Modern samurai battle it out in Harajuku

Last year, after being chosen as one of Newsweek’s ‘100 most respected Japanese worldwide’, and four straight years of Michelin stars for his Nice, France restaurant, chef Keisuke Matsushima opened Restaurant-I, on the grounds of Harajuku’s Togo Shrine.

The restaurant’s bar, Rendez-Vous is currently exhibiting works by artist Shun Kawakami. Kawakami’s work is at the forefront of modern graphic design and art, having receives several prizes for his work both at home and abroad. Kawakami works as chief of the Tokyo-based visual design team ‘artless inc.’, taking on the roles of both art director and graphic designer.

Matsushima and Kawakami were both born in 1977 and share a bold approach to challenges, both having a base in Harajuku while also making inroads onto the global stage. How did these two modern, so to speak, samurai meet? How do they feel? What brought about the current exhibition? Matsushima spoke to Time Out Tokyo about how everything came about.

Why did you decide to hold an art exhibition in the restaurant’s bar?
KM: The restaurants around Nice often display art on their walls, and there is a history to it. There the feeling that restaurants foster artists’ development. I’ve also heard that in places like the village of St. Paul, Nice, Cannes, Èze and Vence painters often displayed their works in restaurants and made a living from their sales.

People with great aesthetic sensibilities tend to gather in restaurants of a certain level, so I wanted to display art works in my restaurant and expose many different people to the talents of young Japanese artists. I produced the exhibition because I felt that way. Artists are something that need to be nurtured, and chefs likewise need to be nurtured by their customers.

I was given an opportunity by Togo Shrine, and so I was able to work in a place like this. I thought I’d like to also give young people of our generation their own chance to be seen by the public.

Why did you choose Shun Kawakami’s works?
KM: Because his works have a great sense of Japan. I thought he had a real understanding of what it is to be Japanese. I also felt his ‘I’ll do battle all over the world’ spirit. The appeal of his works is how well he uses the identity of Japan! He’s producing a Japan as seen from abroad.

What points do you and Kawakami have in common?
KM: We are both Japanese people doing battle on the world stage! We both take pride in Japan. We have a mutual friend and were introduced because we were both born in ’77. We had the same awareness of foreign countries, so we hit it off right away.

How do you think an affinity and synergy is created between food and art?
KM: I think aesthetic taste and flavour are the same thing. So when they intersect, I think it causes different reactions which are a positive stimulus for them.

Art has a worldview within that kind of a context. Those of us born in ’77 have been called things like the ‘Lost Generation’... but actually I don’t really worry about that kind of thing. ‘In present day Japan there aren’t any opportunities… but if that’s the case I’ll fight it out overseas!’ - I think feelings towards that purpose can be put into things like art and food.

Which drink would best complement Kawakami’s artworks?
KM: Perhaps Japanese wine?

What would you recommend from Restaurant-I’s menu for the current season?
KM: Dishes using winter vegetables! There are a lot of root vegetables at the moment.

It’s the year of the Tiger, can you growl out some parting words for us?
KM: Grrr…

No, really, it’s that if you challenge yourself with new things, it will bring forth a new worth in them. Even things that might be looked down upon at first... get a result, and if you are appreciated by someone... that in itself should produce a new merit. Precisely because we live in the times that we do, I want to keep on producing things that haven’t existed before. Though even if I say that, in a world where everything has been done before, I think this will involve rediscovering the worth of what has been done before. I want to become aware of many different things.

On January 23 a dialogue about art and food between Keisuke Matsushima and Shun Kawakami is going to be held at the Restaurant-I bar Rendez-Vous. Participation costs 5000yen. Enquiries should be made to Restaurant-I at (03) 5772 2091.

Keisuke Matsushima (left)
Matsushima moved to France in 2001 at the age of 20. After training in all regions of the country, he opened his own restaurant, Restaurant Kei's Passion, in Nice on his 25th birthday. In 2006, in the restaurant’s third year, he was awarded a star in the French Michelin Guide, making him the youngest Japanese person to achieve the honour. He went on to expand his restaurant and reopen it under the name Keisuke Matsushima. As of 2010, he has received a Michelin star for four consecutive years. In 2009 he opened Restaurant-I in Harajuku. He has also been chosen as one of Newsweek Japan’s ‘100 most respected Japanese worldwide’.

Shun Kawakami (right)
Chief of artless inc., viewing design from a broad perspective, without being restricted to any particular genre or category, Kawakami is active in many media, including graphic design, art direction, branding, interactive art, video, installations and space production. He has also participated in exhibitions and projects, including curating in Japan and overseas. Extremely artistically active in producing works in all media for exhibition, receiving critical acclaim across his entire portfolio, Kawakami has been the recipient of many prizes including those at the Good Design Awards, the New York ADC Awards, The One Show Awards and the Tokyo Interactive Ad Awards.