These pieces were created for the hotel by Fukuoka based artist Fukuda Sachiyo. While neither a museum nor a gallery, in Fukuoka one can find contemporary art in all sorts of unexpected places. What you may not know however is that this collaboration of business and artist was worked out and supported by the Artist Café Fukuoka organization.

So, how is this partnership working out? We decided to ask and find out for ourselves.

Q: So, [Crosslife Hakata Yanagibashi] has been investing in its art since the day it opened, correct?

Yano
With the guiding theme of [Play with Local], there was an active decision to represent traditional Fukuokan art on the premises. For example, the floor signs on each level of the hotel are made in the Koishiwarayaki ceramic style by a different potter, and the multipurpose community space’s ceiling is designed with an Okawa Kumiko woodworking motif. We also have pieces by local artists on display. 

Our goal is to overcome the stereotype that hotels can only be used as a place to spend the night. Instead, we wish to provide our customers with a “third place” close to home. Until now, our hotel has been used as a café, a workation destination, and we’ve even held workshops onsite in addition to hosting several initiatives together with the city. Even those who are not staying with us are free to check out the lobby and use the café. 
 

Q: What prompted this current collaboration?

Yano
When the hotel first opened we had different art pieces on display in the lobby, but as we approached the half-year mark we thought we should probably begin thinking about swapping them out for new pieces. Up until that point we had relied on independent curators to find new art but as we had occasionally connected with [Artist Café Fukuoka] we decided to give them a call. Their coordinator then ran an artist campaign for us, compiling a list of candidates whose art would be a match for the interior of the lobby. 

*Artist Café Fukuoka
Provides artist workspaces, startup support (consultation, matching, etc.), and also functions as a gallery. Located in the Fukuoka Castle Remains area in the Chuo ward, they have coordinator stationed on the premises. 

Fukuda
I was actually looking for places to display my art outside of the conventional gallery spaces. For me, art is not the intended exclusively for museum-goers who go out expressly to observe paintings and other fine arts. I want to share the "feeling of beauty" with people who are not necessarily interested in art specifically. I had run pop up exhibits at cafes in the past, but was finding that locating places that would match my artwork was quite difficult. At that point I learned about [Artist Café Fukuoka] and it’s matching service and decided to give it a try. 

Q: What was your approach for the pieces currently on display here?

Fukuda
Once our collaboration was confirmed I was told that it would be fine to choose pieces from my existing collection, but I decided to visit the hotel to get a better idea of the location and atmosphere and ended up creating several new pieces in addition to using a few pre-existing ones. All together we ended up with about 10 pieces. Figuring out how to hang these pieces in this space was a novel challenge. Instead of having my own little world inside an enclosed white gallery space I had to think about the music and atmosphere of the hotel’s lobby, synergy with the other pieces currently on display, and harmony with the guests mingling in the space. It was a great learning experience.  

Q: What do you think the allure of Artist Café Fukuoka’s matching service might be?

Fukuda
For many artists, the concern “How do I achieve exposure?” is as big as the pursuit of self-expression. In other words, finding a place to exhibit your works on your own is quite difficult. The coordinator at Artist Café Fukuoka helped me to connect with a wide variety of possible exhibiting partners, something that really helped broaden my horizons. 

Yano
Having an organization backed up by the city itself is a really big relief. The process for finding an artist that met our specifications was incredibly smooth and the program is beneficial to both the artist and the collaborating business. As we wish to continue providing exposure to local artists in the area we plan on continuing to use Artist Café Fukuoka’s services in the future.

We’re planning on rolling out our second Artist Café Fukuoka artist collaboration as early as November of this year. This time, we’ll be working with a traditional Japanese-style painter. Since our hotel has many guests that come from abroad, we’re also planning on holding workshops involving the artists we feature to further promote Fukuoka’s art to the world. 

Artists in Cross Life #1 [Reality or Illusion]
[Period] ~10/31 (Tue)
[Location] Crosslife Hakata Yanagibashi Lobby