Noodle Party is a collaborative artwork between Namae Myoji and Souya Handa, which raises questions about the value of art and cultural identity. The piece features cup noodles, one of the most popular instant ramen products from Japan, with the Campbell's soup can logo painted on them. This work comments on the tendency of Japanese people to value Western culture over their own.

The artwork invites viewers to question the value of art and its consumption. Those who purchase the artwork are invited to participate in a party where they can eat the noodles with the "right manners" as instructed by the artists.

The artists prompt viewers to ask three questions. such as: "What is the value of artwork that can be consumed?" "What is the meaning of collecting this Noodle Party?" and "How do manners and etiquette relate to discrimination?"

The first question pertains to capitalist society. Japanese Musician Hiroto Komoto once raised the question that if something sells well, is it really considered good? According to him, in this perspective, the best ramen in the world would simply be a cup of ramen. However, in the art world, there are individuals who believe that the commercial success of a piece equates to its quality. Consequently, a work of art that combines "Cup Noodles, the best-selling ramen globally," and "Campbell's Soup, the renowned icon of pop art," would presumably be considered the finest artwork worldwide.

The second question revolves around the definition of an artwork. "NOODLE PARTY" utilizes the "Campbell's Noodle" as a basis, which was also employed by Handa in their previous work, "Occidentalism (Cup Noodle)," showcased in 2020. Although the material components of the two artworks are nearly identical, "NOODLE PARTY" distinguishes itself by providing participants with the right to join the party, and its title represents a collaboration between two artists. How do we determine the variance in value and originality between these two artworks, which are regarded as separate pieces and assigned different prices? This exhibition aims to challenge the notion of "ownership" regarding artwork. While many collectors prefer to preserve the work's original identity at the time of purchase, the collector of "NOODLE PARTY" is required to consume the contents of the artwork, thereby modifying its identity. Can the empty container of the "used" "NOODLE PARTY" truly retain any residual value of ownership?

The third question revolves around the concept of tradition. Handa's earlier work, "Occidentalism (Cup Noodle)," which serves as the prototype for this current piece, ironically expresses the "intense yearning for Western culture deeply embedded within the Japanese." This admiration sometimes leads to a disregard for one's own culture and non-Western cultures, forsaking native norms and adopting the "superior norms of other countries." Eventually, these norms are established in society as customary practices under the guise of "tradition." Is there a necessity for us, residing in modern society, to blindly adhere to the "outdated norms of foreign countries" as mere formalities? It is important to note, however, that I am not suggesting a complete rejection of foreign ideas or the abandonment of all manners. Over the past 150 years of "modernization," ideas have evolved and grown in diverse ways. It is crucial for us to redefine our norms while incorporating these advancements, actively participating in the process.

The mannerisms exhibited at the "NOODLE PARTY," created by Myouji and Handa, are deliberately distorted, irrational, and discriminatory. We invite all attendees to fully embrace the audacity of these mannerisms and revel in their provocative nature during the event.

NOODLE PARTY

Myoji Namae x Souya Handa

Venue: ANB Tokyo 5F Kitchen Space (5-2-4, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo) https://taa-fdn.org/

Date and hours: 14:00 - 19:30, 7 May 2022

Free Entry * Purchase the Artwork is Required to Join the Performance Manners Lecture

Produced by Souya Handa Projects

Here to Buy the Artworks with a Ticket for Our Performance Manners Lecture https://noodleparty.stores.jp/

Namae Myoji

Myoji graduated from the department of Oil Painting of Tokyo University of the Arts in 2019. Myoji's works center on themes related to the female body, sexuality, identity, and the act of consumption.

Solo Exhibitions:

2022 Some Fairy Tales TAKU SOMETANI GALLERY (Tokyo)

2020 Someone Like You TAKU SOMETANI GALLERY (Tokyo)

Group Exhibitions:

2021 Any Kobe with Arts 2021 (Kobe)

2021 Familiae Sylvanian Art Lab TOKYO (Tokyo)

2020 SHIBUYA STYLE vol.14 Seibu Shibuya Alternative Space (Tokyo)

2020 NEW NEW NEW NORMAL Gallery MoMo Projects  (Tokyo)

Souya Handa

Handa was born at Hamamatsu in 1994 and grew up in Hiroshima.

Handa explores the concept of a "post-technological nation" in his artistic works, which reevaluates Japan's identity as a scientific and technological powerhouse, as well as the disparities in power and culture between the East and the West.

He obtained a master's degree in Intermedia Arts from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2019. Currently, alongside his work as an artist and curator, he is pursuing further studies at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies. His research focuses on video art in Japan during the 1980s.

Selected Exhibitions:

2021 LAYLA YAMAMOTO: AFTER THE QUAKE (Fukushima Building, Tokyo) *As Curator

2020 New New New Normal (GALLERY MoMo Projects, Tokyo) *As Artist-Curator

2019 Post-High-Tech Country (GALLERY KOGURE, Tokyo) *As Artist-Curator

2019 Tokyo Street View (Red and Blue Gallery, Tokyo) *As Artist-Curator

2018 CODES OF CONDUCT: CODING BODIES, DECODING DIGITALITY (CLEAR GALLERY TOKYO, Tokyo) * As Artist