Qenji Yoshida (よしだ毛んじ、ヨシダケンジ)

As an Artist:

I am an Osaka-based artist exploring the 'art of being together,' examining the intersections of personal and group identity, language, animal species, and the dialogues between them. 

My work spans conceptual art, situation-specific performances, and diverse media such as video, performance, and text. I delve into the "in-betweenness" that exists between people without a common language, between humans and animals, and even between you and me.

We live surrounded by so many things we don't understand. For example, we can't comprehend most of the world's languages, we struggle to truly grasp what animals and nature are expressing, and we often don't even understand why we are who we are. I aim to utilize this "state of not knowing" to generate alternative insights and questions.

Though my work often takes a conceptual approach, its true purpose often emerges only after completion, reflecting my growing interest in what was previously beyond understanding or articulation. Therefore, I am particularly interested in revisiting my past projects and "retranslating" them based on new insights and realizations.

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As TRA-TRAVEL:

I am a co-founder of TRA-TRAVEL (Osaka art hub) where I co-curate exhibitions, organize online art school, artist-in-residency programs, artist talks, and use it as a hub for international artists. To me, this is another practice in learning the art of being together.

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As a Person:

My CV lists past “official” events. But I feel that what has actually shaped me more are the personal encounters: my teacher from fashion college, a monk who taught at my Buddhist high school, the American guys who stayed at my childhood home for 10 years, my wife, my kids, friends, ex-friends, ex-enemy, someone I met who was sitting next to me on a plane, my neighbors, and my dad who passed away in 2024.

The happy fact, at least to me, is that art is a journey. Sometimes I carefully plan it, and other times I approach it spontaneously, but in the end, I hope to arrive at a place I never imagined at the start.