三重県の英虞湾を望む大王町、志摩半島にある「アトリエ・エレマン・プレザン」は、ダウン症の人たちのためのプライベートアトリエです。オーナーである画家の佐藤肇さん敬子さんご夫婦はある時、耳の聞こえないダウン症の子どもと出会い、自分たちが今まで持ち合わせていない感性と対面します。目の前で描かれた絵、それは現代社会の中で定義づけられている「知」を遥かに超えた作為的でないもの。本質的な自然界がもつリズムとの呼吸や「間」。直感は鋭く、だけどどこか優しい絵。これまでの美術史に無いものを確信した肇さんたちはその絵から放たれる全てを「アール・イマキュレ（無垢の芸術）」と捉えます。1990年には肇さんの父である武雄さんが開いていた版画工房（1969年-1989年）で学んだ人達が中心となり「アトリエ・エレマン・プレザン」の活動がスタート。2001年、娘のよし子さんと夫の佐久間寛厚さんが本格的に加わり、学生や活動に賛同するスタッフなどと、ダウン症の人たちがアトリエや自らがデザインした住居を持ちながら働く村の計画「Down’s Town Project」の構想が進められています。
“Atelier Element Present” is a private studio for people with Down syndrome which is located on the Shima Peninsula overlooking Ago Bay in Mie prefecture. The owner of the studio and artist, Hajime Sato and his wife Keiko Sato met a deaf child with Down syndrome at one point and faced the sensibilities they have never had before. He painted a picture in front of them, and it was beyond the “knowledge” defined in modern society and far less artificial. There was harmony of the rhythms of essential nature and “space.” He had sharp intuition but painted soft and warm picture. Hajime and Keiko were convinced that this sensibility has never been seen in art history, and they started to see every single element of the painting as ”Art Immacul?.”
In 1990, Atelier Element Present has launched by the people who studied at Hajime’s father, Takeo Sato’s woodblock printing studio (1969-1989). Hajime’s daughter Yoshiko Sato and her husband Hiroatsu Sakuma joined this in earnest in 2001, and now they are working on an art village plan named "Down's Town Project" that people with Down syndrome live in the houses designed by themselves and work in the town with students and staff who support the activity.
今回、三重店では「アール・イマキュレとは何か？」と題し、100号の原画の展示をメインに、キャンバスやDown’s Town Projectに関する作品の展示販売を行います。ぜひ、ダウン症のアーティストから生み出される絵や作品が纏うやわらかな世界観に触れ、身を委ねてみてください。たくさんの方にフラットに、それぞれの受け容れ方で感じていただけると思います。またこの活動を隔たりなく応援することでダウン症の方に、自分たちにつながる未来が必ずあります。差別や競争、比較などのない、限りなく自由な美しい身近なアートを体験、共有する機会になれば幸いです。
This time, we will exhibit their original paintings(162x130cm) with the title "What is Art Immacule?" and sell some paintings and works related to Down's Town Project. Please give yourself up to the world created by great artists with Down syndrome. We believe that there is always a better future for people with Down syndrome and ourselves by supporting this activity. We hope this exhibition will be an opportunity to experience beautiful, familiar and infinitely free art which has no discrimination, competition and comparison.
