From March 30 (Sat) to April 7 (Sun), 2024, 9s Gallery by TRiCERA will present "Urgent Quest: The Breath of the Flower Dragon," a collaborative exhibition by contemporary artist Hiroki Takeda and the "Monster Hunter" series.
This collaboration commemorates the 20th anniversary of the "Monster Hunter" series, a hunting action game in which visitors confront giant monsters in a magnificent natural setting.
The "Urgent Quest: The Breath of the Flower Dragon" exhibition will present original drawings by Hiroki Takeda of popular monsters. In this article, we interviewed Hiroki Takeda about his thoughts on this production.
About Hiroki Takeda
Hiroki Takeda is an artist who creates watercolor paintings combining animals and flowers.
Her paintings express the realism and cuteness of animals that seem to come to life through the use of precise brush strokes and vivid colors.
Her commissioned work has been waiting for two yearsand has been featured in the international media, attracting attention both in Japan and abroad.
Original drawings of Monster Hunter characters
-To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Monster Hunter, we have drawn five original drawings.
When I first heard about the collaboration, I was simply amazed to be involved in such a famous game as Monster Hunter.
When I was a college student, Monster Hunter was all the rage, and all my friends around me who loved the game were crazy about it.
My friends from that time still play the series today, and I think it really is a game that will be loved for a long time.
So after the surprise, the pressure was on: "Will I be able to create a work that will satisfy Monster Hunter fans?" I honestly felt a lot of pressure.
But Iwas able to create a work that accurately portrayed the characteristics of each character, while at the same time bringing out Hiroki Takeda's own colorswithout escaping from the task.
RIO REUS ©️CAPCOM ©️Hiriki Takeda
Creating a work that responds to the love of Monster Hunter
-Did you find anything different in drawing the game characters this time from what you usually do?
Usually, I decide on the composition and colors by myself, and if I am satisfied with the work, I go straight to ....... However, this time, I was supervised several times during production and received advice on how to express the world view of Monster Hunter better. I also worked on the 3D models and settings of the characters.
I myself read the 3D models of the characters and the setting materials thoroughly before drawing the preliminary sketches, but the development team members also carefully looked at the slightest skeletal structure and details of each character and pointed out various details. I felt thestronglove forMonster Hunter from the team members.
With the support of such supervision, I think we were able to create a work of such quality that even Monster Hunter fans would be satisfied with.
Expressions reached through the production of the "Shinju" series
-You said that you drew the monsters faithfully according to the settings, but each work is covered with delicate flowers in a style that is typical of Mr. Takeda.
Yes, I created the works with the aim of maintaining the world view of Monster Hunter while also expressing my own color and attention to detail.
In particular, in dynamic scenes where the characters are roaring, I used scattered flower petals to express momentum.
Conversely, in compositions where the characters are lying on the ground, I also draw flowers in the shadows of the characters to represent the ground.
Anotherpoint I was conscious of was to "dare to utilize the margins.
In my previous works, I tended to paint the entire picture plane, but after I started painting the "Shinju" series, I began to consciously create blank spaces to emphasize the dynamism of the poses of the Shinju characters.
In this work as well, I created blank spaces to emphasize the movement of the characters.
AIRU ©️CAPCOM ©️Hiriki Takeda
-The "divine beasts" is a series of works that you started in the first half of 2023 based on the motif of mythological creatures, isn't it?
Yes, I did. Actually, this work is, solo exhibition in July 2023.In fact, this time I have been working for several months after completing the five "Gods and Beasts" works presented at my solo exhibition in July 2023.
Therefore, I made use ofmany of the new expressions I discovered in the "Gods and Beasts" series.
In the sense of "depicting non-existent creatures," we had a lot in common in this project.
I was asked to collaborate on this project at the beginning of 2023, but I don't think I would have been able to create the work I am doing now if I had been working on it then.
After that, I happened to start working on "Shinju," and I feel that I was able to successfully connect the expressions and learnings I gained from that project to the Monster Hunter collaboration.
The "Shinju" series will continue into 2024. ONE ART TAIPEII plan to continue to produce more and more works in the future, including the "Shinju" series, which will be shown at ONE ART TAIPEI in 2024.
So, I hope that I can return the discoveries I made in the MonHun works to "Shinju" in my own way.
To the visitors to the exhibition of Hiroki Takeda's "Urgent Quest: The Breath of the Flower Dragon
-Lastly, do you have a message for those who will be visiting the Hiroki Takeda "Urgent Quest" exhibition where your work will be on display?
This exhibition will not only display the original artworks as usual, but will also include a photo spot and a space that is related to the world of MonHun, so I hope that many MonHun fans will visit the exhibition.
We hope that many MonHun fans will come to the exhibition. We hope that those who have always loved art, as well as those who like games but are not familiar with art (......), will have the opportunity to experience art through MonHun.
Outline of the exhibition
Exhibition Dates: 2024/3/30 (Sat) to 2024/4/7 (Sun)
Opening hours: 12:00 - 20:00
Opening Party: 2024/3/30 (Sat) 17:00 - 20:00
Last day: 18:00 CLOSE
Scheduled artist presence: 3/30 (Sat), 3/31 (Sun), 4/5 (Fri), 4/6 (Sat), 4/7 (Sun)
Closed: Open daily during the exhibition period
Goods sales information
April 12 (Fri.) - April 25 (Thu.): Available at Tokyo Character Street, Tokyo Station Ichibangai
April 27 (Sat) - Available at three existing CAPCOM STORE locations
Available as a prize at Capcom-operated amusement arcades
May 11 (Sat) - June 2 (Sun) Available at Nagoya PARCO East Building 3F
May 15 (Wed) - June 2 (Sun) at OPA STUDIO, Canal City Opa B1F
June 8 (Sat) - June 23 (Sun) at Sendai PARCO 4F
CAPCOM STORE Store Outline
URL: URL: https://www.capcom.co.jp/amusement/capcomstore/index.html
Twitter: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CStorejapan
■CAPCOM STORE Store Outline
URL: URL: https://www.capcom.co.jp/amusement/game/shop/index.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Capcom_amuse
For inquiries about this exhibition, click here.
