十年

面對香港當下的局勢，所有人也好疲倦。但對我本人來說，知道這無論如何都將會是一段好長好長的抗爭，其實也是安慰 - 不要為一時的失敗而絕望。美術館的十周年慶典既盛大又溫暖。遇見一些九年來沒有見過的朋友。那晚有十一個客人住在冬話家中，在大雨聲下塌塌米地上睡覺，天氣好熱，沒有冷氣，跟大自然很接近；起床一起談天刷牙吃早餐，就是越後妻有最core的精神了。

除了以前這麼多年的義工，也有其他有名的藝術家，兒童書出版社，Art Front 的Director 等到來祝賀和參與； 當然不少得最重要的- 鉢村村民！認識了很多不同人，為什麼他們總令人感到如此受寵，感覺這些人都不是裝的，總讓我覺得自己好幸運。明明我實在是好多不足的一個人。好像現在的Art Front Director, 近年第二次見到她，她兩次都說一直都好喜歡我畫的畫。其他田島先生的美術家朋友都是很有名很上手的創作人，但都會過來跟我這個後輩談天，假如我是一個日本人，在禮節上我該是負分的。但他們總是對我好包容，很愛戴。

 

下圖中嗰舊好似屎咁嘅包，其實是在裝鰻魚呀。在日本盛夏中，每年也有這一天大家要食鰻魚的日子，話說食咗會強身健體； 但十日町竟然有人做了鰻魚型的包。有腳的屎。

由於當時講緊冬甩店先生隻新貓叫乜名，所以我就提議unagi. 佢話佢已經諗住叫佢做E'Clair, 我話唔緊要，我隻貓都好多個名。所以最後佢話咁佢隻貓可以叫做 米山. Eclair. Unagi 

佢話鍾意大自然嘅人一定會喜歡佐渡島，海好靚，樹好高大，還有好多星星。

話說有個歌手常常同我哋美術館合作的。大家都好鍾意佢把聲，同埋佢比較出名，是真正的表演者，其中一個artist assistant 好鍾意佢。
但其實 我哋條村九歲冬話妹妹個媽咪 都係唱歌的，唱歌好好聽，我都好鍾意，民歌歌手類，歌聲擁有溫柔的力量。那天冬甩店主食早餐時，好認真咁同冬話媽媽私下講，話雖然好多人鍾意另外嗰個人把聲，但我覺得你把聲真係令人感動。 好像從心底給人的祝福，就算係新潟大雪的底下都依然是閃閃發光的。 冬話媽媽好感動，說我要哭了，佢都幾易喊的。

We all feel so frustrated and exhausted in face of the miserable things that has been happening in the city we love and call home. To me, in a way, knowing that this will be a very very long fight is in a way a comfort, it's a good reminder that small failure doesn't and shouldn't mean ultimate failure, and even though it seems miserable, but there must also be awakening in many people's heart. 

I decided to go back for the museum's tenth anniversary big event last minute, it's one of the most beautiful thing that I have witnessed in the past decade, slow, gentle, and real community work, with art as a medium.

Met many old friends some whom I haven't seen for 9 years, 11 of us stayed at our beloved little towa's home, we slept under heavy rain in hot rooms without aircon, annd woke up to make breakfast and brush teeth together surrounded by nature, this is the core of what Echigo Tsumari Art Triennnial is to me.
Apart from volunteers, staffs from the past decade, many famous artist friends, picturebook publishers, the festival's founder and coordinator came, of course last but most important - the VILLAGERS!!
I wonder why they always make people feel so loved, and you can feel that they are not being polite, it made me feel so lucky always. I can causally count out so many shortcomings of myself, but they still gave me so much love and opportunity. And even famous artists came and chat with me and told me they liked my work (ok this must be just polite) and the Current Art Front Director whom i met twice in recent years, both times said she REALLY remembered me since years ago, and had always loved my work...
If I live in Japan, I think i'd score negative in manners... but they still tolerated me all this time.