A talk session between painters Aki Kuroda and Hiroko Koshino took place on November 26th at the KH Gallery in Ginza, Tokyo. The event was held as the opening reception for the exhibition "Aki Kuroda 'Cosmo Garden' + Hiroko Koshino," which runs at the same venue until February 23rd. The two discussed their collaboration and future plans.
The talk session began with an impression of their first meeting, with Koshino saying, "Mr. Kuroda is a great artist among great artists. He's an incredible person, like a modern-day Chagall. But when we talked, he turned out to be a fun, interesting, and great 'old man,' and we decided to have a fun time together." He added, "I was nervous too, but from the first time we met, I felt like I was talking to someone I'd known for a long time." (Koshino) Regarding this collaboration, Koshino said, "Rather than simply arranging each artist's work side by side, as is customary, I wanted to do something different and interesting. So I created a way for my work to enter into the artist's work. It felt like I was lost and wandering around in Cosmo Garden. But being lost was also interesting. Being lost means trying to get somewhere, and life is always filled with uncertainty. I thought that this might be the theme of Cosmo Garden." Kuroda said of Cosmo Garden, "Simply put, it's inside my head. Anyone can enter, but I don't want to give away any answers, and I don't think there will ever be any answers. I want viewers to be lost, and I myself am lost." Koshino also announced that she will hold a solo exhibition (as painter Hiroko Koshino) in Paris next spring. Koshino expressed his enthusiasm as a painter, saying, "I was always envious of Kuroda-sensei for collaborating with people from different genres, but this time we are collaborating as painters. It is presumptuous for a newcomer who has just started out to collaborate with a master, and I thought it would work out somehow, but when I tried it, I realized it probably wouldn't work after all. But someday..." Kuroda, who has been friends with fashion designers since he was young, chatting with Paco Rabanne at cafes, and who has recently modeled for young designers, responded, "Someday I'll get into fashion too (laughs)," which excited the audience.
