Texts

Meruro Washida
Director, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

“Evading Attempts at Capture: Cats by Iikawa Takehiro”

In A Collection of Recent Interviews and Essays, 2018–2024, 2025, pp. 5–16

[EN]

Miki Tachibana

Curator, Takamatsu Art Museum

“The Story of Expecting Spectators”

In A Collection of Recent Interviews and Essays, 2018–2024, 2025, pp. 138–158

[EN]

Miki Tachibana

Curator, Takamatsu Art Museum

“Impulse and Imagination: Exploring the Relationship Between Work and Viewer in Iikawa Takehiro’s Decorator Crab”《衝動と想像──作品と鑑賞者の関係からみる飯川雄大「デコレータークラブ」》

First published in artscape, July 19, 2024

English translation in A Collection of Recent Interviews and Essays, 2018–2024, 2025, pp. 115–137

[JP/EN]

Yukika Takeno
Curator, Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery
“Afterword”《あとがき》
In Kids meet 04: Decorator Crab—Expecting Spectators, Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, 2024, p. 45
[JP]
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Megumu Takashima
Critic of fine and performing arts; Researcher, Art Research Center, Kyoto City University of Arts

Review of Decorator Crab—Measuring the Future, Pulling Time, Kirishima Open-Air Museum

First published in artscape, October 15, 2023

English translation in A Collection of Recent Interviews and Essays, 2018–2024, 2025, pp. 211–224

[JP/EN]

Eriko Kimura

Director, Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art

“Can Sculpture Camouflage Itself in Public Spaces?”《公共空間において彫刻はその存在を擬態できるか？》

In IIKAWA TAKEHIRO: DECORATOR CRAB, AKAAKA Art Publishing Inc. and Sendai Mediatheque, 2024

[JP/EN] pp. 114–118 (JP), pp. 119–123 (EN)

Areum Lee
Aesthetics researcher; Co-director, YPC SPACE, Seoul, South Korea

“Rise of the Kawaii Monster—Meeting Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat”《「カワイイ」怪獣の出現：《ピンクの猫の小林さん》と対面する》

In IIKAWA TAKEHIRO: DECORATOR CRAB, AKAAKA Art Publishing Inc. and Sendai Mediatheque, 2024

[JP/EN] pp. 124–127 (JP), pp. 128–131 (EN)

Taro Igarashi
Architectural historian and critic

“Transforming Landscape Through the Power of Imagination”《想像力を通じて、風景を変容させる》

In IIKAWA TAKEHIRO: DECORATOR CRAB, AKAAKA Art Publishing Inc. and Sendai Mediatheque, 2024

[JP/EN] pp. 132–135 (JP), pp. 136–139 (EN)

Kenji Kai

Artistic Director, Sendai Mediatheque

“What a ‘Spectral Cat’ Offers a City: At the Intersection of Community Issue Resolution and Artwork Concept”《「化け猫」が街にもたらしえるもの——地域課題解決と作品コンセプトとの交点》

In IIKAWA TAKEHIRO: DECORATOR CRAB, AKAAKA Art Publishing Inc. and Sendai Mediatheque, 2024

[JP/EN] pp. 190–191 (JP), pp. 192–195 (EN)

Kakari Seki

Curator, The Hakone Open-Air Museum
“A New Form of Art Appreciation That Begins Unexpectedly”《送客がもたらす、新しい鑑賞体験》
In Decorator Crab—Occurring Simultaneously or Awareness Being Delayed, The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Kanagawa, Japan, 2023

[JP/EN] pp. 10–11 (JP), pp. 12–17 (EN)
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Eriko Kimura

Director, Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art

“Sculpture That Lets You See What Cannot Be Seen and Paintings That Cannot Be Seen Even When Desired”《見えないものが見えてくる彫刻、あるいは、見たくても見られない絵画》

In Decorator Crab—Occurring Simultaneously or Awareness Being Delayed, The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Kanagawa, Japan, 2023

[JP/EN] pp. 46–49 (JP), pp. 50–53 (EN)

Megumu Takashima
Critic of fine and performing arts; Researcher, Art Research Center, Kyoto City University of Arts

Review of Decorator Crab—Make Space, Use Space, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

First published in artscape, April 15, 2022

English translation in A Collection of Recent Interviews and Essays, 2018–2024, 2025, pp. 106–114

[JP/EN]

Hiroyuki Hattori
Curator, Japan Pavilion, 58th Venice Biennale (2019)
“A Project Expanding the Potential of Museums”《美術館の潜在力を拡張するプロジェクト》
In Decorator Crab—Expecting Spectators, Chiba City Museum of Art, Japan, 2022, pp. 2–4
English translation in A Collection of Recent Interviews and Essays, 2018–2024, 2025, pp. 159–163
[JP/EN]
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Megumi Hatai
Curator, Chiba City Museum of Art
“May You Encounter a Crab Someday, Somewhere—When Belief Takes Shape”《いつかどこかであなたがカニに出会えるように──信じ続ける態度が形になるとき》
In Decorator Crab—Expecting Spectators, Chiba City Museum of Art, Japan, 2022, p. 15
English translation in A Collection of Recent Interviews and Essays, 2018–2024, 2025, pp. 206–210
[JP/EN]
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Kozue Hashimoto

Curator, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

[Becoming “A New Spectator”]《「新しい観客」になる》

In ART RAMBLE Vol. 75, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan, July 8, 2022, pp. 4–5

[JP]

Kozue Hashimoto

Curator, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

“Reflections on the Interview”

Printed on Channel 12: Decorator Crab—Make Space, Use Space, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Hyogo, Japan, 2022

English translation in A Collection of Recent Interviews and Essays, 2018–2024, 2025, pp. 103–104
[JP/EN]
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Miki Tachibana
Curator, Takamatsu Art Museum

Curatorial text on the exhibition

In Decorator Crab—Intercepting Perception, Takamatsu Art Museum, Japan, 2020, p. 20

[JP]

Mayumi Hirano
Curator, Load Na Dito, Manila
“Collaborator, Corroborator and a Crab”《観察、参加、そしてカニ》
In Decorator Crab—Arrangement, Adjustment, Movement, AMAGASAKI A-Lab, Hyogo, Japan, 2019
[JP/EN] pp. 20–21 (JP), pp. 22–23 (EN)
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Mayumi Hirano
Curator, Load Na Dito, Manila

“Waiting for a Ball”《ボールを待ちながら》

On the solo exhibition All for One?, HOTEL ANTEROOM KYOTO, Kyoto, Japan, 2016

In Next Fire, 2016, pp. 22–23

English version in Winning Position, 2018, pp. 75–78

[JP/EN]

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Interviews and Conversations

Keiko Kamijo and Takehiro Iikawa
Writer
“Change Your Perspective, and Space Appears”《視点を変えれば、スペースは生まれる》
In Kids meet 04: Decorator Crab—Expecting Spectators, Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, 2024, pp. 36–44
[JP]

Takehiro Iikawa, Kenji Kai, Chiaki Tanaka, and Keizo Tanji

Artist; Artistic Director and curatorial staff, Sendai Mediatheque

“Roundtable Discussion: Toward a Sendai Edition of Mr. Kobayashi the Pink Cat”《ピンクの猫の小林さん仙台版への道のり》

Moderated by Shinichi Uchida

In IIKAWA TAKEHIRO: DECORATOR CRAB, AKAAKA Art Publishing Inc. and Sendai Mediatheque, 2024

[JP/EN] pp. 160–169 (JP), pp. 170–179 (EN)