At the social issue gallery "SIGNAL" in Toranomon, Tokyo, the Signature Exhibition vol.14 will present contemporary ikebana artist Saihou Ozono's exhibition "I Like Convenience Store Chocolate" from Friday, November 14, 2025.
About the "I Like Convenience Store Chocolate" Exhibition
This exhibition explores new forms of contemporary expression by combining convenience stores, which are deeply rooted in daily life, with ikebana, a traditional Japanese culture.
Through works that exist at the intersection of tradition and modernity, Saihou Ozono questions the sense of "culture" that lives within us.
Even in these uncertain times, the exhibition aims to provide an experience of finding a clear guiding light.
Artist Statement for this Exhibition
2025 has been a year of heightened awareness and re-recognition of one's own country amid various domestic and global circumstances. Furthermore, many dissatisfactions and anxieties have surfaced year after year in the midst of chaotic modern society.
As a contemporary ikebana artist, Ozono has always felt a sense of crisis about "the fading awareness of Japanese culture." She believes that understanding Japanese culture is actually one of the keys to salvation from being consumed by global chaos and daily anxieties.
Therefore, this exhibition combines "convenience stores," a uniquely Japanese pop culture celebrated worldwide, with "ikebana," a Japanese traditional culture that has continued for over 500 years. There is no need to be exclusionary—the goal is to create new values by mixing various elements.
Ikebana is stylish and cool. Through ikebana, the exhibition hopes to become an opportunity for people to turn their attention more toward Japanese culture and experience the various effects that ikebana possesses. It would be fortunate if this exhibition could become a "signal" for solutions to modern society, which is chaotic with mixed information and anxieties.
Saihou Ozono
Born in 1987 in Tokyo. A first-class instructor of Sogetsu-ryu, one of the three major ikebana schools, and a contemporary ikebana artist.
She received the 103rd "Sogetsu Newcomer Award" (2022), the 1st "Sogetsu Excellence Award" (2024), and the Ikebana Grand Prize 2019 Jury Special Award.
Ozono creates works that deconstruct traditional Japanese ikebana and reconstruct it in a modern way. She specializes in works using not only typical "flowers" but also "branches/wood" and "alternative materials," finding infinite possibilities in the fusion of "the inorganic beauty created by humans" and "the unpredictably irreproducible beauty created by nature."
"I Like Convenience Store Chocolate" Exhibition Details
Period: Friday, November 14 - Saturday, December 6, 2025
Gallery Hours:
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM (Gallery only)
- Wednesday - Friday: 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM (Cafe & Gallery, bar time after 6:00 PM)
- Saturday: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Cafe & Gallery)
- Closed: Sunday, Monday, and holidays
Admission: Free
Location: The ParkRex TORANOMON 1F, 1-2-11 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-6205-8220
Website: https://signing.co.jp/signal/
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/signal_socialissuegallery/
Access:
- 5-minute walk from Exit A2 of Toranomon Hills Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
- 3-minute walk from Exit 2a of Toranomon Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/qvQkChSzmWnkVmwY6
Opening Event
Date & Time: Friday, November 14, 2025, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Event Schedule:
- 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Ikebana performance (public creation)
- 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Reception
*The completion time of the public creation may vary.
Participation Fee: Free (drinks sold separately)
Public Ikebana Creation Event
Date & Time: Saturday, November 29, 2025, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
*The completion time may vary.
Participation Fee: Free (drinks sold separately)
Credits
Curation: Keiichiro Tao (Tao Planning and Editorial Office)
Supervisor: Junshiro Kameyama, Tomoka Sugai (SIGNING)
Research: Shintaro Teramae (SIGNING)
Photographer: Masatoshi Yamashiro (Yamashiro inc.)
Producer: Issaku Vincent (SIGNING)
About Social Issue Gallery & Cafe "SIGNAL"
The social issue gallery "SIGNAL" is characterized by visitors taking on both the input and output of information. It does not stop at providing opportunities to appreciate art exhibitions and confront latent social issues. The feelings that arise from appreciating art expressing social issues are output through questionnaires, and the company handles this collective output as various "signs" and refines them into ideas for solving social issues. Based on quantitative data obtained from questionnaires, the gallery plans to implement reports on social issues, interactive events, and joint projects with companies, organizations, and universities. Through real field research initiatives, SIGNAL aims to discover undiscovered social issues and signs, and strives to solve social issues of all sizes.
Upcoming Exhibitions
- December: Yoji Sakuma
- April 2026: Makoto Egashira
*Exhibition periods are subject to change without notice.
