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Just as Hokusai recorded the customs of Edo in his "Hokusai Manga," only painting can realistically record the unprecedented society that is now covered in masks. That is why he went out on the town, to Mt. Koya and to a remote island far to the south, and drew 1,000 mask paintings. 1000 paintings at once are now on view. Astonishment at a glance. It wouldn't be art without artistic surprise!(Morinaga Hiroshi)

From morning till night, we pass by only masked faces. We have become accustomed to seeing masked people in our daily lives due to the spread of the new coronavirus, but if you look closely, you will see that they are also wearing masks of various kinds. Hiroshi Morinaga, 70, a writer and editor, draws masked people every day, saying, "I want to leave them behind as a record of customs and manners in 2020. His goal was to create 1,000 masked people in 1,000 different styles. The exhibition will be held as a fitting conclusion to the year 2020, with the paintings filling the entire exhibition hall. 2F of THE STORIES will concurrently host another series of Morinaga's paintings, "Senju-ga Exhibition". A total of 2,000 works will be on display, making for a powerful exhibition. Naoki Tachikawa will participate in the music selection for the background music at the venue.

[Artist]
Hiroshi Morinaga
Born in 1950, became an editor in 1970. He launched "For Life Magazine" with Keiichi Tanaami as AD, and "Monthly Novel King" with Hiroshi Aramata's "Teito Monogatari" as serial.
He made his debut as a writer in 1986 with "Harajuku Gold Rush. Since then, he has published Island Trip Notebook and trilogy "Dropout no Erai Hito", his autobiography "What I Dreamed of When I Wandered Down That Alley Has Almost Come True", and "Stranger Than Illusion", co-authored with Keiichi Tanaami, and many other books. Currently, he is the personality of FM COCOLO's "Radio Shangri-La" with Naoki Tachikawa. His latest work is "Yamazaki Masayuki Gyokuon Houdan Tenjo Tenge Tenge Yada Dokuro" (Yamazaki Masayuki Gyokuon Houdan: Tenjo Tenge Yada Dokuro).
Website http://www.morinaga-hiroshi.com
Twitter @DIAMOND__ROUGH

Hiroshi Morinaga Illustration Exhibition
「The Age of Masks 2020」
December 18 (Fri.)-27 (Sun.), 2020 Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week from 13:00 to 19:00
Venue: THE STORIES, Nakazaki-cho, 1-7-13 Nakazakinishi, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0015, Japan

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A long time ago, I decided to take a ride in a small Cessna with a capacity of nine passengers from an airfield where strong winds were blowing in early spring. The passenger was Mr. Morinaga, who at the time was producing all aspects of Gonchichi promotions. When I sat down in my seat, feeling uneasy, Mr. Morinaga, who was in the seat in front of me, said with a smile, "It's survival, isn't it?
Hiroshi Morinaga" is a subatomic particle that exists only at the tip of the leading edge. So we must watch the masks and hands drawn by elementary particles at the tip of this age of true survival.

Gonzalez, Mikami

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Mr. Morinaga sensitively captures interesting things that no one else notices, and teaches them to us in a gentle way.
I didn't realize you had such talent as well! Thank you for always surprising me.

Chichi Matsumura

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There is no such thing as a normal day. With Mr. Morinaga, even the gloomy, lightly overcast skies are not a surprise.
It seems like the entrance to a galaxy leading to an endless universe.
There is no such thing as a boring day. When we walk, a strange reality invites us into its labyrinth.
Humorous and frightening masked humans, you see, beckon.
Welcome to the future. And.

Tomoyasu Hotei

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Congratulations on your solo exhibition, Mr. Morinaga.
They were sending me picture diaries on a daily basis.
Where does he get the vitality to continue painting without slowing down at all in the midst of this year? I'm going to find out.
I am always reassured by the presence of the yankee ojisama.
Please have a drink when you settle down again.

Kazuyoshi Saito

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Mr. Morinaga is a flexible person.
And he is animalistic, intuitive, and hedonistic.
The overwhelming mass of text and pictures is, after all, overwhelmingly laconic, but
When I actually met him, he is by far the best listener.
It's overwhelmingly thoughtful, yet instinctive.

YO-KING（Magokoro Brothers）

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Mr. N. described "me and M' as a psychedelic Simon & Garfunkel."
M''s partner of 50 years, M's natural high has recently become more and more polished, and from the first time he showed me his latest mask painting, I thought it was very typical.
I hope you will enjoy the unique artistic world of 'M' with a natural feeling.

Naoki Tachikawa

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「A Breath of the Times.」

When I was a child, my Japanese teacher told me, "Just write what you see. You don't have to try to write well. I understood what he meant by not trying to write well, but I thought that if I could write as I saw it, I would have no trouble, and that it would be difficult, so I would have to think a lot.

Now, Hiroshi Morinaga's "The Age Of Mask 2020" reminds me of the phrase "write what you see. There is nothing interesting about writing "as you see it. Through Mr. Morinaga's eyes, the instantaneous memory falls on the paper. The book is filled with Morinaga's viewpoints and thoughts. The works, created by a psychoanalyst-like paintbrush, irresistibly stimulate the viewer's desire to feel the true feelings hidden beneath the mask.

Takeshi Kadokami

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It is a prophetic book to an unknown path.
I think you are a person who sees. No, perhaps the correct expression is "a person who sees.
Whether it is a book, film, or photograph, Hiroshi Morinaga sees not only what is present in the text, video, or image, but also what is entrusted behind the scenes. And then he transmits it. With the cold fervor of a bard, he does so in a simple, unaffected manner.
Mr. Morinaga painted a thousand people wearing masks, which suddenly changed the landscape in the year 2020. We have become accustomed to seeing them over time. What did Mr. Morinaga see, what awed him, and what did he hope for in his brushstrokes? This exhibition, "The Age Of Mask 2020," is a record of his soul.
A crowd of masks covered Japan. It is like a pilgrimage of masks. Where are we headed? Is there really a Mecca? And if so, where? After seeing "The Age Of Mask 2020" exhibition, the scenery of the city you see on your way to and from the exhibition will be completely different. Perhaps it is in these differences and discrepancies that Mr. Morinaga was looking at. Because excellent art is always a prophecy book for an unknown road.

Nishibayashi Hatsuaki

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An uncle is the biggest taboo in the Morinaga family. It was when I was over 20 years old that I learned that I had an uncle. My grandfather once told me that Hiroshi lived his life breathing different air from others. In the year 2020, all people were forced to wear masks over their mouths and noses and forbidden the freedom to breathe the same air as everyone else. In this landscape where everyone feels suffocated, my uncle found freedom alone. He does not try to depict freedom by cutting holes or tearing off the mask that blocks his mouth and nose. By carefully and painstakingly depicting this landscape, the artist teaches us to open a hole in the suffocating landscape, to create a rift, and to breathe different air from others.

ANREALAGE
Kunihiko Morinaga

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Request to all visitors.
Please be sure to wear a mask when visiting.
We ask for your cooperation in hand sanitizing at the entrance.
We will take your temperature at the entrance.
If a fever of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher is observed, admission will be denied.
Admission may be restricted to prevent congestion.
Please follow the instructions of the staff.