NEO MANEKINEKO -CRYPTO-

In 2021, amid the pandemic, when it was said to be difficult to "invite" people or money, Takahiro Koga presented {NEO MANEKINEKO}, an update of the beckoning cat. It carries a strong wish to reclaim people and money without succumbing to hardship. Then in 2022, he presented {NEO MANEKINEKO – CRYPTO–}, giving {NEO MANEKINEKO} a new concept.
A work carrying the concept of "expanding the notion of the tea bowl". A tea bowl is not limited to brewing and drinking tea; across history it has served as a receptacle for the tea master's aesthetic sensibility and hospitality — a "vessel" storing that aesthetic and intention. Inheriting that concept of the tea bowl, even setting aside the "tea" itself, this vessel still fulfills the role of a "wan" (bowl) receiving that same aesthetic and intent. Of course, flowers may be placed in it, or physically nothing at all — either way, the aesthetic sensibility of both maker and user resides within it. Made both physically and conceptually with the intention of "expanding the tea bowl".
The "maneki-neko" in this piece steps on the US dollar, a leading fiat currency, and wears bitcoin around its neck. Yet what it holds in its hand is a stablecoin — designed for price stability by pegging to fiat currency — hinting at a contradiction. {NEO MANEKINEKO – CRYPTO–} gives the "maneki-neko" a new concept, forcefully capturing one contemporary "form" that sharply reflects the current state surrounding cryptocurrency.