Art in Business: The Cutting Edge [6]Is owning art related to creativity or innovation?
In Parts 5 and 6 of the "Art in Business: The Front Lines" series, we present a contribution by Dr. Yuki Wasano, a physician and member of Art Circuit(※), exploring the theme "Our Relationship with Art."
(※) Bijutsu Kaido: An art unit supporting business creation that incorporates art power. Dedicated website.
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In the first part, we explored the similarities between art and business, and my work as a physician, examining the etymology of "bisignisse" and artists' perspectives.
Building on that discussion, this time I'd like to explore the relationship between Japanese people and art, or more specifically, the relationship between the business professionals reading this article and art, using research targeting art collectors as material.
After entering the workforce, I studied art management at Keio University's graduate school. At that time, I felt there was a problem with the lack of research on the Japanese art market. I believed industries without market research struggled to attract capital, so I conducted interviews with art collectors as primary customer research. By categorizing art collectors, I hoped to make the market structure more visible, even if only slightly.
There is no right answer in art. Therefore, there is no right answer for why you buy it either.
By the way, what image comes to mind when you hear "art collector"?
You might picture them as people with a special, exclusive hobby that has nothing to do with you. But actually, they are very ordinary people. Few people identify themselves as collectors unless asked, so you might be surprised to find they are probably around you.
My research began by interviewing about 50 collectors I knew personally. Ultimately, I conducted quantitative surveys on over 400 art collectors selected from a population of around 20,000. The results showed that company employees overwhelmingly dominated the collector demographic. Beyond that, they included civil servants and people with truly ordinary jobs.
Another finding from the research: which segment of collectors do you think is driving consumption?
Interestingly, the overwhelming majority driving purchases are individuals with so-called innovator-like psychographic traits. While they likely have a certain degree of freedom to spend their time and money, I believe the underlying reason is that the mindset of innovators and artists is quite similar.
Clayton Christensen, famous for "The Innovator's Dilemma," identifies the DNA of disruptive innovators as "the ability to observe the world, formulate the right questions, communicate effectively while repeatedly experimenting, and connect meanings." This resonates deeply with how artists observe the world, formulate questions from a personal perspective, experiment through trial and error, select expressive techniques and representational imagery through layers of connections, create their work, and then present it before someone's eyes.
Therefore, I believe that individuals with an innovator's mindset, whose thought patterns resemble those of artists, can more easily grasp the meaning and value of artworks. When they encounter a piece they like, they can simply add it to their collection without overthinking whether buying it is right or wrong.
That ability to collect decisively is remarkable, isn't it? It's not about feeling like "I shouldn't buy unless I fully understand it."
Of course, having an attitude of wanting to understand the work to some degree is preferable, but I don't think there's a right or wrong way to do it. In fact, when you ask collectors why they bought a piece, you often hear answers like, "Because it feels like a world I've never experienced," or "I don't really understand it, but it gives me a new kind of stimulation."
Being able to confidently express what's new to you and what you need might be one characteristic of art collectors.
It's often pointed out in business, especially in innovation circles, that compared to the West, Japanese people tend to seek definitive answers. I feel this mindset of "I mustn't be wrong" also influences art appreciation and purchasing, potentially contributing to Japan's unique disengagement from art or its tendency to deify art.
But the truth is, there is no right answer in art to begin with. As I mentioned earlier, artists routinely leave room for interpretation, ensuring their work can be understood in multiple ways. So, I believe it's perfectly fine to freely interpret it and simply like it for yourself. Buying art, in that sense, requires a certain courage and the ability to trust yourself.
The reason I started exhibition planning from a collector's perspective with "PROJECT501"
In "PROJECT501," which I started in 2018, I visit collectors' homes, conduct in-depth interviews, and display borrowed pieces from their collections alongside the interview footage.
In places like Europe and America, there's a culture where, for example, during events like Art Basel in Miami Beach, open tours of collectors' homes are organized, allowing collectors to interact with each other. Japan still lacks a culture where collectors themselves talk about their art collections, so I also wanted to try this in a grassroots, trial-and-error way. It's just a hunch, but I think the Japanese art world would be more interesting if there were players trying new things. I've probably always liked doing things a little irregularly.
Also, the stories I heard from collectors I met during grad school were truly fascinating. I realized there's a strong inevitability linking a person's life, values, and their collection. So I thought it would be meaningful to have these pioneers who fell in love with art in that way become translators, sharing the appeal of art.
This approach to viewing—seeing someone's curated selection—is similar to how we perceive fashion or culture through the lens of, say, a famous department store buyer or an Instagrammer, regardless of whether you have art historical knowledge, technical expertise, or artist-specific information.
Rather than thinking "art is special because it's somehow wonderful," I believe that if we can choose art that feels personal to us—just like selecting clothes or shoes that suit our style, picking music based on our mood during the commute, or finding the most relaxing chair to come home to at night—our daily lives would become so much richer.
Plus, art has artists behind it. With contemporary art, you can actually connect with creators right in your local community. You might even bond with fellow collectors who share your passion for a particular artist. That kind of real-life interaction is incredibly fun.
Personally, I get huge inspiration from the communication between viewers—realizing how the same artwork can evoke completely different feelings in different people. And through communicating with artists, I feel like I get significant feedback for my own work. Their words, so keenly observant of the world, always make my heart skip a beat.
Art isn't really something so special.
I look forward to an era where the walls between art, business, healthcare, and such become much more transparent, allowing people and ideas to interact more seamlessly. Or rather, I hope we can create systems where crossing those boundaries happens almost unnoticed. For now, I'm thinking about starting from a familiar position and initiating things that only I can do.
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Author
Yuki Wazano
Graduated from the School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University. Earned a Master of Arts in Art Management from Keio University in 2018. Research theme: Art Marketing. Conducted research on the purchasing behavior of contemporary art collectors. Aims to realize a society that properly perceives the value of art and artists, and to implement a richness that allows individuals to weave meaning into their own existence and the world around them, centered on art. Leads PROJECT501 (http://project501.tokyo/) in Harajuku. Introduces the process collectors undergo to purchase art through narrative. Conducts research on the valuation of artists through various business methods. Hobby: daydreaming. Special skill: reading.