CREATION SPACE in ISSEY MIYAKE SEMBA presents “fount of creativity” by illustrator Seitaro Kuroda.

Facing the bay and crisscrossed by rivers, Osaka is a city that grew up with its feet in the water. Semba is a district in Osaka that once prospered as an important strategic waypoint for ships and boats. Here, the ISSEY MIYAKE SEMBA store acknowledges the history and developed the store concept of “water”. The aim is for visitors to experience spontaneous inspiration and new ideas for the future of creativity, making this a space that is truly a “fount of creativity”.

From Saturday, August 31st to Friday, September 6th, we invited Seitaro Kuroda to hold an open studio at our store. Inspired by the venue, he spontaneously drew and painted over the walls and created a fascinating space. Customers who visited our store during Kuroda's open studio participated in the creative process as they drew and painted along. By doing so they were able to experience the store concept, “fount of creativity”. This exhibition presents the work created at the open studio.

Lending itself to the location of Semba, the space also exhibits Seitaro Kuroda's paintings done in the past with boat motifs, and features an acrylic sculpture he created in homage to Shiro Kuramata, the design force behind many of ISSEY MIYAKE stores in the early days.

On Saturday, September 7th, we invited drummer Tatsuya Nakamura to hold a live painting event, during which Seitaro Kuroda moved along with the drumbeats as he drew and painted here and there on the canvas. The work created at this event is on exhibit at the venue.

Seitaro Kuroda
Born in Osaka in 1939. After working at the Yoshio Hayakawa Design Office, in 1969 he established the design office “K2” with Mr. Keisuke Nagatomo. He has created many illustrations for posters and books. In 1992, he set up an atelier in New York and is active overseas. In 2016, he opened an atelier “KAKIBA” in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. Currently based in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, he conducts live paintings, mural paintings, workshops, etc. around the world, and strives to convey the joy of creation.