Restaurant Wild Cat House

I spent weekend in Echigo-Tsumari, where I went to see what's been left from the Art Triennale. Was it for the gloomy weather or the fact that we got lost few times trying to find art works spanning multipy venuse in whole Nigata prefecture but it seemed like a big kid has scattered its toys around and forgot to pick them up. Upon returned I read Roger McDonald review of Triennale and found out about its director - Fram Kitagawa - who essentially welcomes all levels and types of creativity not being so concerned about the curating aspects. Now at least I know that it wasn't just a gloomy day .. 

Mio Shirai, Restaurant Wild Cat House, installation, 2000

Nevertheless, I found some art works that appealed to me despite the rain. Amongst them was Mio Shirai installation Restaurant Wild Cat House, which was a set for his video that I saw at some other occasion. It is an adaptation of Restaurant of Many Orders written by Kenji Miyazawa in 1921. The story follows two Japanese men kin of Western fashion who stumble upon a strange restaurant serving Western food. And while blindly following instructions posted on doors they almost end up being eaten by the large Wild Cat. In Shirai's context, it's easy to understand that Western food represents Western culture and art. And those blindly following it end up swallowed by it and never return to their oryginal selves. 

Mio Shirai, Restaurant Wild Cat House, installation, 2000