First Collaboration: BE@RBRICK Released December 2011

—Your exhibition "Mika Ninagawa Exhibition" is currently being held in Shanghai, China (November 11, 2017 – January 10, 2018). We heard the opening ceremony was a great success.

NinagawaIt was quite demanding as it's the largest solo exhibition I've ever had, but I'm glad I could realize things I wanted to do, like this and that.

I tend to want to make things as flashy and packed as possible if there's space, and in Japan, it's not often that I have the opportunity to spend that much money to do so. While there are things that can't be done in China, there are also many things that can only be done in China, so I think it was an interesting start.

—What was the atmosphere like at the venue?

NinagawaIn Japan, there are usually more women, but here it was about half men and half women, and mostly young people.

All the staff in China are young, and even those with decision-making power are young. It's like, where are all the older people? I think young people like my creations.

When I held a talk event at the exhibition, there was a boy in the audience who was enthusiastically showing off three of my BE@RBRICK figures. What's more, one of them was the white-bodied model I first created six years ago. I was so happy, wondering how he managed to get it, as it was quite difficult to obtain even in Japan.

I used to buy them every time characters of girls and handsome guys appeared, take them out, and play with them. But don't people usually keep them unopened? I opened them all and played with them a lot, so the boys who collected them would come to my house often saying, 'We heard yours are opened, can we see them? Wow, it's like this!'

—Back then, collectors would display them on their walls in their transparent blister packs.

NinagawaThat state was also stylish and cute, so I used to cut only the back to make it like an open-and-close situation (laughs). I collect various things, but I don't collect them perfectly like men do. For example, even if there are 12 types in total, I'm fine with just the 9 cute ones. That's where I differ from men. Even if they say, 'This part's color is different, it's super rare, so it costs tens of thousands of yen,' I'm perfectly fine with the ordinary one (laughs).

Page02.How to Display What You Shoot, and How Photos Decorate Three-Dimensional Objects

How to Display What You Shoot, and How Photos Decorate Three-Dimensional Objects

—Please tell us about the process of designing your first BE@RBRICK.

NinagawaAt that time, it wasn't technically possible to print photos all over, so I struggled a lot. Since it was a photographer's office, we didn't have staff who could handle three-dimensional objects. We could only use Photoshop and Illustrator a little. As a last resort, I remember painstakingly trying to make it by color-copying photos, cutting them with scissors, and attaching them with double-sided tape.

—So it was born from an analog method?

NinagawaBut it's cute, isn't it? Later, based on this concept, I created patterns for dresses and swimwear, and there are plans to use it for airplane wrapping as well. Looking back, this was the first merchandise where I deconstructed a photograph and recreated it into my own image. In that sense, it's one of my most memorable works.

So, when I saw that boy standing there in China with it, I was a little moved (laughs).

—After that, the water transfer printing technique was used, allowing photos to be printed on the entire surface of BE@RBRICK, leading to the creation of "Anemone," "SAKURA," and "Rose."

NinagawaIt's constantly evolving. I think there probably hasn't been a precedent for photos being used on such a wide variety of items. That's why technology is innovating in many areas.

At printing companies, there were many instances where they developed new inks just to achieve my colors. I used to always get a stamp saying 'Ink Limit,' but some places even made a new stamp for me saying 'Saturation Limit.' Thanks to everyone, I can now do so many things (laughs).

—Furthermore, since 2016, your direction brand "M / mika ninagawa" and MEDICOM TOY have collaborated to sell fabric items like bags, cushion covers, and camera straps printed with your photographs.




NinagawaAt that time, not many people thought about how to display their photos. Everyone was more focused on taking photos earnestly, so I think it was a significant strength when submitting to public exhibitions. Conversely, if I only had that without substance, it wouldn't be enough as a photographer.

—What does MEDICOM TOY represent to you?

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