Mario as a bunch of blocks representing pixels
for Attract Mode whoes owner I recently met. Small video game art world.
Anyway Koshi Kawachi did some very disurbing and different pieces on the beloved plumber Mario.
Yup, thats Mario made out of seeds that are actually growing in some kind of gel water solution.
Next we have a ceramic D-pad
I have no idea?
Finding Mario isn't too hard in this one
I believe it's suppose to be a bhudda's palm. No if you look closely at the hand it's actually A and B buttons
Last piece is this funny letter to Francis Ford Coppola actaully explaining thw whole theme of the show. I suggest you read the whole thing, but the jist of it is**spoilers**
Koshi Kawachi is refelecting on the deaths of Mario. Because Mario dies millions of millions of time people play mario games. The artist Kawachi feels strange about theses deaths and that they happenn frequently and even he himself as he perputated them. He wishes us to refelct on Mario's trillions of deaths (especially if my friend is playing, y'know who you are baseball pants). He wants Francis Ford Coppola to come to show because he is the world's most famous Italian American other than Mario to reflect on Mario's death. I really like this guy.
April 20,2009
Francis Ford Coppola
American Zoetrope , 916 Kearny Street , San Francisco , CA 94133 U.S.A.
Dear Mr. Francis :
I am writing to you for the first time, and I am very much happy and honored that you are reading this letter. I would like to say thank you for your kindness to spare your precious time for me, in advance.
My name is Koshi Kawachi, I am a contemporary artist who is acting in Tokyo, Japan. Please be informed that this is my personal message to you and it is not a business offer.
In this occasion, I would like to ask for your cooperation to complete my artwork which now I am working.
From June 6 to 26th, I will hold the one-man exhibition at the one of the Tokyo's most outstanding contemporary gallery "LOWER AKIHABARA. "
The title of the exhibition is "Requiem for Mario - the 1,043,020, XXX, XXX th funeral. "
The exhibition's main theme is the death of Mario who is the main character of "Super Mario Brothers, the world's mega-hit video game that was produced and released by Nintendo.
When I once was playing this video game, I was convinced that Mario has been killed repeatedly by a tremendous number of people here and there in the world. Also I found the act that I was doing might have been an actually unconscious murderous behavior.
The game was sold tremendously in the world. Therefore, it means that people all over the world would be killing "Mario" every time without a fail in every game as well as playing the video game of "Super Mario Brothers." The frequency that "Mario" has died would be at least one trillion times or more. Are there any other character that have been killed repeatedly like Mario?
Even if it is just a game, there is no difference between virtual and real at all, I think. Reminded by Mario, I felt death, and it is real.
I who had noticed "the Mario's death" want to do something I can do to recall "Mario" as one of the murderers and as an artist. "Death" that can be shared by many people would be exhibited there in the exhibition.
"Mario" was created as an Italian American. And you are the most famous and celebrated Italian American in the world as long as I know. Therefore, I would like to cordially ask you to send your comment of condolence for Mario, representing all the Italian American who have the same origin as Mario.
Your message would be a very important component of this artwork in order to produce the requiem of the world most famous character. I would like to ask for your generous understanding and cooperation.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Koshi Kawachi
Artist
His latest work is strange, but fun, growing plants out of magazines and manga. Finally People magazine would be useful or you could do a very poor solvent green joke. In either case I really enjoyed this guy's work. Maybe he can make it to I am 8-bit when ever that comes back and is in LA.
