Greetings


photograph SAITO Sadamu

The AMABIKI exhibition is set in the hills and hamlets of the former Yamato village, in Sakuragawa city, Ibaraki prefecture. With the support of the local residents, the AMABIKI has been operating as an artist-run exhibition since its first season in 1996. What started out with only seven stone artists now involves a large family of artists who convene for a general meeting every month to discuss exhibition details such as installation areas and the route the exhibition course should take.
The last exhibition, AMABIKI 2011, was titled 'In the Midst of Winter', and showcased sculptures amid the attenuated colors and harsh chill of winter. The exhibition, which showed finished sculptures that fitted perfectly with the snowy backdrop and mid-winter theme, was unfortunately cut short by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The exhibition area, largely dependent on the stone and agricultural industries, suffered from the earthquake. Fortunately, the 42 sculptures in the exhibition all remained in one piece, showing the high level of safety management that was carried out for the installation of each work. It was such a shame that the artists couldn't showcase their work for the whole intended period.
This, our ninth exhibition, showcased the sculptures of 38 artists for two and a half months between September and November, amidst the fallen leaves and beautifully tinged hills of autumn. Perhaps the best part of this exhibition was the excitement of navigating by yourself through the brisk autumn air and beautiful scenery to each sculpture location. With a lot of repeat visitors and an overload in bookings for the interpretive bus tour from day one, this exhibition was definitely a success. This was our first exhibition since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and involved making installations even safer than before, and having another look at the relationship and impact the artists and exhibition have on the local community. On behalf of all the artists I would like to extend my greatest appreciation and thanks to everyone who came to see the exhibition, and of course to everyone who assisted with the preparation and running of the AMABIKI 2013.


December, 2013
AMABIKI 2013, Executive Committee