[Global Agents Co., Ltd.] Enjoy autumn art in Otaru! UNWIND is a hotel gallery with a fantastic Art Deco architectural beauty. A photo exhibition titled “Away to Hazama” by photographer Chikako Sawada, who lovingly captures the streets of Otaru, has started at “GALLERY.”
*Global Agents Co., Ltd.*
Press release: September 5, 2024
**
Enjoy autumn art in Otaru! Photographer Sawada lovingly captures the city of Otaru at UNWIND GALLERY, a hotel gallery with a fantastic art deco architecture.
Chikako’s photo exhibition “Away to Hazama” starts
*Cocktails paired with the exhibited works are also available* Global Agents Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo,
Representative Director: Tsuyoshi Yamazaki) operates LIVELY, a boutique hotel and lifestyle hotel with 1,200 rooms in 12 buildings under 6 brands nationwide.
We operate HOTELS (https://livelyhotels.com/
As part of the 9th project of “Gallery”, photographer “Sawada” takes photos of the city of Otaru from various perspectives. The photo exhibition “Away and Between” by Chikako will be held from September 1, 2024 (Sunday) to November 29, 2024 (Friday).
*UNWIND GALLERY*
“UNWIND HOTEL & BAR
Otaru” views hotels as a place to transmit culture and information, and is working to convey the charms of Hokkaido from a unique perspective. As part of this effort, UNWIND will be exhibiting works by artists with ties to Hokkaido, taking advantage of a fantastic space created by modernly renovating historical buildings.
GALLERY” was established in November 2022. The project is planned with a focus on contemporary art, using the keyword “classic contemporary” that describes our hotel, and has been featured in local media and fashion magazines.
It is open to the public free of charge because we want local people to enjoy it as well. We are a hotel where guests can view art at any time during their stay, and many locals visit the hotel as a space where they can enjoy contemporary art.
This is the 9th time, and this time we will be featuring photographer Chikako Sawada, who was born and lives in Otaru.
This is an exhibition by Mr. Chikako. UNWIND HOTEL & BAR is a historical building built in 1931 during the fall of art that has been renovated in a modern style.
Please fully enjoy “Otaru” by Mr. Sawada, who takes photos of the city of Otaru from various perspectives in the fantastic space of Otaru.
* “Away to Hazama” by Chikako Sawada *
This exhibition will be a two-part exhibition based on the theme of “the feeling of wandering between the ordinary and the
extraordinary,” which is expressed through the words “amaze” and “hazama.” A total of 13 photographs will be exhibited, including 5 new photographs taken by Mr. Sawada specifically for this exhibition, with Otaru, the city where our hotel is located, as the subject. Hidden in the mundane scenery of daily life, we create a “space between life and art” that cuts out the aesthetic space, and a single curtain is placed at familiar spots such as buildings, the sea, and the cityscape that come to mind when you think of Otaru. Separation is expressed using two different expressions: “a gap created by a window that appears in an impossible place.” UNWIND has been watching over the city of Otaru for many years.
HOTEL & BAR A space where you can feel the historical atmosphere of Otaru, Sawada
Please enjoy Chikako’s work where you can feel the passion and love. Autumn is when the weather becomes pleasant, the colorful autumn leaves and quaint buildings are beautiful, and walking around the city becomes fun. After enjoying Mr. Sawada’s exhibition, please find the “ambience” and “hazama” that you encounter in your daily life, and enjoy the special fall of art that does not end with viewing, but continues in your daily life.
*Awai*
A small spot in an ordinary landscape. The pop world woven by colors and shapes catches your eye. The gap between life and art captures the aesthetic space hidden within the living sphere.
*Hazama*
“This side and that side” exist because a single curtain separates them. Furthermore, “the viewer and the viewed” are born. He has turned this fun into his works as his life’s work. I want you to feel the slight tremors that the contradictions and curiosity that emanate from the gaps created by the “windows” that appear in impossible places affect your five senses.
*Comment from Chikako Sawada*
I can’t help but feel that there are countless invisible boundaries in the world we live in today. I tried to express it in photos. I would be happy if you could feel the strange feeling of seeing something you had never seen before due to the appearance of “line of sight.” This wonderful building, which was once a hotel exclusively for foreigners, has been renovated into a beautiful space. I am very happy to be able to exhibit it here. I hope many of you will visit us.
