Mami Kiyoshi
 
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Kimura Kaoru at home
(Ikeda, Osaka prefecture, 2018)

Kimura Kaoru is a kite collector from Osaka. His interest in kites was initiated by the story of Tezuka Osamu's Son Gokū. Son Gokū is a little monkey-like character who travels by flying on a cloud. An old copy of this manga is in front, in the middle of the composition, to show that it is the starting point.

In the foreground on the left, the open book is a children's book published in France, in which there is an illustration showing a Japanese kite. Again, through the kites, the exchanges between France and Japan are perceptible.

Kimura Kaoru's collection is consistent. It includes more than 3,000 objects and prints, most of which were deposited in the Osaka Museum of History about 3 years ago. Kaoru kept at home only the objects to which he was most attached.

Among the Japanese kites, he has a special interest for the kotsuma kites that originated in the Osaka area. The central part of this kite is flat. A printed pattern is glued on the center of the frame, and on the sides, two red wings swell with the wind. Patterns for the central painting (on the right) and finished kites (on the left) fly around Kaoru. Bare bones are placed in the foreground on the right.

As a collector, Kaoru is a bit like a researcher. He conducts investigations, seeks information on the origin and evolution of the objects he collects, then he lets all of it cycle through his head.

Copyright © Mami Kiyoshi