"Starry Sky on a Rainy Day" Closing Party Event Report

Another "Perspective" Concluding the Exhibition

The exhibition "Starry Sky on a Rainy Day" was held from August 18 to 28, 2026, at Gallery Blue 3143 in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo. This art project was a collaboration between Maki Hashimoto of the 16-member girl group "Rain Tree," produced by Yasushi Akimoto, and nine students from Tokyo University of the Arts (Ame, Aya Kato, Yuna Kobashi, Kobara, Kai Koshiba, Huiya Gong, Sakuya Tanabe, Miya, and Byun), who worked on it for about six months.

Under the theme "Can we transcend boundaries through perspective?" the works of these ten artists, along with an audio guide featuring text readings by Hashimoto herself, were displayed in a single exhibition room. The exhibition's open-door policy, with free admission and no reservations required, attracted over 1,000 visitors during its 11-day run.

The closing party for the exhibition was held on August 31 from 12:00 to 14:00 at Daikanyama Tsutaya Books. The event was hosted by Ame, a student from Tokyo University of the Arts who was responsible for planning and curating the exhibition. The opening remarks included expressions of gratitude to the supporting companies, including Overs Co., Ltd., Sunshine Co., Ltd., Wellness Co., Ltd., abc Co., Ltd., and Gallery Blue 3143, which served as the exhibition venue.

Approximately 20 people attended, including exhibiting artists, related parties, and fans invited through a lottery from the pre-entry project "Starry Sky Registration." The intimate setting fostered a close-knit atmosphere.

Maki Hashimoto: "What We Created Together"

Hashimoto, who took the stage, revealed that this exhibition marked her first experience with oil painting and her first exhibition.

"I am still new to art and learning. Although I was unsure of what to do, I am grateful to have been able to exhibit in such a wonderful place, thanks to the support of the art students."

She mentioned the challenges of balancing her idol activities but credited the lectures from the art students and the support from the staff for helping her complete the project. She emphasized that the exhibition was not solely her achievement.

"This exhibition was not something I created alone. It was built together with the art students and everyone who visited the venue, shared their feelings, and provided feedback."

It was her first time having her paintings viewed by so many people, which brought both anxiety and excitement. However, receiving direct feedback from visitors made her feel that her efforts were worthwhile.

At the party, each participating student from the University of the Arts spoke about their own work.

The curator of the exhibition, Mr. Ame, presented paintings using pearl pigments that change color depending on the viewing angle, along with a hanging hina doll installation. He explained that the series of paintings considers the creation of materials as part of the production process. Through the inherent nature of "changing appearance depending on the angle and lighting," he introspectively questions the importance of the invisible things everyone holds within their hearts.

Ms. Aya Kato, an artist who draws motifs ranging from small stories born from the corners of the mind to large narratives linked to myths and legends, exhibited a work based on the Japanese myth of Konohanasakuya-hime. She shared that the words and reactions from visitors taught her new perspectives on her work that she hadn't noticed herself, highlighting the dialogue with viewers as a valuable takeaway for her as an artist.

Mr. Kobara, who has been depicting scenes of enjoying life with his childhood friend character "Bonji," showcased his work for the first time outside of a school gallery. He reflected, "As someone who typically creates alone, the experience of collectively building the exhibition format was very educational."

Ms. Kaia Koshiba, who uses Japanese motifs to transform dark images into beautiful ones, expressed satisfaction with the exhibition, noting, "It became a display rarely seen, thanks to the diverse group of members from different grades and majors, and collaboration with idols."

Ms. Miya, an artist who creates with bright colors and free forms inspired by childhood sensations and memories, said, "I hope people can freely feel, 'This color is cute, I wonder why this color?' without overthinking it." She was pleased to receive many reactions despite her initial nervousness about her first exhibition outside of school.

