“It is our desire to embody the fact that our spirit is free. It is also our hope that no restriction will be placed on the desire to experience fresh sensations through every form of expression.”
Gutai Magazine (inaugural issue)

On November 1, 1962, an artist-run space for exhibition, Gutai Pinachoteca opened in Osaka. Of course, we were not direct witnesses to the birth of the Gutai movement. However, their manifesto and very existence still reach us sixty years later, prompting us to question the essence of freedom.

The Azumatei Project is:

Not a commercial platform for the sale of artwork,
Not a stage for supporting emerging artists,
Not a gallery space for rent,
Not another of those government-funded urban revitalization projects.

We simply want to see what we want to see,
Present what we want to present,
Listen to what we want to listen to,
Meet people whom we want to meet.

We are and will continue to be
A place where we all can take initiative
And move our lives forward
Free to become who people want to be

This is our own manifesto.

In November 2018, Hidetada Karasuyama, Takuro Ishii, Tetsuaki Nanjo and I launched the Azumtaei Project in an historic old building in downtown Yokohama, a secret hideout that quietly lingers, tucked away in a district rife with desire and noise. Welcoming Keiichiro Tanaka and Kazuyoshi Sakai into the fold as new members in 2020, we acrobatically remodeled the venue, tearing down walls to connect three divided rooms into one uniquely provocative space for creation and experiment. This booklet is a chronicle of our journey over the past two years, spanning eighteen exhibitions and some of the many other events we have held to date.

​February 2021, AZUMATEI PROJECT