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For Bookmark, ArtAsiaPacific invites an artist to share some of their online sources of inspiration and intrigue. This week we asked Japanese multi-media and video artist Koki Tanaka.
Tanaka’s work revolves around found objects and situations, to uncover poetic quotidian dramas that delve into the most minute interactions between people and their everyday reality. Most recently, at the 2011 Yokohama Triennale, the artist used existing materials and equipment from the storerooms of the Yokohama Museum of Art to create a random room-like space with tatami mat flooring in what was usually a passageway—titled A whole museum could be used at once (2011). Within this he installed flat-screen televisions showing video documentation of previous projects, such as the self-explanatory A haircut by 9 hairdressers at once (second attempt) (2010), completed for Tanaka’s 2010 solo show at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Fransisco.
1. IMDB
Watching new trailers is very exciting. Sometimes the trailer is better than the film itself.
3. Film reviews
I trust Sankakujime’s point of view on movies. When I watch a movie, I go to this blog and similar websites, to compare their thoughts with mine.
5. Friends
MOTOHIRO TOMII, paper work(Post-it)-wall piece-#6, 2009, 5 × 9 × 2.5 cm. Courtesy the artist.
Here is a collection of my Japanese artist friends’ websites: Motohiro Tomii, Yuki Okumura, Hiroshi Sunairi, Katsuhiro Saiki, Naotaka Hiro.
Some have lived outside of Japan for a long time, others still live in Japan, some travel a lot, others not. Some of these friends helped me a lot when I did my residency in New York, which was the first time I stayed in different country. Others help me now, in Los Angeles. I meet some of them regularly when I go back to Tokyo, to catch up with what is going on in our lives.
Visiting their website reminds me we have something in common, which might not be only because we are from Japan, but is rather generational; or it could be that we are living in-between several cultures.
2. Amazon
I’m constantly checking both the American and Japanese Amazon sites, and creating several wishlists for both countries. Most of the items on my wishlists are movie DVDs, Blu-rays and art books.
4. Utamaru
Utamaru sees one per movie week to critique on his radio show. He rolls a dice to decide which movie he should see, so his choice is random.