Inexpensive artistic goods are another of GEISAI’s many pleasures. These wood carved animals from Entrant B-116 Kobonishioka were very cute.

Entrant E-007 Keisuke Matsumoto. The works are a series of original yokai, each hand drawn with a pen and then scanned. He also sold postcards. Boy, would I love to encounter some of these yokai!

Entrant E-015 Yasuhiro Hara’s “Togenkyo Onsen(Hot Spring Utopia). These small works, made by connecting the bases of amorphous parts, had a poetic, fetishistic appeal.

Entrant E-012 Koujiro Matsumoto. Here we see a display of 12 drawings, connected to form something like a folding screen. The density of each drawing was particularly spectacular!

Entrant E-027 Eriko Kawai (right). Her innovative display showcased her drawings as if they were laundry items. She even has a washing machine off to the side.

Entrant E-029 Charatoons/ Ka-na. These airy, decorative drawings left quite an impression.

A work by Entrant E-037 Nana Fukushima which features a succession of Moomin-like characters. The source of the images is a fictitious animal species called rhinogradentia (animals who walk on their snouts) that one time received academic attention and research. The more I heard from the artist, the more interested I became.

In Entrant E-055 Yuji Yokokura’s corner, we find a collection of sculptures displayed in the style of a natural history museum. The statues all had exaggerated stereotypical features and were colorfully decorated, making for a grotesquely cute flavor. Worth viewing for the clever display alone.

Entrant E-085 midori komori. The theatrical display, which invites us to explore a world of strange woodland creatures, more than held my attention.

Entrant E-079 Chisa Iura. This embroidered t-shirt says “Zero man yen (similar to ‘zero thousand’),” yet has a price tag of 200,000 yen. With all the attention on fluctuations in the value of art these days, works that make us think about money feel all the more real.

Entrant F-013 Nobusuke Shimizu, recipient of a jury prize at GEISAI#11. This festival’s booth was entitled “Nihon Hingeikan (Museum of Poor Japanese Art)” and the theme was “JAPOORT (japan+pop+poor+art). Simulated antiques, handmade from inexpensive materials, line the floor like some kind of mystery secondhand shop. How do we go about placing a value on art? The works ignite the imagination.

At GEISAI Museum#2, Entrant F-011 Shinpei Sasada captured a lot of laughs by visualizing a chum salmon nirvana. This time he decided to tackle “Insant Amida Raigō (Buddhist paintings brought to the home of someone thought to be near death)” with a chicken ramen motif.

Booth F-020 was hosted by a group called “Nihon Bijinesu Sakka Kyoukai (Association of Japanese Businessmen-Artists)” which presented books and artwork by Japanese artists who work full time and create on the weekends. GEISAI really does have a massive lineup of unique faces.

From Entrant F-025 Yuri Sakai’s booth. Along with a large scale painting, there was also this interesting work called “piza aosora (Blue Sky Pizza).”

Entrant F-063 THE・SHIROUTO showcased an imitation giant Buddha statue that would respond to offerings with advice or fortune telling. The booth was a big attraction in the morning when they handed out mystery items for 100 yen.

Kaikai Kiki presents “Hello from the Miyoshi Fatory 2”. The booth was covered in distinctive works made by Kaikai Kiki staff. Before I knew what hit me, I myself had already bought 2 items. I hope you can forgive me.