When did you first start thinking of "owning" a piece of art?

I was in a band in my early 20s, and I didn't get a regular job until I was 25. It was a small apparel  company. Then, when I was 28 years old, a friend of mine opened  a designer clothing store, and I became interested in art as I started feeling that it is something close to fashion. "STUDIO VOICE” and "Relax" were popular magazines back then and they would often feature some graffiti art, and it was around this time that I had thoughts about displaying some nice art at home. In 2000, when I was 30 years old, I met artist "Wataru Komachi" who was participating in an exhibition event at a furniture store nearby. I liked his dark and rock world in his work, and asked him to make a painting for the wallpaper of a store I was planning to renovate at the time. The first art I bought was that the original painting that he drew for me then.

What made you want to purchase a piece of art?

Most of the works I currently own are from the artists who have exhibited at the exhibition space I run. When I buy a piece of art, naturally it is something intuitive, but there was a change in how I choose the art due to my life circumstances at the time of purchase.
Four or five years ago, my wife, my daughter and I three plus one blue bird (parrot) were a whole family member (it now flew to the other side of the world), whenever I came across a painting of a blue bird, I would think that it was painted for us. And when I saw a painting that looked like a family of three, I would buy one because I thought it depicted my family again. It's fun to buy art thinking that they resonate with your own background.

How do you enjoy the art you own?

My home is like my own permanent gallery and I am very comfortable with it. I've been installing works that I like in an open area, but I would like to make more comfortable space by balancing with some greens.

Do you think there’s a difference between seeing an exhibition or art in real life and online?

Live music streaming for example can be exciting if you have a good sound system at home, but I think I can’t say the same about art exhibitions. Online or in real life is very different since you can’t feel the real texture of art.
I believe that good artists and works, including the atmosphere of the exhibition space, will take you straight to the other side of the world, so I would like people to enjoy them in real life.

What kind of artwork would you like to own in the future?

The other day I had this experience; I went to a museum with no information at hand, but I saw this art for the first time, and I was amazed with an unexpected excitement rising up within me, like "Wow, this is the art I like!”
It was intriguing to know how there may be more art that I like that I haven't encountered yet, or that I am not even aware of. I want to meet and welcome exciting works that I don't even know about.

What does “Owned Art (the art you own)” mean to you?

I'm comfortable and proud to be surrounded by pieces that I've chosen intuitively with the sensitivities and sensations I've developed. It feels as if I am installing more and more windows with a nice view at home!

Do you have any advice for people considering buying art?

Follow your intuition, and start with owning one item first. I believe that intuition is something that naturally comes from your own experience, so the one you feel good about at the time is the right choice at that point in time. When you take the work you saw at the gallery space and install it at home, the energy from the art will jump out at you and change the atmosphere in your room full of life. And by owning the work, you will be able to get closer to the artist on a personal level, and enjoy the artist's success in the future. In this chaotic era, I want you to experience art more and encounter your own sense of self that has not yet risen to the occasion.