Love Movement | TeXt Marks the Spot

LOVE MOVEMENT was an art show I curated with Japanese artists Shin and Nao. We sent blank versions of their character toys to over 50 artists around the world, including some who are also couples. We asked the artists to customize the toys with their ideas about love and be part of the LOVE MOVEMENT. Each artist’s interpretation was different from the next, including ruminations on procreation, war and space travel. The finished works were exhibited in San Francisco with over 600 people attending the family-friendly opening reception.

Project Details

Gallery Kokoro
Year 2011
Role Curator

Funded with Kickstarter

We used Kickstarter to successfully raise funds to fly Shin and Nao from Tokyo to San Francisco for LOVE MOVEMENT’s opening weekend. The campaign generated such a buzz that additional overseas artists joined the LOVE MOVEMENT, and a delegation of seven Japanese artists flew over for the art opening.

Custom Toys

LOVE MOVEMENT included custom toys and artwork by: Bob Conge, Colin & Sas Christian, Devilrobots, ECONECO & SAI, Frank Kozik, Gary Ham, Hiro Hayashi, Huck Gee, Jason Freeny, Jason Siu, Jon Burgerman, Jon Knox, Julie West, Kaijin, Kanna Inoue, LouLou & Tummie, Mark Nagata, MCA, Mike Slobot, Nathan Jurevicius, Noferin, Satoshi Yoshioka, Scott Tolleson, Sergey Safonov, Shin Tanaka, Sho Murase, Superdeux, TADO, Touma, Yucachin, Yu Tihara, 460 and more.

Opening Night

After over a year in the making, several months of dedication, 22 days of fundraising and a 48-hour gallery transformation, LOVE MOVEMENT opened in San Francisco. Visiting artists Satoshi Yoshioka, Chota Akatsuki and Hideki Shiroma painted live, and we projected cute animations along a wall next to the kids’ area. Champion beatboxer Kaz and extreme violinist Nanaco filled the gallery with music, and all the attendees filled it with love.

“Love Movement was a very, very popular exhibition, and I’m impressed by your very organized skills. A show’s success depends upon a curator/coordinator’s organizational skills so that both artists and gallery can trust easily and make their visitors very happy.” Kenji Dohi

Director of Finance, Viz Pictures/New People World

Artist in Residence

Over 600 people attended LOVE MOVEMENT’s lively opening night party, and some folks returned for the weekend’s mellow artist-in-residence session. Sunday’s guests could watch the visiting Japanese artists paint toys, take in the beatboxing and violin-stylings of Kaz and Nanaco and witness Shin Tanaka demonstrate his amazing papercrafting and bubble-lettering techniques.