Art of Power Born of Pleasure

Imagine that one individual had spent over 50 years taking some 40,000 documentary photographs of urban restoration projects. Or that acting entirely on their own accord, a married couple had constructed one of the world's largest "self-made" apartment buildings, with six floors above ground and one below. Or that a mentally-handicapped person had built a huge mountain of dates after writing them down on paper day after day. These things were not intentionally created as works of art to be exhibited. Yet, they easily transcend the function and criterion for "photography," "architecture," and "diaries," and the act of making them and excessive nature of the object hold a special charm for many viewers. In conceiving of these things, created through an act that possesses a quality of irresistible charm, as art, what kind of impact is promised by the viewing experience? In this exhibition, we focus on the joy and pleasure of creating and acting that underlies these expressions and introduce a diverse range of activities in a variety of fields. In recent years, outsider art has attracted an increasing amount of attention, but without placing the sole emphasis on the unique acts of the mentally handicapped and amateur creators, we have also set out to include the work of professional artists in this introduction to the activities of 19 individuals and groups.
With "individually pleasing art" as a keyword suggesting a self-satisfied act, we revisit the motivations behind the creation and action of each of these expressions. Though this type of art embodies the attitude that it is possible to work at some remove from external objectives and preexisting systems, the work is not simply limited to the enjoyment of the individual creator but also functions to imbue the viewer with a sense of courage and freedom.