The following post marks the end of my coverage of “The Doraemon Tokyo 2017 Art Exhibit” in Roppongi Hills.
The experience of attending a Doraemon Art Exhibit was magnificent, considering that the last one was 15 years ago, who knows when the next one will take place? 2032?
The following artwork is by Ryuki Yamamoto titled “Doraemon and Friends Plunging into the Yamamoto World” which features a painting done in acrylic on canvas.
Yamamoto wrote, “The first manga I had bought for me as a kid was Doraemon: Nobita’s Dinosaur. It was the start of my strong connection with Nobita and the way he thinks. I still treasure my copy of it today, in part because the person who bought it for me was my grandma, who I adored. Because of all those memories attached to it, I decided to concentrate on that movie for my piece this time. In Doraemon: Nobita’s Dinosaur, the “time machine” malfunctions, and Doraemon and the gang are sent to America as it was in the Cretaceous Period. As I watched that, I’d think about how much I wanted them to come to my world – that is, Yamamoto world – too. I took that desire as the basis for this work, creating a picture of the moment they break through into the Yamamoto world. Thinking about what they’re going to do once they get her makes me grin from ear to ear”.
The next painting is from Satomi Kondo and is titled “Sometimes humans do things that just don’t make sense.” which is oil and acrylic on canvas from 2017.
Kondo wrote, “Before I saw Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Steel Troops, I used to have dreams featuring something like the mirror world that appears there, and that was the departure point for my picture this time. Dredging up my memories oft he past wasn’t a pleasurable experience, but I managed to remember even the smell of the house I grew up in, back at the time when Doraemon was a close friend of mine. This movie is quite unique in that it’s mainly about the complicated feelings and relationship between Shizuka and robot girl, Riruru. During that interaction, Shizuka says to Ririru, “Sometimes humans do things that just don’t make sense.” I feel like this line is open to multiple interpretations, but in my case, I felt like it applied to the painting itself. So I surrendered to the illogicality of it, and went about the painting honestly and straightforwardly”.
The final piece featured is from fashion designer Sebastian Masuda titled “Final Weapon” and was created with wood, cloth, cotton, plastic and yarn.
Masuda wrote, “What if Doraemon were around in this age? What if he wasn’t? In Doraemon the Movie: Nobita’s Dorabian Nights, the real world has gotten mixed up with the world of fairy tales. That seems to me a bit like how sometimes the things that we see happening on TV or on the internet, seem to be taking place in a world that has no connection with ourselves. And yet, in that case, it’s reality. The starting point for this work was the idea that, in this age of ours, a Doraemon toy is suddenly found abandoned, standing in a desert somewhere. When is this? Is this past, or present, or future? Where is this? Why am I here? Laughs, sadness, joy, suffering. Anger, anger, and more anger. The “Final Weapon”. If only Doraemon were here, he’d have the solution to all our problems…”.
Once you get leave, you are now in a room where a lot of the artwork are sold as postcards, Doraemon merchandise and exhibit merchandise including the exhibit guide are being sold.
I actually had to get the guide, a few postcards but also a few of the Doraemon manga (they actually sold manga in English).
But overall, my experience was fantastic and visiting “The Doraemon Tokyo 2017” art exhibit at Roppongi Hills will forever be remembered!
