The Chronicles of KAIYODO (English) / Contemporary Art Center, ATM

Contemporary Art Center/Gallery, ART TOWER MITO Mito Arts Foundation 1-6-8 Goken-cho, Mito-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 310-0063 Japan How to get to ART TOWER MITO Mail to: webstaff@arttowermito.or.jp Phone: +81-(0)29-227-8111 / Fax: +81-(0)29-227-8130

"The Chronicles of KAIYODO"
Apr. 9 (Sat) to Jun. 5 (Sun), 2005 (Closed on Mondays)

KAIYODO -- hugely popular for the small plastic models included as "premiums" in boxes of candy -- started out in 1964 as a small hobby shop in Osaka. Since then, besides its commercial capacity, it has been actively engaged in spreading awareness of plastic (i.e., modeling) culture. In the 1980s, then, it transformed itself into "garage-kit," a manufacturer of original, limited-edition, assembly-type plastic models. In the late 1990s, it started producing low-cost, high-volume "premium" models, instigating a huge boom.

ATM's exhibition brings together a collection of plastic models made by KAIYODO, introducing the work of its master model-makers. In addition, a historical overlook will be made of postwar modeling culture, exploring the roots of one of the subcultures of contemporary Japan.


Ezo Kuro-ten (sable) / ChokoQ animatales © KAIYODO	Musasabi (flying squirrel) / ChokoQ animatales © KAIYODO	Hallowell Ama-gaeru (Hyla hallowellii) / ChokoQ animatales © KAIYODO

Eryon / DINOTALES, The Chokolasaurus Collection
© KAIYODO

Han-myo (tiger beetle) / ChokoQ animatales
© KAIYODO

Sawa-gani (river crab) / ChokoQ animatales
© KAIYODO

Porsche Tiger / WORLD TANK MUSEUM
© KAIYODO

Seiya (the spaceship Apollo 8) / THE ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCIENCE: STARTALES
© KAIYODO

Jinrui, Tsuki ni Tatsu (the spaceship Apollo 11) / THE ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCIENCE: STARTALES
© KAIYODO

Exhibition Details

Name: "The Chronicles of KAIYODO"
Dates: Apr. 9 (Sat) to Jun. 5 (Sun), 2005
Venue: Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (last admission at 5:30 p.m.)
Closed: Mondays

Entrance fees: ¥800 (General), ¥600 (advance-purchase tickets, groups of 20 or more)
Free admission: Junior high school students and younger, senior citizens aged 65 or older, and disabled persons with proper certification
Yearly pass: ¥2,500 (Adult Pass for people 20 years and older), ¥1,000 (H.T.P.)

Organizer: Mito Arts Foundation
Special cooperation: KAIYODO Co.,Ltd.
Sponsors: Asahi Breweries, Ltd. , Hinomaru Petroleum Company
Cooperation: SOUM Corporation

Planning: Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito
Curators: Takeshi Kudo (curator, Aomori Prefectural Government, Aomori Museum of Art), Toshihiro Asai (curator, Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito)
Coordinator: MOMA CONTEMPORARY
Project cooperation: Art Planning Rey Inc.

Outline of the Exhibition

1. Corner featuring "candy premiums"("shokugan")

KAIYODO's models started out as simple premiums - free toys -- included in candy boxes, but now they have come to attract a huge following in their own right.
This corner of the exhibition shows around 2,000 candy-premium models made by KAIYODO. The Japanese term for the objects, "shokugan," comes from a combination of "shokuhin" (food product) and "gangu" (toy).

2. Plastic models: Boxes of memories, boxes of dreams

KAIYODO's roots hark back to its days as a plastic model shop, and even today, plastic models are a favorite hobby of Shuichi Miyawaki.
We introduce the packages of around 1,000 plastic models specially selected from Miyawaki's huge collection.

3. 1960s-70s: KAIYODO's years as a plastic-model store

Various photographs, anecdotes, and representative products (sailboat models, original tools, etc.) illustrate KAIYODO's early days as a plastic model shop. It was founded in 1964.

4. 1980s-90s: KAIYODO's years as a manufacturer of "garage-kit" plastic models

Starting in the early 1980s, KAIYODO manufactured and sold so-called "garage-kit" plastic models. The term comes from the efforts of individuals and smaller manufacturers to produce high-quality, limited-edition models - kits - at home (i.e., in the "garage"), instead of settling with the cheaper models being mass-produced by major manufacturers.
In the mid-1980s, KAIYODO dropped all its other activities to focus on its garage-kit manufacturing.
Several hundred plastic figures from that era are exhibited, mixed in with explanations of figure-related terminology.

5. Wonfes (Wonderful Festival) for plastic-model enthusiasts

"Wonderful Festival"(abbreviated as "Wonfes" or "WF") is a huge biannual event sponsored by KAIYODO for plastic-model enthusiasts.
This corner of the exhibition uses video clips and explanatory panels to introduce the goings-on at the festival. KAIYODO took over the sponsorship of WF from General Products Co. (now GAINAX), and has built it into the largest such event in the garage-kit world. Held every summer and winter, it attracts some 30,000 enthusiasts every day. It corresponds to "comic markets" held in the fanzine world.

6. KAIYODO today and tomorrow

A display of recently produced premium plastic models and figures.

7. The work of master plastic modelers

Ever since the "premium toy" boom, master plastic modelers have gained a lot of attention, even from non-enthusiasts. Their job is to produce the original models upon which Garage Kit and candy premium models are based. This corner of the exhibition introduces and explains the work of 12 such master modelers - some KAIYODO employees and others freelancers.

CRITERIUM

CRITERIUM 63: Sawa Hiraki
"Criterium" is the Latin for "criterion" (originally a Greek word). The series aims to introduce the new works of mostly young artists.

Dates: Apr. 9 (Sat) to Jun. 5 (Sun), 2005
Venue: Room 9, Contemporary Art Gallery, ATM
Planning coordinator: Tsukasa Mori (curator, Contemporary Art Center, ATM)
Fee: Included in the price of admission to the "The chronicles of KAIYODO" exhibition

Notice about Upcoming Exhibition

HIBINO EXPO2005 -- Katsuhiko Hibino
Aug. 6 (Sat) to Sept. 19 (Mon. national holiday), 2005
Planning coordinator: Tsukasa Mori (curator, Contemporary Art Center, ATM)

ATM Contemporary Art Gallery's
Pass for Adults

A pass has been designed for adults aged 20 and older, letting the holder make an unlimited number of visits to the Contemporary Art Gallery's exhibitions for one year from the date of purchase.
The price is ¥2,500 The artwork on the pass has been designed by Hiroko Ichihara, an artist who incorporates words in her works. The logo on the pass reads: "Contemporary art -- as easy as pie." The pass is on sale at the ticket counter in Art Tower Mito.

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Translated by Paul T. Narum
(official names of exhibitions and artworks are furnished by the artists and planners themselves)

Copyright ©2005 MITO ARTS FOUNDATION. All Rights Reserved. Created by TK.
Mail to: webstaff@arttowermito.or.jp