Nakamura Nobuo

Mr. Nakamura, you have had a unique career, writing the book Shonen Art (A Young Boy's Art) and serving as director of CCA (Center of Contemporary Art) Kitakyushu. What sort of book was Shonen Art?

Nakamura: I left college before graduating and went to London, staying for ten and a half years. When I returned to Japan, I didnƒ—t know anything about the situation here. In 1982, I served as curator for the ƒ�Action and Imaginationƒ‚ exhibition sponsored by the Japan Foundation, and after that I worked organizing exhibitions in Japan. I noticed a large gap between the European art world and Japan, so when I was asked to write a book on art, I wrote about my own experiences and various artists I had actually met and talked to. Instead of writing a book of art criticism, I tried to make it easy to read and understand.

There was a tremendous response to Shonen Art, particularly from younger readers. Was this the basis for establishing CCA Kitakyushu?

Nakamura: Yes, it was. The fact that there was such a response among young people showed that there was something missing in the Japanese art world up to that point. I felt it was necessary to create a place where free dialog could flourish, a place where information could be conveyed openly. Although it was a small venture, I received a great deal of support and cooperation from overseas artists and curators.

What sort of exhibition would you like Yokohama 2001 to be?

Nakamura: First, there are still very few exhibitions of contemporary art being held in Japan. Since this is the first international exhibition of this scale here, I think it would be a good idea to make it an orthodox presentation of contemporary art. The territory of art seems be fairly well defined, but there are creative people in other fields, including science, architecture, and design. I would like to see the creative people from many different fields come together with artists to reinvestigate the meaning of creativity. I am certain that this would help us find new directions. We have adopted the concept of "metalog" for this exhibition, a broad-ranging dialog on the theme of the "Future for Today". Something new will undoubtedly emerge from this intellectual conversation. This is important. It is common to think that the present exists for the sake of the future. When talking to artists, I often hear them say that they are thinking about the present when they are making their work. Although it may not be logical, what they are actually referring to is the future. That is why, I think, scientists and people of other fields are interested in artists. Together with the artists, we should make use of the future and look carefully at the present. That is what I would like to see happen in this exhibition.

What is most interesting about Yokohama?

Nakamura: A number of the artists have come to inspect the site, and they find the new buildings in Japan to be quite interesting. Yokohama has a fashionable image. It is a port city, a place where you can have fun.

There are four artistic directors. Do they play different roles?

Nakamura: Rather than speaking about our roles, I would simply say that we are a group of four Japanese men. Each of us has his own way of thinking and would like to express his individual preferences.

What are you most looking forward to in this triennial exhibition?

Nakamura: To the artists coming. Also, there will probably be a lot of art professionals and curators from overseas here for the opening. This has never happened in Japan before. The larger the scale of the exhibition, the more work there will be, but I think it is a wonderful thing for us to put on this exhibition by ourselves. There is meaning in doing something in our own country. I think it will have a big impact, especially on young people. I hope that many people will come to the exhibition and see the works with their own eyes. I hope that young artists and art professionals will take this opportunity to experience the atmosphere created by artists from all over the world.