Cool Japan TV (Head Office: Tokyo; CEO: Shunji Akamine) has opened a show-window art gallery "DRELLA" in Daikanyama, Tokyo. In recent years, with the spread of social networking services such as Instagram, artists from all over the world have been sharing their works, and opportunities for daily contact with art have increased. The popularity of "NFT art," digital art connected with non-substitutional tokens, has led to a greater interest in art among the general public and an expansion of its base. Cool Japan TV, which is developing global marketing business such as holding "Cool Japan Fest," an inbound promotion event in Asian countries, will utilize its existing business resources to provide artist management (DRELLA Artist Agency), support for global development and digital shift, and support for the development of new artists. DRELLA Inc. was established as a subsidiary for the purpose of supporting global expansion and digital shift, producing corporate advertisements, and developing D2C brands utilizing its IP. DRELLA operates a gallery as an antenna store for this business, and plans to develop overseas branches in the future.
The name "DRELLA" is taken from a nickname coined by the late Andy Warhol, the standard-bearer of American pop art, and refers to the way it encompasses the two extremes of Dracula and Cinderella, and the breadth of its range. The art gallery is located at the intersection of Hachiman-dori and Daikanyama-zaka, a three-minute walk from the trend-setting Daikanyama station, and is fully glazed, making it highly visible and allowing visitors to see the interior through the windows from the street. The space is also designed for digital art exhibitions, with the development of NFT art frames linked to the virtual currency wallet MetaMask, a wall design that allows digital equipment to be placed so that wiring is not visible, and the installation of large monitors and projectors. A distribution studio "DRELLA - Rooftop Studio" will also be opened in the neighborhood, and artist interviews, event information, and other information will be disseminated via multilingual web media.
The opening event from June 25 (Sat) to July 10 (Sun), 2022, will be the first solo gallery exhibition of Yoshi Fukuhonoka, an illustrator who has gained tremendous support from Generation Z through collaborations with popular apparel brands and fashion magazines. Honoka's first solo gallery exhibition will be held on July 10. The solo exhibition, "PLAYLIST," will be held in several locations in Japan, followed by an Asian tour produced by DRELLA, starting in November 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
