Focus on Kunichi Nomura's Skillful Curation

"ICONS" will feature portraits of eight distinctive guests. Under the curation of writer and producer Kunichi Nomura, photographs taken by photographer Jiro Konami will be displayed in the gallery space at Spiral Garden for two days.


At the talk event "SPEAKS," Nomura will moderate a discussion with guests on the theme of "individuality" in the same atrium space. On Wednesday, March 26th, the talk will feature model and music writer Yoshiko Kris-Webb, who also participated in the portraits. On Thursday, March 27th, the talk will be with photographer Konami. The event will be live-streamed on YouTube Live.

Portrait Exhibition "ICONS" >
Dates: Wednesday, March 26th, Thursday, March 27th
Hours: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Admission: Free
Venue: Spiral Garden Gallery
1F, 5-6-23 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-3498-1171

Talk Event "SPEAKS"
Schedule:
March 26th (Wed) / Yoshiko Kris-Webb x Kunichi Nomura
March 27th (Thu) / Jiro Konami x Kunichi Nomura
Time: 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM daily (Doors open at 6:00 PM)
Admission: Free
Venue: Spiral Garden Atrium
1F, 5-6-23 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-3498-1171

Kunichi Nomura
Born in Tokyo in 1973, Nomura is a writer and producer. He spent seven years traveling the world during his university years. Upon returning to Japan, he edited and published the interview magazine "Sputnik." Currently, in addition to writing and editing for magazines, he is involved in event production and brand direction, including the solo exhibition "A LETTER TO TRUE" by photographer Bruce Weber. He also creates spatial direction and interiors for shops through "TRIPSTER," which he presides over.

Jiro Konami
Born in 1986, Konami is a photographer. He began taking photographs in 2006, simultaneously starting to document his father. In 2011, he held a solo exhibition "complex and more" at Spiral. He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions. In 2012, he began working in magazines and advertising. In 2013, he published the photo book "父をみる" (TYCOON BOOKS). In 2014, he released the photo book "personal memory" in collaboration with the brand "mame."
www.jirokonami.com

<ICONS Portrait Participants>
Yoshiko Kris-Webb
In addition to her work as a translator and music writer, Kris-Webb appears as a reader model in "VERY" magazine. She studied abroad in New York for language immersion during her university years. In 2003, she began working in attaché de presse in Tokyo. After getting married, she engaged in writing and translation. Since July 2011, she has been an exclusive model for "VERY."
http://veryweb.jp/dame/

Yusuke Hanai
Born in 1978, Hanai is an illustrator and fine artist. He began exhibiting his work at The Surf Gallery in Laguna Beach, California, in 2006. In 2007, he participated in the art show "The Happening" organized by The Surf Gallery, and has since exhibited his work in New York, London, Paris, Sydney, and Tokyo. He is expanding his range of activities both domestically and internationally, including providing artwork for brands such as Gravis, Analog, and BEAMS.
http://hanaiyusuke.com

Sakiko Hirano
Born in 1991, Hirano is a food blogger. A rare foodie who has been keeping a food diary since elementary school, her blog, which chronicles discoveries and inspirations from everyday meals, has gained attention. She is now actively engaged in magazine serialization, talk events, and solo exhibitions at galleries. Her first food essay collection, "生まれた時からアルデンテ" (Born Aldente), is scheduled for release by Heibonsha in late April.
http://fatale.honeyee.com/blog/shirano/

Ransho Fujima
Born in 1984, Fujima is a Japanese dancer. She entered the Fujima school of Japanese dance at the age of four. At nine, she began studying under Ranke Fujima and Ranko Fujima, successors to the Fujima family lineage dating back to the Edo period. In 2002, she became a natori (certified performer) under the name Ranke Fujima and was given the name "Ransho Fujima" by the 6th headmaster, Kanjuro Fujima. In 2006, she graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in Japanese dance in the Department of Traditional Japanese Music. In 2009, she obtained her teaching license for the Fujima school and has since held her own performances, "Ransho no Kai." She also runs "Nihon Buyo no Okeiko Kyoshitsu" (Japanese Dance Lessons) in Tokyo and Sapporo.
http://www.ranshou.jp

Takahiro Fujita
Born in Hokkaido in 1985, Fujita is a playwright and director. In 2007, he founded and presides over the theater company "MUM & GYPSY," for which he writes and directs all productions. He received the 56th Kishida Kunio Drama Award for his trilogy "かえりの合図、まってた食卓、そこ、きっと、しおふる世界." (Signals of Return, the Table I Waited For, There, Surely, a Salt-Sprinkled World.) (2011). He has also collaborated with writers from other fields, such as manga artist Machiko Kyo and poet Hiroshi Hozumi. From April 15th to May 4th, he will present "まえのひ" (The Day Before) and other works by Mieko Kawakami x MUM & GYPSY in six cities nationwide.
http://mum-gypsy.com

Daito Manabe
Born in 1976, Manabe is a programmer. He creates various projects using technology, including live performances and websites for Perfume, the exhibition for the NHK Trophy figure skating event, part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics final presentation video, and music videos for artists such as Nosaj Thing and Squarepusher. He was selected as one of eleven key figures, including John Maeda and Hans Zimmer, for Apple's 30th-anniversary special website for the Mac.
http://daito.ws

MAMI
Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1990, MAMI is a calligrapher. She first held a brush at the age of nine. While studying calligraphy at Daito Bunka University, she discovered "Calligraf2ity," a genre that views graffiti as a visual linguistic art form, similar to calligraphy. Since graduating, she has focused on live painting, performing about 75 times a year, and also engages in expressing characters through paintings and video works. She has provided brushwork for companies such as Lotte for "Koala's March" and Hitachi for the "HITACHI Monozukuri Japan Project."
http://www.66mami66.com

Daichi Watanabe
Born August 8, 1990, in Hyogo Prefecture, Watanabe is the vocalist of the rock band "CHELSEA HOTEL." In 2009, he made his acting debut in the coming-of-age film "Shikoku Zenreishon," based on the work of Jun Miura, after being chosen from an audition of 2,000 applicants. He received the Japan Academy Film Prize for New Actor. Since then, he has appeared in numerous dramas, TV commercials, and films. He is currently featured in a commercial for the "Nikkei," the online edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. In April, CHELSEA HOTEL will release their best album "Cans Of Freak Hits."
http://www.kuronekochelsea.jp