Saturday, April 3, 2010

Those who Models I : Tomoshige Kouji 「プラモデル出身の彫刻家たち I: 友重好司


Tomoshige Kouji, is one of many students who joined my sculpture class with experience as a plastic model maker. Several of them takes model making seriously, and go on to become a professional or semiprofessional at modelmaking or related commercial art field.

Kouji makes various types of models, some are original figures and others are conversions. These he exhibits and sales through his homepage.

Lately, Kouji sent me photos of his recent works. Unfortunately some of them did not come through the mail, but these two conversion car models came through.

多くの私の道都大学でのゼミ生はプラモデル経験者で卒業後も真剣にプラモデルを作っている。中ではプラモデルなどホビー系の仕事をしている卒業生もいる。友重好司君もこの仲間、卒業後、オリジナルなフィガーやプラモデルなどの車を改造し、インターネットなどで展示したり、販売している。最近かれからいくつかの イメージが送ってきて、そのうちあけられたのが上の二つ写真に紹介した車のプラモデルだ。

Nissan S-15 Sylvia

Tomoshige works for the security company that uses this Niissan car.
He thought it might be 'cool' to have it converted as a sports custom so he did it here.

トモシゲ君が働いている警備会社の車をスポーツカスタムにしたモデル。「警備会社がこんなぶっとんだ車を使っていたら面白いなと思ってバリバ リのスポーツカスタムにしました」と彼は述べた。


Toyota AE86 Tourino

This model is a result of collaborating 'East Side' series with 'Head Letter D'(? Here I 'm translating Japanese words directly.)

「東方シリーズと頭文字Dを勝手にコラボさせた一発ネタです」と友重君は言っていた。



Kouji Tomoshige working on a thesis project.
ゼミ室で卒業制作の作業をしている友重君

For a graduate work, Tomoshige combined his plastic model making experience, his increase experience with clay work from modeling in sculpture classes, and his desire to make social and political statement through his art into several diorama works that depict various demons and spirits admonishing people who he felt have done injustice. These include US naval base in Okinawa, people who litter the environment and kids who litter and desurface these.

*I have lost the original title of these works so I have given substitute title that I believe come close.,

Though the statement that Tomoshige makes in these works are sometimes rather simple for me, the visual part of his works are very interesting and original. I like these type of works where students (or artists) utilize their background to come up with quite unique art. Also I must note that social/political/ religious comment through visual art is quite rare in Japan.

卒業制作では友重君はプラモデルの経験の他、授業でつよめた粘土の扱いと、社会や政治にたいしてのコメントを生かした作品を制作した。マイナス的な存在に対して怒った妖怪などをいくつかのジオラマの形にして描いた。これらは落書き少年らや、沖縄の米軍や リストラする会社などだ。

もっと長く人生を経験した大人の私から見たら、学生のころの好司君が作品をとおして言いたいことは
ところどころ単純に見えるが、しかし作品そのものはオリジナルでとても面白い。それぞれ学生(プロも)が自分の個性のあるバックグランドからあみだした美術はとても独特でおもしろく、これらはそのいい例だ。

*オリジナルの作品の題が見つからないので、近い題をつけてある。


Myth of Mosern Day Demons and Spirits
近代妖怪やスピリツーなどの神話

This is a photo of "Dohto University thesis exhibition, where Kouji has displayed several diorama works and drawings that depict modern day demons and spirits that admonish negative elements of mankind.


Wrath of Spirits of Okinawa
近代沖縄のスピリツとおばけ

Spirits and demons destroying the US naval base in Okinawa. Stationing of US naval base is unpopular among Japanese. However, after making this piece, Tomoshige begin to see the viewpoint of other side; that is the necessity of having US troops there.
沖縄米軍記事をおそう妖怪たち



Spirit of Disposal
ごみの妖怪

This is a detail of diorama that stars demon made of disposals that protects forest from those that secretly tries to dispose illegally in the forest.
この作品ではごみの妖怪が森を秘密にごみを捨てる違反者たちから守っているところ。 

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