When I first met Namaiki three years ago, it was in the basement of their Tokyo club, Superdeluxe. As sound waves reverberated around the room in time with dancing visuals across all four walls, we maintained a heated discussion about combination planting mushrooms.
Namaiki are graphic designers, club owners, music fiends and arguably the original Guerilla Gardeners. Their work around Japan, Indonesia, Korea and Europe ranges from high tech campaigns for massive brands to beautiful little green pockets. Perhaps my favourite is their ongoing project, Kinky Muff Land, which began at graf building in Osaka now appears in fifth generation form at the Jogja National Museum, Indonesia.
The use of local fruit trees, compost, bamboo and the odd rabbit in the installation reflects Namaiki’s ongoing mission to inject a heap of greenery into our aesthetic existence. By including wonderful, nourishing things in their curated gardens, Namaiki detach themselves from the frequently inward-looking world of art to create something that educates and exists simply for the rest of us.
