UT2020 magazine asks the common question to the artists who we collaborate with. What did gallerist, Shinji Nanzuka answer to our question?
"Culture is proof that humans are human."
"I’m more interested in unknown artists than already established ones." So says Shinji Nanzuka, who has a knack for discovering unconventional talents who are not beholden to existing artistic paradigms. His contemporary art gallery NANZUKA hosts unique artists active in the world of commercial fields such as advertising and magazine publishing. The walls of fine art crumble before him, while new interpretations are given life. To Nanzuka, culture is proof that humans are human. "Animals don’t create culture, whereas humans explore music and art," he explains "What makes us human? Surely it is our culture. Our representations of humanity—that is culture, in and of itself."
©Erik Parker ©Haroshi ©Harumi Yamaguchi ©Hiroki Tsukuda ©Hajime Sorayama ©Javier Calleja ©Julia Chiang ©Katherine Bernhardt ©Keiichi Tanaami ©Oliver Payne ©TOKYO-SKYTREE ©TOKYO TOWER ©YOSHIROTTEN ©Yuichi Yokoyama Courtesy of Nanzuka
PROFILE
Shinji Nanzuka | Nanzuka was born in Tokyo in 1978. He studied art history at Waseda University, then founded Nanzuka Underground in an underground space in Shibuya in 2005. After a stint elsewhere, the gallery returned to Shibuya in 2012 as NANZUKA.
