Los Angels Magazine / Issue December 2019

Art is the most powerful weapon to change society!

First in Los Angeles! Gallery specializing in Japanese artists opens

Who is the Japanese artist you know?
Ken Watanabe? Takashi Murakami? Steve Aoki? Of these, only Takashi Murakami is a contemporary artist. Ken is an actor, and Steve is the son of the owner of a famous steakhouse and a world-class DJ, right?

In May 2019, I opened Speedy Gallery in Los Angeles. I am an unparalleled art lover and collect art and have successfully organized many art events on my own.
In addition to simple art exhibitions, the museum has also introduced the fun and significance of art to people who are not interested in art by surprising them with surprising tricks.

We are planning to set up art events in Los Angeles that ordinary gallerists do not do. Speedy Gallery” was created as a base for such events. We will focus on artists who are well known in Japan but unknown in the rest of the world, and introduce them at Speedy Gallery.

Branding effect created by art

My day job is not actually art production. I have been doing corporate brand consulting for many years. I have had success branding clients in Japan and other Asian countries such as Beijing.
So this time, through this gallery, we are trying to brand Japanese art to the world.

In the past, it was easy for companies to create a brand. Before the advent of the Internet, television and magazines were the dominant media in the 20th century. The company that spent the most on marketing won. However, things changed drastically with the advent of multi-media and social networking. Marketing is mainly about getting people to know and buy products and services. However, when the flow of media communication shifted from media to people to people to share, products and services no longer sell unless they are talked about in the community. The power of word of mouth has become more important than the power of media.
Companies therefore began to provide a “place” for people to interact with them in person, in addition to television and online media. Successful brands have successfully created a place for people to interact with them, spread the word on social networking sites, and become beloved by the public. We believe that Speedy Gallery will also be a beneficial place for the Los Angeles community and people.

Art Creates “Points of Contact with Society

Speedy Gallery sells artwork just like a regular gallery. It is then possible to donate the profits from the sold paintings to charitable organizations. However, that approach alone is not enough. I don’t do charity parties where rich people gather. My gallery is a community place for regular art lovers.

I used to be involved in the management of internet companies for a long time. We also sold content for social networking platforms, which took market share beyond that of Disney. This is where I was able to fully grasp the thinking of the Internet natives. They know how to use the Internet to participate in a society they don’t know. That is why we have seen major movements to change society from SNS, such as the Ice Bucket Challenge to save people with incurable ALS, Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution, and Greta Toonberg’s climate change issue.

We want to make our little place called Speedy Gallery a big community.
If visitors to the gallery are fascinated by the artwork there, they are encouraged to post a photo of it along with the hashtag #SpeedyGallery on their favorite social networking site.
For each submission, Speedy will donate $1 annually to the following non-profit organizations.

NGO City Plants
https://www.cityplants.org

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to go to a gallery and post a message and unknowingly save people and the planet?
Please feel free to come visit us at Speedy Gallery, everyone.
http://speedyartgallery.com/

Jun Fukuda Profile
Brand consultant, born in Osaka in 1965. Graduated from Nihon University College of Art. Founder of Sony Digital Entertainment. Visiting professor at Yokohama College of Art and Design and Kanazawa Institute of Technology.
In addition to his branding work, he is also an agent for actresses, a casting agent based in Beijing, an organizer of international events and “AI Salons” for corporations, an art gallery operator in Los Angeles, and a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing deforestation.

In 1998, as Vice President of Sony Pictures Entertainment, he was involved in the launch of the satellite broadcasting services “Animax” and “AXN. He was the founder of the NPO “Tiger Mask Fund” and has served as a committee member of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, among others. In 2017, he was awarded “Changemaker of the Year 2016” by Cartier (Nikkei BP). His most recent book is “You’re not trying to make money with SNS, are you? How to create a buzz on SNS that moves the world” (Shogakukan).