Artists who could not attend were also introduced. Ms. Huiya Gong, who also works with video installations and uses gallery space three-dimensionally, Mr. Sakuya Tanabe, known for his impressive approach to depicting people, and Mr. Byun, who developed a performance piece themed around a sushi restaurant. Comments from the absent Ms. Yuna Kobashi were read by Mr. Hashimoto. For Ms. Kobashi, this was also her first exhibition outside of school, and she wrote, "It was a different experience from creating at university and became a memorable event in my life."

Project Explanation—Why Collaborate with Idols and Art Students?

In the following segment, Mr. Ame provided an explanation of the exhibition's concept.

The aim was to demonstrate that even though the students from the University of the Arts and the creators from Rain Tree come from different fields, each possesses a "perspective on the world." This perspective influences each other and offers new interpretations to the audience. The exhibition was conceived as an art project where idols and artists, two distinct domains, collaborate on a single challenge while engaging with society.

The motivation behind the project was the realization that artists also consider "how they want to present their expression and to whom." In other words, the necessity of having a self-producing perspective. Through approximately six months of joint production and lectures, the ten participants treated each other's expertise equally, exchanging ideas on expression, audience engagement, and the idol mindset.

Mr. Ame was particularly conscious of the "invisible wall" between idol fans and art viewers. From stage to gallery, and gallery to stage, the fact that many of the over 1,000 visitors were first-time gallery-goers demonstrated that the exhibition served as an entry point to overcome this barrier.

Mr. Hashimoto also highlighted his participation in the setup and installation work as a significant gain.

"While I had experience going to exhibitions, I rarely saw the preparation stages. Being able to experience the process of deciding where to display each piece with everyone made me feel like I was truly part of creating this exhibition together."

Mr. Ame praised Mr. Hashimoto for quickly understanding and engaging in the practical aspects of the exhibition, such as learning how to stretch a canvas and standardizing the eye level of artworks at 140 cm from the floor during installation. Despite some days of heavy rain during the exhibition period, they successfully navigated the 11 days by flexibly exploring the exhibition layout. The addition of artworks during the exhibition was also a unique highlight of this event.

The most thought-provoking part for Iolite readers was likely the talk session featuring representatives from two sponsoring companies.

On stage were Mr. Hajime Matsuda, CEO of abc Corporation, and Mr. Kotaro Nakata, CEO of Wellness Corporation.

abc Corporation, named after the initials of AI, blockchain, and crypto, provides technology services including NFTs. On the other hand, Wellness, founded by Mr. Nakata, a former emergency physician, is a preventive healthcare company offering personal doctor services. He explained that the sponsorship came about due to a connection with Mr. Hashimoto, who regularly appears on his radio program, aiming to create a new culture where doctors are seen as partners for a healthy and fulfilling life, rather than just for treating illnesses.

The session evolved into a discussion on the "connection between expression and society."

Mr. Matsuda noted that expression and society have a mutually influential relationship, pointing out that art, once only viewable in museums, can now reach exponentially more people online. This raises an interesting point for young artists: whether to create what the market demands or to make what they want and attract fans through presentation—a method akin to that of idols.

The discussion then shifted to AI.

"With AI becoming so widespread, human functions are becoming very uniform. If the quality of the input doesn't change, neither will the quality of the output," he said, citing the current state of similar posts flooding social media. He suggested that in the future, only creativity and artwork might remain, offering a bold proposal to young artists.

"If you want to live as an artist, it's better to ignore the entire market and create a niche. Embedding your strong message or philosophy into your art makes it easier to connect with society."

He also touched on criticism of existing art distribution. When NFTs first appeared, they were criticized for being all about resale, but isn't the existing auction market structurally the same? This perspective is unique to someone involved in the Web3.0 space.

Mr. Nakata responded with the keyword "process economy."

Drawing from his experience observing Mr. Hashimoto from the audition stage, he spoke about the value inherent in the process of an artist growing while being exposed to society.

