CRAFCULT

『Altar -SAIDAN-』

2024.05.24 - 2024.06.15
11:00 -19:00 (Closes at 17:00 on Saturdays)
*Closed on Sundays, Mondays & Public Holidays

ABOUT

ART FOR THOUGHT is pleased to present the exhibition by CRAFCULT, “Altar (saidan)” as “the foundry” series vol. 5.

CRAFCULT is a creative unit lead by Hiroki Ito, the 8th generation of Ito family to run Ito Gonjiro Shoten, a 200-year-old lantern maker in Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture. While producing lanterns as a traditional craft, CRAFCULT continues to present contemporary expressions of lanterns.

ARTIST STATEMENT

In this new series, "KUUMON," the traditional family crest representing the Japanese family lineage is reimagined by enshrining it at an "altar" and cross-linking it with pop culture.

Family crests have been handed down by the Japanese people since ancient times, but are becoming increasingly rare today. By expressing it in a catchy way, the exhibition raises the issue of the representation of identity in the modern age. We hope you will enjoy the exhibition

Artist Name

CRAFCULT

Profession

Contemporary Lantern Craftsman / Creative Director

Biography

Born in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The 8th generation of Ito family to run Ito Gonjiro Shoten, Kyushu's oldest lantern shop, founded in 1815 at the end of the Edo period.

President of CRAFCULT STUDIO.

He is not only producing lanterns as a traditional craft, but also sublimating them into a field of new possibilities for scenography and contemporary art.

Selected Achievements & Awards

Original lantern dedication at Kushida Shrine, the main Shinto shrine in Hakata / Production of art sets for a live-action movie produced by Disney in the US / Production of art sets for a Netflix original movie in the UK / Production of food area decoration at Waikiki Shopping Plaza in Hawaii, etc.

While preserving the tradition as a maker of Yame chochin (lantern), a traditional handicraft, he is also vigorously working to expand the possibilities of chochin into new areas, such as art sets for world-famous movies, overseas commercial facilities, event production, decoration, and interior design. He has a long record of achievements, including the dedication of lanterns to hundreds of shrines, store signboards and indoor lanterns, and the production of lanterns for Disney movies, etc. In 2021, he founded CRAFCULT STUDIO to develop a business centered on art activities. His main works are “yokai” (Japanese monster/demon) lanterns, and he also collaborates with other artists.

See Exhibitions List