Kusakabe Folk Museum

Experience the Magic of Monsters & Misfits II … in 3D!!

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It’s time to bust out your cereal box 3D glasses, kids, as this next video is in 3D! Shot by BP Utfil (remember him from last year?), this clip takes us through the Kusakabe Folk Museum and Monsters & Misfits exhibition in an impressive 3D format. It’s about as close as we’re going to get to attending this juggernaut … and it’s freaking awesome!

 Monsters & Misfits II is on display until April 26th in lovely Takayama, Japan.

Monsters & Misfits II: A Thank You from Shinji

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The four artists of Circus Posterus went from Gero-onsen to Tokyo in the morning of 16th. Yesterday, on 17th, they went to the Tokyo DisneySea with Shigeta of goccodo and Satoshi of ARTDENKA. Today, they are enjoying themselves at the Ghibli Museum. And, tomorrow, they will leave for home.
We would like to give big thanks to fans who came all the way to Hida Takayama and all those collectors around the world who purchased the works.

The Monsters & Misfits II has received more favorable responses than we had expected. With most works getting sold out after about one week, it has been a great success. The show will be held until 26th. It will be great if you can come before it closes.

We are planning to hold Part 3 next year. The time of the event will be changed to summer or fall, and we intend to make further improvement on the show. We will make that the show will be even greater next year.

[via the Tomeno Blog]

Monsters & Misfits II: The Critter Congregation

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So this is what happens after hours at the Kusakabe Folk Museum: critters of all walks of weird gather by the irori and mutter in tongues unknown to the human ear …

And at the end of the month, they disband: continuing on their own separate journeys, they’re likely to never cross paths with their pals again …

Monsters & Misfits II is a Circus Posterus group exhibition featuring new works from Chris RyniakDoktor A.Kathie OlivasBrandt Peters and Amanda Louise Spayd. Hosted by Tomenosuke-syoten, the exhibition is on display through April 26th.

Photos by Susumu Noto

Monsters & Misfits II: Opening Night & Gallery Photos

The photo onslaught continues with a bunch of snaps of opening night and the exhibition set up in the Kusakabe Folk Museum. Have a look!

Monsters & Misfits II is a Circus Posterus group exhibition featuring new works from Chris Ryniak, Doktor A., Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters and Amanda Louise Spayd. Hosted by Tomenosuke-syoten, the exhibition is on display through April 26th.

* Gallery photos by Susumu Noto

Monsters & Misfits II: Behind the Scenes

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Some beautiful, behind-the-scenes photos of Monsters & Misfits II to enjoy with your coffee on this fine Sunday morning. Special thanks to Shinji & Eno of Tomenosuke-syoten for the solid coverage and the Kusakabe staff for their unparalleled attention to detail.

The exhibition is on display until April 26th. Artworks can be viewed here — we’re only a few pieces away from a sold-out show!

M&MII Video: Opening Reception @ Kusakabe Folk Museum

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We continue our Japan video coverage with beautiful footage from the opening reception of Monsters & Misfits II, along with other festivities that took place yesterday.

Chris Ryniak managed to find a hotspot this afternoon and gave us all a quick update via the Circus Posterus forum:

This whole experience has been so surreal and unlike anything I’ve ever done before. They have been so generous and gracious to us over here…treating us like royalty and making us all feel very special about what it is that we do.

All of yesterday was amazing and unreal… We had a sit down conference with the vice mayor of Takayama(who also gave a speech at our opening last night). They prepared a traditional tea ceremony for us…which I am sure I messed up somehow and shamed someone’s ancestors.

We still have so much to see and do. And EAT….

Omg guys…the food! Omg.

Thank you all for your wonderful support!

Kanpai!

Definitely sounds like the experience of a lifetime. The gang is in Japan for a few more days, so there’s bound to much more coverage to come; stick around!

Doktor A’s ‘The Confectioner’ for Monsters & Misfits II

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Next up to bat from Doktor A for Monsters & Misfits II is The Confectioner, an organic chemist and Joshua Hipplewaithe’s co-conspirator in candy creation. Here’s his story:

Organic Chemist by trade Archibald Schpoon enjoyed cookery as a hobby.
Upon a chance meeting with Joshua Hipplethwaite he began experimenting with confectionary and soon it became a driving passion.
He delved into the conundrum of complex and unusual ingredient combinations and the unexpected effects that they could have on some types of Mechtorians.
Ever pushing and blurring the boundaries of what was possible within the fields of exquisite delicacies and recreational pharmaceuticals.

Fashioned from vinyl, acrylic, epoxy resin, polymer clay, lead, rubber and found objects, the Dok delivers yet another showstopper original sculpt for the collectors in Japan. More snaps of the candy man are below!

M&MII Video: The Journey So Far

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The artists have landed. The exhibition is hung. It’s now time to soak it all in. And while most of us will only be attending the opening reception of Monsters & Misfits II in spirit, Shinji has whipped together a video of the adventure thus far: from the airport, to driving through the winding roads of Hirayu and Takayama, right up to the Kusakabe Folk Museum, where the show is being set up. Have a watch; it’s magical.

Monsters & Misfits II opens tonight in Japan at the Kusakabe Folk Museum in Takayama

Doktor A’s ‘Candy Factory’ for Monsters & Misfits II

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Two weeks ago, Doktor A shared a photo on Facebook that partially revealed what he deems his most complex sculpture to date: an original creation that he had toiled over for a month for Japan’s Monsters & Misfits II exhibition. That sculpture is ‘Candy Factory’ and thanks to Shinji and his Tomeno Blog, we have an in-depth look at this amazingly elaborate gummy candy maker. His story:

Joshua Hipplethwaite
Confectioner and innovator, Joshua is the creator of the renown Ee-by-Gum, chewing candy.
This popular delicacy has an odd intoxicating effect on steam driven Mechtorians, but is repugnant to those who are spring wound.
One of the fastest selling sweets in history, its long term effects are unknown and its prohibition has been called for in some quarters.
Though he does not partake himself Joshua wised to dispense his product as far as possible.
To this end he rebuilt his own body so he could crank out the candy wherever he travelled.
First one is free! And they always come back for more.

The whole thing blows my mind, to be honest, but the sugar bottles in the back add such a sadness to it:

Wasted chances, forgotten dreams and unfulfilled ambition? Damn, that’s some heavy stuff right thurr. But more on the sweeter side of sugar land: the faux candies are actually soft and squishy. I know, right?! More photos of the Candy Factory (and its engineers) are below and via Dok’s blog, here!

Monsters & Misfits II opens April 13th (today in Japan!) at the Kusakabe Folk Museum in Takayama.

New Sneaks from the Monsters & Misfits II Catalog

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Circus Posterus’ catalog for this year’s Monsters & Misfits exhibition is hot off the press and Shinji over at Tomenosuke-syoten has granted us a sneak peek at some of the pages. Showcasing selected works from each of the exhibiting artists, the 48-page, full-color catalog will be available for purchase on opening night and will likely be part of the online sale, as well. To the collectors outside of Asia who are looking to take home a piece of this exhibition, the online sale will be taking place at midnight on April 14th, which I believe will be Saturday morning/afternoon for many of us. To be safe, keep checking the Monsters & Misfits II banner near the bottom of the Tomenosuke homepage (right now it should say ‘coming soon’ when you click on it). If this sale is being handled similar to last year, the preview page will be up before it goes live to give collectors a chance to look at everything (preview instructions are usually included on this page, as well). Good luck to all the collectors and best wishes to Brandt, Kathie, Chris and Amanda as they attend their first Japanese reception!