Go for Kogei 2021 presented two special exhibitions across five venues in the Hokuriku region (Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui Prefectures), exploring the subthemes of “Crafts turning into Contemporary Art” and “Crafts turning into Modern Design.” Special Exhibition I featured site-specific works by 20 artists working in crafts, contemporary art, and Art Brut, juxtaposed with architecture designated as cultural heritage. Special Exhibition II teamed up 13 creative directors and designers from diverse fields with local craftspeople and artisans to develop lifestyle-oriented products, independent of conventional marketing strategies. Additionally, Go for Kogei sought to establish a leading platform for Japanese craft by connecting the seven craft fairs and 90 studios across the region into a unified network.


[Special Exhibition I]
The Future of Craft Aesthetics: Kogei, Contemporary Art, and Art Brut
Special Exhibition I, The Future of Craft Aesthetics: Kogei, Contemporary Art, and Art Brut, expands on the themes of Art Crafting Towards the Future (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2012), which explored the convergence of Japanese crafts (kogei) with contemporary art. The exhibition also introduces crafts, contemporary art, and outsider art (art brut) from the perspective of materiality.
The exhibition highlights crafts that have been enriched and renewed by these cross-genre convergences, showing them alongside works of contemporary art and art brut. The three are presented not as oppositional categories but as fields with overlapping values and methods. By abandoning normative evaluations of skill, the exhibition reimagines the relationship between material and technique within the context of the act of doing, opening up new interpretations grounded in the creative interaction of person and object.
While the sophisticated techniques of master artisans have conventionally dominated the value hierarchy of the crafts world, this exhibition does not consider “technique” to be the only legitimate source of value. Rather, the exhibition demonstrates the expressive possibilities born from the interaction of person and object, including those of “anti-technical” works and “nontechnical” modes of expression like those seen in the play of children. This exploration extends beyond craft to encompass a broad reevaluation of the act of “making.”
The venues for the exhibition are Shokoji Temple (Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture), Natadera Temple (Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture), and the Otaki-Okamoto Shrines (Echizen, Fukui Prefecture). These venues—historic structures and designated Cultural Properties—embody the cultural landscape and local history of each region. The venues will feature site-specific works by a total of 20 artists. Visitors are invited to enjoy the exciting spaces created by the interaction of place and artwork.


[Special Exhibition II]
Crafts and Design: Kogei in Daily Life—Curations by 13 Creative Directors
Special Exhibition II, Crafts and Design: Kogei in Daily Life—Curations by 13 Creative Directors, is a project-based exhibition that explores the creation of everyday housewares and utensils that both meet the demands of daily life and inspire an emotional connection. Thirteen directors paired up with 13 groups of artisans, craftspeople, and producers to create new products.
Looking back on the history of modern design and crafts, rapid population growth and increases in quality of life during the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s fostered a culture of manufacturing that had to provide both volume and quality.
The craft and design industries commingled and interacted, exploring models of production that would meet the market’s needs. This relationship between crafts and design resulted in a large number of products of enduring value. Today, there is a greater tendency to think of crafts and design as mutually exclusive categories, but the fields are too rich to be so neatly packed away. The concept for this exhibition was inspired by the manufacturing attitude of the 1940s–1960s.
The project’s first concern was valuing the perspective of the end user. Not in the sense of marketing methodologies, but from a more concrete, individual perspective. Each of the projects departed from an authentic personal need or desire. The project’s 13 creative directors fulfilled this role, coming up with ideas for products that they wanted to try or that would fill a need. While this approach may ostensibly seem overly personal, given the sheer diversity of lifestyles in contemporary society, it is also the most honest basis for product ideation.
The project’s second concern was connecting the design and hand manufacturing process—bringing together diverse teams to acquire different points of view. By transcending a top-down order-based hierarchy, each party was able to determine their strengths, divide labor, and engage in creation. While this results in a certain level of opacity, the project embraced it as an opportunity to explore new creative processes. The question of price was also considered and factored. This exhibition features the products created through this process, along with the original concepts and design notes from the research and development stage. Visitors are invited to look behind the products and witness the creative processes of skilled designers, cultural leaders, artisans, and craftspeople.

[Special Exhibition I]
The Future of Craft Aesthetics: Kogei, Contemporary Art, and Art Brut
Aoki Chie, Hatta Yutaka, Ito Keiji, Iwano Ichibei IX, Kaneshige Yuho, Kojiro Yoshiaki, Kuwata Takuro, Muta Yoca, Nakamura Takuo, Nakata Mayu, Nui Project (Shobu Gakuen), Oki Junko, Sasaki Rui, Sawada Shinichi, Sudo Reiko, Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, Tanaka Nobuyuki, Tanaka Noriko, Yamagiwa Masami, Yokoyama Shohei

[Special Exhibition II]
Crafts and Design: Kogei in Daily Life—Curations by 13 Creative Directors
Hara Kenya & Taniguchi Seidosho; Hosoo Masataka & Taki Washi Paper, Inc.; Inaba Toshiro & Shimatani Shouryu Kobo; Brian Kennedy & Nakada Masaru; Minagawa Akira & Peter Ivy; Mori Yoshitaka & Toyama Glass Studio; Morioka Yoshiyuki & Osada Washi Co., Ltd.; Nakamura Hiromine & Kida Ceramics Factory; Nakata Hidetoshi & Sakai Naoki; Oniki Koichiro & Takemata Yuichi; Secca & Yamachika Screen; Shito Rei & Takahashi Yuma; Yanai Michihiko & Higashi Setsuko

• Exhibition Dates September 10th–October 24th, 2021
• Venues Shokoji Temple (Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture); Natadera Temple (Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture); Otaki-Okamoto Shrines (Echizen, Fukui Prefecture); Sklo (Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture); Noetica (Kanazawa)
• Organizer Hokuriku Kogei Platform Executive Committee; Ministry of Culture; Japan Arts Council
• Management Approved Specified Nonprofit Corporation Syuto Kanazawa
• Co-organizers Kanazawa 21st Century Craft Festival Executive Committee; KUTANism Executive Committee; Glass Festa (Toyama Glass Studio); Takaoka Craft Market Executive Committee; RENEW Executive Committee; Craft Fest Executive Committee Special Cooperation: Toyama City; Takaoka City; Nomi City; Komatsu City; Echizen City; Hokkoku Shimbun; Toyama Shimbun
• Cooperation Shokoji Temple; Natadera Temple; Otaki-Okamoto Shrines
• Support Toyama Prefecture; Ishikawa Prefecture; Fukui Prefecture; Toyama Association of Corporate Executives; Kanazawa Association of Corporate Executives; Fukui Association of Corporate Executives; Kanazawa City; West Japan Railway Company; Kitanippon Shimbun; Fukui Shimbun; Junior Chamber International Kanazawa; Junior Chamber International Toyama; Junior Chamber International Komatsu; Junior Chamber International Takefu; Japan Institute of Architects Hokuriku Branch

https://2021.goforkogei.com/english2021/