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

I am ashamed to say that it is only after I started selling my own work.
Since I was a student, I used to go to museums and galleries, so I guess I had vaguely thought of owning one, but I was rather more interested in looking at artworks to stimulate the kind of expression I was doing (I used to do VJ in a club). Once student life was over and became a corporate worker, work was my life so I became distant from appreciating art. Then before I turned 26, I started running a gallery as my friend asked, and I became much closer to art and started thinking about owning them. Unlike when I was a student, I think a big part of the reason for this is that I was able to feel the presence of the artist beyond the work they made.

How do you enjoy the art you own?

I display some here and there at home. I only have a small space, and I don’t own my house, so it's difficult to hang the art on the wall which limits the space for displaying. But I want to put them in as many different places as possible so that I can see them in daily life. I don't display all the works I own, so I try to change them from time to time. Or I enjoy looking at them the same way I watch movies or read books while I relax and have some drinks.
I had a collection exhibition at POL, the gallery / shop I run, because I couldn't organize planned exhibitions due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is still an idea in my mind, but Pulp, another gallery I run, has a full display window and is on the ground floor, so I’m thinking it’d be interesting to set up something where we can introduce artists to the public by putting up large pieces of work that cannot be displayed at home.

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

In a sense, the exhibition space itself can be considered a piece of work, and I think that's something you can't experience online. You can make up your own story in your mind just by following the layouts and positioning of art at the gallery, which would give you a different perspective from if you were to look at each through the screen. Maybe this is because I run a gallery myself, but I have seen artists find “something” new in their art that they weren’t even aware of as they install art. There are some ugly traits of the gallery space where it's seemingly difficult to install art in (such as an awkward gap between walls or where AC units get in the way), but it is interesting to see how artists have fun placing their art in such space intentionally.

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

I live with my wife and she also owns several works, but there are many that don't match up well with the works I own. I want to find ways to blend them in well, not to simply compromise, but as a way to understand each other's interests and broaden our interests so that we can create an interesting array of works. I want to find works that connect and expand on the pieces we each own. Of course, I want to add more works that are not recognized, while I keep space to display them.

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

In my case, I can rarely explain exactly how good a piece of art I'm buying at the time, but rather buy one because I have a strong feeling that it's good most times. I might sound exaggerating, but the existence of "something I don't understand, but it's good" gives me hope that there is an abundance in this world that I have never felt before. Perhaps if I could understand the goodness of it, it gives me the joy of enlightenment being able to face my new sense.

Do you have any advice for people considering buying art?

Try to look at various exhibits as if you would perhaps buy that work. You may find that “this art is too big for my room”, or that “this color doesn't match my room,” or simply that it's not your favorite. If you're already an art enthusiast, you'll probably find something that makes you jumpy right away, so go for it. Don't think of buying a piece of art as something onerous or collectors’ thing, but start with it the same way you would with your home decor.
The elation you feel when you decide to buy it and pay for it; the feeling you get when you find a perfect place to set up; the outpouring of support feelings towards the artist. I guarantee you gain more benefits than what the artwork itself brings to you.