At THE KNOT, we value our relationships with our artists.
This is the first attempt to have such a project across all four hotels since the THE KNOT brand started. Each THE KNOT (Yokohama, Shinjuku, Sapporo, Hiroshima) was involved in the same project: to produce masks with artwork from local artists.

About artist mask of TOKYO Shinjuku

■ Profile
Yuuki Horiuchi
Born in Nara prefecture in 1990. Using landscapes and daily essentials as motifs, she abstractly emphasizes similarities, and creates works that encourage a poetic interpretation of the works and a deviation from common sense. She works on installations using video and other 3D methods, as well as 2D drawings.

Recent exhibitions include solo exhibitions such as ”Parallel World” NOHGA HOTEL Ueno, Tokyo (2020), ”Super Flatland” White Conduit Projects, London (2020), ”London Summer Intensive Showcase” Camden Art Centre, London (2019) and more. Completed Oil Painting Master’s Programme at the Graduate School of Fine Arts (2018), Tokyo University of the Arts, Exchange Study Abroad at Glasgow School of Fine Arts (2016).

Instagram: ＠horiuchiyuuki
Website: https://yuukihoriuchi.com

■ About this Work
In Shinjuku there is a prep school I attended for two years, and an art supplies store I often visited. I also lived in Kagurazaka on the edge of Shinjuku Ward for more than five years, so I am familiar with the area of THE KNOT. For people like me who often go to the east exit, the west exit where THE KNOT TOKYO Shinjuku is, is like another planet. As I walk past the rows of ever-expanding skyscrapers along a quiet road toward a gallery in Hatsudai, the greenery of Shinjuku Central Park kind of comes out of nowhere, signalling life on this new planet. At the age of 18, I thought that this was Tokyo, as I walked in the slanting rays of sunshine in a lush park in the middle of the city.

■ Thoughts on THE KNOT TOKYO Shinjuku and the Collaboration With Us
Because the hotel is located in an area familiar to me, I could draw based on very clear imagery in my head of the Shinjuku and Tochomae-Hatsudai areas. In my memory, the hotel is located one step from the park, perpetually drenched in rays of winter sunshine. How does the city of Shinjuku look to those that have picked up a mask? I hope this artwork will give people an opportunity to experience this unexpected side of the city.

Unfortunately I have not been able to visit THE KNOT TOKYO Shinjuku yet, but I will definitely stay there the first chance I get so I can be a hyper-local to that area for a day. Tokyo Opera City within walking distance always has good exhibitions, and it’s a stones throw from Shinjuku proper.

Next is tote bag of TOKYO Shinjuku

■ Profile
Hokuto Ichibayashi
Born in 1992, Ishikawa prefecture. Graduated from Kyoto Seika University with a major in Japanese painting. After graduating, I continued to create Japanese paintings but moved away from using natural materials as I was taught at university, and explored more artificial materials (acrylic paints, etc.) and fluorescent colors. I changed my style to express it in my own color.

One of the main reasons I changed my style, was that when I went to sketch a natural object with natural materials, I kept finding that the image on an LCD screen was better and more beautiful than what I had seen with my own eyes, and I couldn’t capture it well enough. It led me to adapt from the days when we were surrounded by natural objects, to this present world which is now cluttered with artificial objects. People like me who are born in this age of digital transition feel the aesthetic sense of artificial objects, and I was compelled to try something new.

In addition, there have been more opportunities to shirt from natural motifs to artificial ones, and I this had led me to be more interested in social, historical, and secular motif styles.

Currently, the paintings I mainly work on are social and historical. Many of them have a satirical angle, especially the bird’s-eye view screen that shows tiny details of a game that I played in my childhood (the original game had a bird’s-eye view and distorted perspective that was apparently inspired by classical paintings).

2020.8: Group exhibition “Input/Output” at Tsutaya Bookstore. Ginza, Tokyo.
2019.10  – 2020.1: Solo exhibition “THE TOWER” at Fujii Daimaru. Shijo, Kyoto and Daitokai, Shibuya, Tokyo
2019.4: Group Exhibition “People and Landscape” at The blank gallery. Harajuku, Tokyo.
2018.11: Solo exhibition ”melee close in” at ANAGRA. Hanzomon, Tokyo.
2018.10: Group Exhibition ”memento mori” at L’illustre Galerie LE MONDE. Harajuku, Tokyo.
2018.6: Group Exhibition “EPIC PAINTERS vol.4” at The blank gallery. Harajuku, Tokyo.
2018.2: Group exhibition “Young Man’s” at kara-S. Shijo, Kyoto.
2017.7: Solo exhibition “FIGHTER” at ARGUMENT GALLERY. Kichijoji, Tokyo.

Instagram @hokuto_ichibayashi

■ About the Piece on the Tote 
Title: Yabusame (a type of Japanese mounted archery)
Materials: digital media
Comments: The theme of the work is a combination of Japanese beauty and the city of Shinjuku. I thought that the expression of the morning sunrise would emphasize the notion of Japan, and I depicted Nasu no Yoichi, a famous samurai, aiming for the target of the unseen Japanese flag.

Please ask reception desk staff if you want to buy them.