Aosando Art Fair, organized by H.P. FRANCE, will be held from October 24th to 27th. A variety of contemporary art, including paintings, photography, installations, and live painting, will decorate stores in the Aoyama, Omotesando, and Harajuku areas. We spoke to director Kentaro Totsuka about the highlights of this year's event, which is now in its seventh year.

This year, 49 stores and approximately 60 exhibiting artists are participating, a number that has been increasing with each passing year. "We received applications even after the deadline. This year's highlights include a photography exhibition at the showroom of German car manufacturer Audi and a workshop in collaboration with J-WAVE's "I A.M." program. Belgian designer Christophe Coppin's art exhibition, making its Japanese debut (at DECOdeBONAIR), will also be on display. Other exhibits include paintings by Seitaro Kuroda (H.P.DECO), paper-cut drawings by Meishu Fukamachi (HARUNO), a collage chandelier by Kim Seong-hye (UMiTOS), fresh flowers by Plantica (NEAL'S YARD REMEDIES), and Norwegian street artist Dork (OSKLEN), so we hope you'll enjoy the many exhibits, both Japanese and international," says Totsuka. Each store's exhibits include their own independent projects as well as projects proposed by H.P. FRANCE. In the latter case, artists and works with a different style to the store's atmosphere are deliberately selected to draw attention to the exhibit. On the first day, the 24th, the main venue will be H.P. DECO, where a reception party will kick off the event, followed by a variety of other special events. In addition to live painting, Totsuka will also host a talk event, which he describes as "surprisingly recommended every time." On the 25th, the hpgrp Gallery will host a photography talk session featuring editor Masanobu Sugatsuke, GINZA Editor-in-Chief Toshiko Nakajima, and IMA Editor-in-Chief Mutsuko Ota. On the 26th and 27th, the Audi FORUM will host a talk show on art and life. "The unique feature of this event is that there are no barriers to entry, and you can just drop in and enjoy art casually," says Totsuka. "The event originally began as a way to invite customers from surrounding stores to come and see the art while we were still trying to figure out how to run the H.P. FRANCE gallery. While the first year was dominated by collectors, in recent years, a variety of people have come. I truly feel that this is the result of grassroots efforts."

Not only can you view the artworks, but you can actually purchase them, with prices displayed. Recently, people have even come up to you and said, "This is the first time I've bought art at Aosando." "Even if it's just one or two people out of 10,000, it would be great if someone got their hands on art for the first time. I hope this will be a valuable opportunity," says Totsuka.