2F Main Gallery

"Frontier Special Zone No. 9" is a fictional land modeled on Niigata City.
Inspired by everyday events, Karasawa depicts the growth of the diverse monsters (kaiju) that inhabit this land with affection.

This is the 4th BBAA2025 Grand Prize exhibition, where Karasawa's imagination, which illuminates human consciousness and social structures through the medium of the monstrous beings called kaiju, opens up a unique landscape between reality and fantasy. We hope you will experience their roar.

● 2F Main Gallery
● Admission: Free
Reservations are available. We recommend making a reservation for a more relaxed viewing experience.
(Walk-ins are also welcome)

Artist Statement

I continue to observe and draw the growth of diverse monsters inhabiting the fictional forbidden land "Frontier Special Zone No. 9," which is modeled on the outskirts of Higashi-ku, Niigata City, where I was born and raised.
The rare roar of distant thunder, the silence of midnight, and the numerous strange and indescribable phenomena that occasionally meet the eye are the sources of inspiration that nurture the organic life forms lurking in my world.
Frontier Special Zone No. 9 is a special environment, the 9th zone among Niigata City's 8 wards, where one can encounter these monsters.
My work is less about "drawing" and more about "raising," and I have a strong desire to witness their changes myself.
It's a sensation akin to creating a tokusatsu (special effects) or science fiction work.
The strength and shading of lines created by ink and pencil, and the uniquely formed monsters, are life forms born from this very feeling.
I hope that viewers will freely imagine, fantasize, and sometimes let their minds wander from their own perspectives and senses, while being conscious of the specific weight, size, and hardness of the works.
I want you to fully enjoy the world woven by these bizarre life forms.
Furthermore, I hope that through this exhibition, the monsters of Frontier Special Zone No. 9 will be deeply etched in everyone's hearts.

Takaharu KARASAWA

Regarding the Handover of Artworks