Revel in Possibility
Published: March 23, 2018
Where artists can experiment—
Kiyosumi-shirakawa is often called a “café and arts town”. But while the cafés are easy to find, the art likes to hide, tucked away in the fascinating small galleries and ateliers scattered about town.
Take, for example, the experimental space that is art lab Melt Meri. This gallery-cum-salon-cum-“art laboratory” is located inside the ancient “Kiyosu-ryo” or Kiyosu Dormitories, a building hailing from 1933. While the dormitory—large and retro and facing the busy Kiyosubashi-dori Avenue—is easy to find, Melt Meri itself proved a bit more challenging.
After a few minutes of going in and out the dormitory’s entranceways (there are five), I located art lab Melt Meri’s name on a mailbox. (To save yourself time, look for the entranceway marked “ro” (ロ) and head up to room 208.)
“Sorry about that” apologized Akubi-san, the owner of art lab Melt Meri, when I made my way up to the charming, vintage apartment room. “I used to have a stand outside, but had to remove it from the sidewalk. Did you have a hard time?”
The wandering hadn’t taken more than a few minutes, I assured her. “Sometimes people come in here after they’ve spotted the gift shop downstairs, which is more prominent and acts as a landmark,” Akubi-san said helpfully.
I settled into one of the comfortable-looking low armchairs, and looked around the room. Various pencil drawings were currently on display, part of the “Shosai to Kissa” (Libraries and Cafés) exhibition that was happening at the time.*
(*The exhibition ended on March 20th, 2018.)
“So, is this a gallery?” I asked, curious.
“Mm, you can say that,” Akubi-san answered contemplatively. “I do exhibit artwork, including my own, so it is a gallery space of sorts; but it’s probably not quite what people imagine when they hear the word.”
“For example, because this room is meant to be a private residence, I don’t have the means of installing a spotlight for every piece. Nor do I have a lot of space. However, I think that’s what makes this place unique, and I want that uniqueness to inspire the artists who choose to exhibit here.”
The humble room, featuring rustic, delicate wooden beams and old-fashioned fusuma (screen door), was certainly a far cry from the white-walled, brightly-lit galleries of modern norm. However, a warm ambience surrounded the artworks, and time seemed to pass in a more relaxed manner here, unhurried and organic.
“That’s why it’s an “art lab”—a laboratory for artists to experiment, and for me too,” Akubi-san added. “I’m still trying things, figuring out what I can do in this space and how I want this space to grow and develop.”
As an accomplished, self-taught photographer herself, Akubi-san knows firsthand the importance of allowing inspiration and devotion to dictate direction, and it seems to be working out for her.
“The artist behind these pencil drawings said his vision is to make art that would be perfect for hanging not on the walls of a museum, but in a retro café, the kind where you can relax with a cup of coffee and a good book. When I heard that, I knew that the match between his art and my lab would be impeccable.”
Hence, the exhibition’s name: delicately detailed pencil art; a cup of hot coffee; a favourite book—there’s a warmth to this combination, the kind that tickles your heart, and I could hardly imagine a more appropriate setting than art lab Melt Meri’s easy atmosphere.
“Eventually, I hope for it to function as a salon,” Akubi-san stated.
By “salon” she isn’t referring to a beauty salon or tea salon, but “salon” in its original iteration—a space for like-minded individuals to come together, discuss ideas, share thoughts, and converse freely.
“I think it would be wonderful if people were to converge here on their own time, not bound by special events or obligation. They could just pop in, and maybe they’d find some company, maybe not. Maybe they’ll have an interesting conversation, or just quietly steep in their own thoughts. And if in the process they feel inspired to do something in this space—an exhibit or a performance or a workshop—well, I’m all ears.”
The takeaway? That there are endless possibilities to be generated at the crossroads of people with people, and people with art. The more I talked with Akubi-san, the more I felt that there were a great many fascinating and inspirational things that could be done specifically at Melt Meri, rather than anywhere else.
Already, two more (slightly mysterious) exhibits are in the plans, running from March 24th until April 3rd, and April 7th to April 17th, respectively. Both seem to focus on photography of different genres, though even Akubi-san said she was partially in the dark about the exact content.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” she said, eyes sparkling with excitement. “I hope you drop by again sometime, to see the exhibits or just to chat. Feel free to come in any time it’s open.”
Akubi-san’s gentle manners, sincere attitude and easy frankness stayed with me as I went out the doors, already wondering when I’d be able to pop in for the next exhibition.
***The contents of this article reflect information available as of March 27th, 2018. For information on future exhibitions, please check out art lab Melt Meri’s Facebook page, linked below.
Story and Photos by Xianru Shen（Koto City Office Coordinator for International Relations）
