The Holland Paper Biennial is a paper art exhibition, first organized in a provincial city, Rijswijk, in the Netherlands in 1996. It is a biennial taking place every other year, and celebrates its 5th show this year. So far the Biennial has been held only at the Rijswijk Museum. This time, however, it was decided that the Apeldoorns Museum, commonly called CODA, should share its venues as a new partner. The jury has selected 31 artists including myself from the world over and invited us to exhibit our work. This is how it all happened to me:
For one thing, Rogier Uitenboogaart from the Netherlands, who lives in Kochi, encouraged me in earnest. He himself once took part in the exhibition as a paper maker as well. On the other hand, an artist in Australia, who was also selected before, recommended me to the Biennial organization. Both of these routes have eventually led me to Holland. I was invited to submit the material for my work to the jury and was selected out of 300-odd applicants. The Netherlands was a country really unknown to me, so I was full of anxieties. But thanks to the friendliness shown to me by various people, it was arranged that a Japanese graduate student at Leiden University would accompany me as an interpreter of Dutch. This allowed me to feel quite easy about it and enjoy my fruitful travel. According to her advice, I took up my quarters in Leiden and commuted from there to both museums every day. Although it took me some hours to move to and fro by train, I could stay in the nice quiet surroundings. Leiden is a beautiful historic town built of brick, centering around the oldest university in the country that is famous for Philipp Franz von Siebold. The landscape looked just like a picture-postcard, with the stone-paved lanes continuing and the canals running around. Also we ran along there on a rental bicycle. I found that, as was represented by this bicycle, the nation's careful consideration to the environment was remarkable. It was very impressive to me. The Netherlands has accepted many immigrants and refugees. The situation seemed to be a burden on her. I felt nevertheless there was something composed and leisurely about the citizens enjoying their life in the white night when the sun wouldn't set the livelong day. For my main task of delivering my work to both museums, I found suitable space kept there. It enabled me to give expression to a significant extent to my ideas which I wanted to maintain through my work. Anyhow, my displaying was satisfactory to me. Then followed the events such as the opening ceremonies, receptions and parties every day. I could talk about my and others' work with artists from various countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Scotland, Ukraine, etc., while I could enjoy the atmosphere of an international show to my heart's content. I realized that internationally active artists would be fostered by gaining experience like this steadily from their young days. The opening ceremony was held with splendor at an old magnificent church across from the Rijswijk Museum. Afterwards, all the guests surged over the road, which was packed like sardines, flowing into the museum onf the opposite side. When they found out that I was one of the exhibiting artists, I was spoken to by one after another. In the Netherlands, what I was questioned about was often rather serious and substantial pertaining to the meaning and contents of my work. I could share a sense of crisis to the actual state of the world with them. Through this experience, I was convinced that the work of art is a way of conveying instantly the artist's thoughts, which otherwise had to be expressed in many words, by force of an image. The several short days I spent there was such a condensed time to me that I felt like I was asked anew about the significance of my being an artist. In addition, there was no document ever sent to me by the Biennial organizers from the beginning and all the communication was transacted by e-mail throughout. Indeed it is symbolic of the Internet Age, but myself belonging to the older generation, I felt insecure and uneasy. Because of the kind help extended to me by many people, I could participate in the Holland Paper Biennial 2004. Keeping this in mind always, I would like to advance further toward the next.
 

The Netherlands is not a fairy-tale land, but the land living through the momentary present between the glorious past and the gloomy future. It is the world sharing a sense of crisis with us and thus made me realize that the work of art is a way to convey thoughts.