Drowning out "negative voices" through drawing: The world of the unique artist Teppei Kasahara [Unique Communication #4]
"Isai Tsuushin" is a column introducing artists brought to you by Marie ( @Marie_heralbony ), the Isai Evangelist. In addition to the appeal of the works produced by Isai artists, we will deliver it in a chatty style, including wonderful experiences born from the interaction between Heralbony and Isai artists. For all of you who "love the unusual". We will support your tomorrow with content that will help you relax and give you energy.
Hello, this is Marie, one of our staff members.
The protagonist of this issue of "Unconventional Communication" is the unconventional writer Teppei Kasahara. Let's start by introducing his work. 
Using a 0.03mm to 0.7mm millimeter pen, he fills in the blank spaces with unique figures of "people," "animals," "trees," "robots," and more. These are truly one-of-a-kind works.
Kasahara grew up drawing pictures from an early age, but he struggled to communicate with people and developed schizophrenia in his 20s. He moved to Tokyo and returned to his parents' home, where he started drawing again.
He apparently reads a lot of magazines and manga on a regular basis, and by combining these memories with the photographs he wants to use as his subject, he creates his own unique, deformed characters.
An exhibition focusing on the creative styles of unique artists
By the way, have you seen the currently running " Unconventional Trails" exhibition yet?
HERALBONY has held various exhibitions in the past, but the theme of this exhibition, "The Unusual Trail," is "The Process of Art's Creation."
"Dropping art materials"
"While lying down"
"Just keep repeating it"
This exhibition focuses on the unique creative style of this extraordinary artist, allowing visitors to experience not only the works themselves but also his "trajectory," which is full of creativity and diversity.
To commemorate the exhibition, a live painting event was held by the main character of this exhibition, Teppei Kasahara, on December 12th and 13th, 2023.
This time, we will introduce the live painting with some special episodes. Let's unravel the story of this unique artist, Teppei Kasahara.
Characters born on a pure white wall
On this day, a pure white wall was prepared as a canvas. In response to the visitors' requests, Kasahara drew original characters that combined their favorite things with themselves.
Apparently, he painted continuously from 1pm to 6pm without a break! What incredible concentration, truly extraordinary... 
These are the characters that Kasahara actually drew. Not one is the same, and they all have lively expressions.
"Kasahara-san, can you draw my character?"
Since it was such a good opportunity, we also made a request to the members of Heralbony who were at the venue.
"I like cows," said Yuka, who is from Hokkaido. Kasahara responded, "Cows, huh... Can I see a picture?"
When I showed him the image I had searched for on the spot, he smoothly continued drawing, alternating between looking at the image and Yuka.
Other members also requested their favorite things, saying, "I love ramen," and "I can't wait for Christmas...to party!"
This time, six Heralbony members requested characters from Kasahara.
What kind of character was created? And here is the finished character!
Everyone transforms into an original character!
Yuka / Request "Cow" 
Shintaro / Request "Ramen" 
Shizuka / Request: "Me having a Christmas party" 
Naho / Request "Elephant" 
Takaya / Request "Scallop" 
Nahoko / Request "Handstand" 
Representative of Heralbony, Takaya He turned into a shirtless scallop (lol). And for the last request from Nahoko, he did a handstand, which ended with him jumping off the wall onto the floor!
The atmosphere and characteristics of each member have been perfectly captured, and the characters created will lift your spirits just by looking at them.
Drawing helps me drown out the negative voices
Some of you may have noticed from looking at the photos so far, but all of the characters drawn by Kasahara are making the peace sign.
When we asked Kasahara herself, she told us, "When I was talking with my mother about what kind of picture to draw, I thought a cheerful picture would be good, so we decided on drawing a peace sign."
The characters holding up peace signs were born from various requests from visitors. They couldn't all fit on the walls, and they were lined up all the way onto the floor, creating a sight that made you feel the wonderful individuality of each person.
And for Kasahara, drawing also has an important meaning.
Kasahara says that the auditory hallucinations caused by schizophrenia can sometimes sound like voices that deny the person, but the time he spends drawing is what allows him to drown out those voices and affirm himself.
I have always thought this when looking at the work of other unique artists, but this live painting performance made me realize once again that it is precisely because living and painting are so closely related that unique artists exude a strong appeal that is difficult to put into words.
Kasahara's works are full of charm, and they are now turned into a visitor-participation area where visitors can color the characters. 
The final day of the "Unusual Trails Exhibition" is Wednesday, January 31, 2024, so there are only a few days left.
In addition to Kasahara, we also introduce the path that other unique artists took to create their works from the perspectives of "method of drawing," "what to draw," "purpose of drawing," and "place/space of drawing." 
There are also other exhibits available that allow you to relive the creative process of unique artists, so please take this opportunity to visit them.
■Outline of the Unconventional Trajectory Exhibition
Organized by: ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO
Cooperation: Heralbony Co., Ltd.
Period: December 12, 2023 (Tuesday) - January 31, 2024 (Wednesday)
Time: 11:00-18:00
Closed: Every Monday (If Monday is a holiday, the museum will be closed the following business day.)
Venue: ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO GALLERY (Itochu Garden B1, 2-3-1 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Price: Free
Learn more
Teppei Kasahara
Member of PICFA (Miyaki District, Saga Prefecture).
Born in 1977, he creates unique and distinctive characters on a blank canvas, drawn with pens ranging from 0.03 to 0.7 mm. Each character has a different expression and appearance, and appears to dance on the screen.
Click here for products that use this artist's art
