

During location scouting in 2020 and 2023, she researched keywords such as old houses, rocks, cliffs, and bamboo.

It seems that the staff of the Ohara Museum of Art guided her to places she would not have visited before, and the first piece of the story was inspired by her visit to Iwakura Shrine in Kurashiki City.

When asked about the influence of location scouting at Iwakura Shrine and other places in the prefecture on Ms. Yahara, she said...

“Seeing the countless huge rocks, I thought, I have to depict this, and I painted it just like that. My inner story was deepened by the location scouting. I was very inspired,” she shared.

Ms. Yahara often uses herself as a model.

To expand her imagination, she brought kimonos and other items into her studio, created her makeup and hairstyle, and painted based on that.

Spending a Rich Time

As Ms. Yahara's painting production enters its final stages, we asked her about her three months of creative activities and her works.

How was your creative activity at the Mui Village Atelier?

At first, it was dark, and there was no electricity, so it was really scary.

However, as time passed, I got used to the darkness, and being cut off from media was good, and having lots of nature around me was really beneficial for my work.

I had more dialogues with my paintings, and I think I spent a rich time.

What are your aspirations for ARKO2023?

This is the largest scale for me, and all the works are new, so I believe this is the most important exhibition for me as an artist in the last five or six years.

During the exhibition period, I want to visit the Ohara Museum of Art many times, engage in dialogue with the completed works, and think carefully about how I can grow as an artist from here on.

About the works

The small insects, patterns on clothes, and small motifs in the paintings have meanings and hidden hints for the next scenes.

I want everyone to find the stories and hints I have hidden in the paintings like a treasure hunt, and I would be happy if you could share your interpretations of the stories on Twitter.

In Anticipation of the Exhibition

From April 2023, the curator of the Ohara Museum of Art, Yanagisawa Hideyuki, who has been observing Ms. Yahara's creative activities for three months, said, “It is a wonderful challenge that Ms. Yahara herself is working on a three-part large screen work, each with a clear story. I believe she has done thorough research and thought deeply about her production,” expressing high expectations for Ms. Yahara's works and growth as an artist at ARKO2023.

“Beauty and ugliness,” “Light and darkness,” “Alluring eeriness coexisting,” Ms. Yahara, who speaks with a carefree smile despite her intense works, will have her exhibition from July 11 to September 24.

Please come and take a look at the mysterious world that Ms. Yahara paints.

Ohara Museum of Art ARKO (Artist in Residence Kurashiki, Ohara) 2023 Data of Natsuko Yahara

Name	Ohara Museum of Art ARKO (Artist in Residence Kurashiki, Ohara) 2023 Natsuko Yahara
Dates	Exhibition period: July 11, 2023 (Tuesday) to September 24, 2023 (Sunday) Opening hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Last admission: 4:30 PM)
Location	Ohara Museum of Art Craft Hall, Shiko Munakata Room (1-1-15 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture)
Admission Fee (including tax)	Admission fee [General] Adults: 2,000 yen High school, junior high, and elementary school students: 500 yen * The works of Natsuko Yahara at ARKO2023 can be viewed with the admission fee to the Ohara Museum of Art only.
Website	ARKO Natsuko Yahara

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