4 DIRECTIONS FROM ASIA
8 Oct. 2010
Grace Exhibition Space @Brooklyn
ARAI Shin-ichi(Japan)
"my His-storty as a Stalker"

Fill 12L of Fanta Tropical to the bawl

I watched a woman from distance
at the reunion of my high school in last summer in Toyama city where is 5 hours train trip from Tokyo and my home town.
I saw her in 31 years.

In 1975 I met her at the high school when I was 16 years old.
And later I stopped a member of Japanese fencing(Kendo) club. I became a member of fine art club because she was also the member.
At first she did not like me.But I wrote many letters, called her by the telephone many times.
At last she became my girl friend.
After the club activities we studied together at my room but we almost only did kisses.
But we did not have sexual intercourse. We thought sexual intercourse was very bad and were also afraid of pregnancy.

She wanted to go the university in Tokyo.So I also decided to go the university in Tokyo.
I lived at dormitory of my university. It was a little bit near to her university and apartment. Those day we did not have mobile phone of course. Also I have a only public telephone at the dormitory. She did not have it.So we wrote each other. Sometimes we met but we could not kisses like before.
Because her apartment is very special for only women students. And my dormitory was for only men and there were no private.
Only sometimes I could come in her room.
In the university she was very happy ,got many new friends, did part time job at super market. She enjoyed her life very much.

But I only thought her. At first sometimes I visited her without appointment. So sometimes I waited her near her apartment almost 2 hours more.But later I very often visited her without it.
She started to not like me because my purpose of life is only meeting her.
At last I became a totally stalker even those days there was no such word. She sometimes did not want to meet me. So I only came back to the dormitory.

Those days I started to drink alcohol too much and eat too much and sleep too much not to visit her.But sometimes I visited her and troubled with her and only came back the dormitory.
At last she sent me a letter without her address that She now did not like me. And She had a new boy friend. Also She had already moved to new apartment. Bye Bye.
Since then I could not do anything but only drunk,ate and slept.I totally broke down.
6 month later I decided to go the small art school because only drinking was too bad and I needed to do something to stop thinking her.
So I studied fine art especially contemporary art very hard and made intaglio prints every day. I also started performance art with friends.
I recovered at last.

I could not say hello to her at the reunion.
Even my purpose to come the reunion was to meet her,
I only waited her to come to me and say hello to me.
But she never came to me.

2 portraits of a woman and text of performance
ARAI Shin-ichi (Japan)

video made by Rebecca Scheckman

ARAI lives and works in Tokyo. He has a B.A. in Chinese Modern Literature from Metropolitan University of Tokyo under Mr.llKURA Shohei.Later he majored in printmaking (Intaglio/Copper printing) from 1981 to 1987 under ex Mr.YOSHIDA Katsuro (Mono-ha group).
He also began experimenting in sound, voice and language performance actions since 1982. As a Japan Overseas Cooperative Volunteer he taught at Nyumba ya Sanaa Art school in Zanzibar, Tanzania 1992-94 where he experienced various insights into the relationship between culture and politics in contemporary society. This led to his radical social-political performances today. In his raw and direct style, ARAI's body appears as a site of social tension presented with humor yet biting criticism. Often exposing the conservative and xenophobic cultural tendencies and contradictions in global and local situations. Besides performing regularly in Japan, ARAI has also presented his works internationally and especially in China such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Xian, Chengdu, Changchun, and Beijing.(Lee Wen)

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