"Even if similar paintings can be created, a piece with a story like 'I painted this anger from an experience at age five' has a completely different value than one that merely imitates the appearance. In the AI era, the value of the process and story may increase."

Regarding the exhibition's theme of "crossing boundaries between idols and artists," Mr. Matsuda commented, "Whether you deliver your expression through song, fan meetings, or works, the essence is the same." His analysis of what has been valued in the long history of art and how it connects to idol-like presentations aligns with the exhibition's intent to bridge these fields.

Presentation of Auctioned Works—Digital Bidding and Physical Presentation

The climax of the party was the announcement of the painting auction winner and the presentation ceremony.

The auctioned piece was an oil painting titled "Rain Within," size F30 (910×727mm), created by Mr. Hashimoto specifically for this exhibition. The bidding period was from August 18 at 12:00 to August 27 at 19:00, using the NFT marketplace "HEXA" as the platform. Here, the NFT serves not as a speculative object but as "proof of winning." The winner receives the physical painting, with the NFT acting as a receipt confirming ownership.

The winning bid was 709,000 yen, placed by a fan named "Akyuo." Due to the large size of the work, it could not be handed over directly on stage, but a presentation ceremony was held.

Mr. Hashimoto revealed that the decision to create this large piece was made just about two weeks before the exhibition, and he described it as a deeply meaningful work completed alongside his idol activities.

Mr. Akyuo expressed surprise at the short production period.

"Hearing that it was completed in two weeks, and during preparations for a solo performance, I wondered if it was possible to finish in such a short time. I haven't seen many oil paintings, so my honest impression was that it was amazing."

It was also revealed that the bidding deadline coincided exactly with the start time of a Rain Tree event, and the story of bidding while hesitating until the last moment amused the audience.

There was also a moment where Mr. Hashimoto explained the title of the work, which Mr. Akyuo had been curious about. The title "Rain Within" reflects the exhibition name "Starry Sky on a Rainy Day," incorporating expressions of rain in the brushwork and use of paint. Mr. Hashimoto, who titles all his works, encouraged visitors to explore the meanings of the titles.

The amount after deducting fees and expenses from the winning bid will be donated to Tokyo University of the Arts. This auction was designed to "support the learning of the next generation of artists," and the structure where fan support transforms into funding for the artist's creative environment took concrete form here.

In a group interview after the party, Mr. Hashimoto expressed enthusiasm for holding another exhibition. He also mentioned his experience of reading the artist's message at this exhibition, stating that serving as an audio guide for art exhibitions is one of his aspirations.

"Starry Sky on a Rainy Day" demonstrated the potential to connect society and expression through collaboration across different fields. Artists and idols understood each other's perspectives, re-evaluating their relationship with the audience through dialogue during the creative process and exhibitions. The attempt to connect both through the art project was successful. The closing party served as proof that this practice was not merely theoretical, evidenced by the concrete auction results and the fact that a painting reached its audience.

When discussing NFTs and blockchain, the conversation often leans towards price and speculation. However, the use of technology in this project was remarkably quiet and practical. It ensured transparency in bidding, recorded the auction results, and visualized the flow of support. Technology functioned as a foundation supporting the relationship between creators and supporters, rather than taking center stage.

As sponsoring companies noted, in an era where AI homogenizes output, the source of value is shifting to philosophy and process, namely the story of "who delivered what from what background." This project, involving ten artists exchanging perspectives and publicly sharing the process over six months, can be seen as a practice of this shift.

Believing in the light beyond the clouds—the perspective embedded in the exhibition's title may have left a suggestion about the relationship between expression and technology.

Image: Iolite (linejka)
Image Courtesy: Ame

Event Overview

Related Articles

[Technology Classroom Vol.2] Maki Hashimoto of Rain Tree Learns About NFTs and Proof of Authenticity

[Technology Classroom Vol.1] Maki Hashimoto of Rain Tree Learns the Basics of Web3.0