2022.4.1　OPEN

︎ ART SPACE Gorogoro is a rental space for exhibitions and sales of contemporary art, ceramics, illustrations, original fashion brands, and more. (For further details, please contact us via the CONTACT page.)

︎ The concept of the space is to question the categories and labels commonly used to classify fields such as entertainment, art, and fine art. The name “Gorogoro” carries several meanings: relaxing and lounging around, as expressed by the Japanese word gorogoro; wordplay based on the sound of the word; and the idea of having a wealth of talents and possibilities.

︎ We aim to support artists and creators in taking the next step in their creative journeys and advancing to new stages in their careers.

︎ ART SPACE Gorogoro received support from “Arts Aid KYOTO” (Kyoto City’s Collaborative and Cooperative Cultural Arts Support Program) during the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.

We would like to share a little about the building that houses ART SPACE Gorogoro and the history of its surroundings.

The space is located in the middle unit of a traditional row house consisting of three adjoining homes, built over 100 years ago. We renovated the former workshop of the late Masashi Kono, the grandfather of ART SPACE Gorogoro’s owner, who was a ceramic painter—a skilled artisan and artist—and have been holding exhibitions in the space since April 2022.

Rokurocho, located in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward, was known as Dokurocho (literally, “Skull Town”) during the Heian period, before the Edo period. This name is believed to be connected to the fact that the area east of the Kamo River served as a site for sky burials during the Heian period. It is imaginable that this was once a harsh and desolate place, where the smell of death lingered and bodies were left exposed to birds.

At a time when few people were available to perform memorial services for the dead, Buddhist practitioners took on the role of honoring and commemorating them. It is said that the area’s many temples are connected to this history.

From the Edo period onward, as pottery production became more widespread in the area, the name gradually changed to Rokurocho, a name associated with the potter’s wheel (rokuro in Japanese).

We are delighted to have established this space in the Higashiyama Gojo area, a place with deep historical ties to ceramics.

Sincerely,
ART SPACE Gorogoro