* Chikako Sawada Profile *
Born in Otaru.
In 2002, a series of pictures of monsters and dolls placed in the Otaru townscape won an award in the fashion magazine Anan’s photo competition, and this is when he began to seriously pursue
photography. He presents works such as installations that are composed of not only two-dimensional objects but also three-dimensional objects using photographs. We also hold workshops at cultural centers and schools.
Established “WATASHI-BRAND” in 2016, which engages in activities related to photography.
Launched the quarterly magazine “OTARU Ture＊Dure”, where you can enjoy photos from Otaru, and currently has 31 issues published.
*Exhibition overview*
[Exhibition] Chikako Sawada Photo Exhibition “Away and Between” [Location] UNWIND HOTEL & BAR Otaru 1st floor UNWIND GALLERY [Exhibition period] September 1, 2024 (Sunday) – November 29, 2024 (Friday) [Admission fee] Free
We are open to the public free of charge because we want local people to enjoy it as well.
The public can enjoy the exhibition from 7 a.m. to midnight every day. [Days when the artist is in the gallery]
・9/12 (Thu) 13:00-15:00
・9/27 (Fri) 14:00-17:00
Further dates of the gallery will be announced on the hotel’s official Instagram.
(https://www.instagram.com/unwind_hotel_otaru)
*Cocktails available to pair with the exhibition*
UNWIND GALLERY, which is located in the hotel’s common area, is located in the hotel’s bar “Bar Ignis”.
Otaru (Bar Ignis Otaru) is also a part of the gallery. This time, we will be selling “Unkai Lemon Sour” as a pairing cocktail for “Awaito Hazama”.
An elegant lemon sour with just the right amount of sourness from fresh lemons, finished with lemon-flavored espuma and lemon peel inspired by a sea of clouds. The fluffy taste of lemon sour and espuma makes this cup feel like eating a lemon tart.
It’s like drinking a regular/familiar lemon sour, but please enjoy the slightly special “Awai to Hazama” in a cocktail.
Unkai Lemon Sour: 1,600 yen (tax included)
-Bar Ignis Otaru-
Location: UNWIND HOTEL & BAR Otaru 1st floor
Business hours: Open all year round 19:30-23:30 (L.O 23:00)
* About UNWIND HOTEL & BAR Otaru *
The Old Etchuya Hotel was built in 1931 as Hokkaido’s first hotel exclusively for foreigners.
During the war, it was used as an officer’s club by the Army, and after the war, it was taken over by the U.S. Army.It has been designated as a historic building by Otaru City, and designated as a modern industrial heritage site by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
33, which was designated as a historic building, has been renovated after several years.
While retaining the historic atmosphere and architectural beauty of the building, a boutique hotel with a modern sensibility has been created through bold renovations, which could be expected from the fact that it had been closed for a long time. Please come and experience a worldview with a unique sensibility that is different from just a classic hotel.
Facility name: UNWIND HOTEL & BAR Otaru
Address: 1-8-25 Ironai, Otaru, Hokkaido
Access: Approximately 35 minutes on the JR Hakodate Main Line from Sapporo Station to Otaru Station, 10 minutes walk from Otaru Station to the hotel.
Web: https://www.livelyhotels.com/unwindotaru/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwind_hotel_otaru/
* About Global Agents Co., Ltd.*
Company name Global Agents Co., Ltd. http://global-agents.co.jp Representative Director Tsuyoshi Yamazaki
Head office location: 1-29-3 Higashi, Shibuya-ku, 150-0011
*Lifestyle business handled by Global Agents*
LIVE: Operates 52 social apartments with approximately 3,200 rooms https://www.social-apartment.com/
STAY: Operates approximately 1,200 rooms in 12 lifestyle hotels. LIVELY HOTELS https://livelyhotels.com/
WORK: Operates hotel-integrated workplace “.andwork” https://www.xandwork.com/ DINE: Operates 12 stores as dining facilities attached to social apartments and hotels
WASH: Operates social laundry “Sooo LIQUID”
LEARN: Provides various opportunities for growth and discovery for residents and users of our services.