Takase Mana says Kakizaki Memi is fine

A tweet reports that, in handshake Monday afternoon, Takase Mana said that Memi is fine, and we should just wait for her return. They ate together on Sunday.

Makuhari Messe 6 May, session 2 handshake report
me: Um, I have something I would like to discuss with Manafi. For Memi's sake, is there anything you can tell us?
Fii: Just to wait. And that Memi is fine. I ate with her yesterday.
me: I see. Thank you for telling me!

のも(郵便屋さん)‏ @nomo_ganaota
5/6 幕張個握 2部 高瀬 3枚 握手レポ 自:まなふぃに相談があるんだけどさー。 芽実ちゃんのために自分たちに何か出来ることはないのかなー？ ふぃ:待ってるだけでいいんだよ！ それに元気だよ！芽実！ 昨日も一緒にご飯食べたし。 自:そうなんだ！ありがとう。教えてくれて！

Another handshake guest says they asked Ushio Sarina, who said they had all eaten together on Monday, including Memi and Kage-chan. (すぎや@gigaccha)


The last bit of info we got before this was a tweet from Memi's father saying he had been up a mountain with his daughter, gathering flowers and lichen for an art exhibition. Close inspection of the figure in the background of the first photo (click to enlarge) suggests it was probably his elder daughter, not Memi.

Here is the poster for the upcoming exhibition in Nagano (Azumino), "Metaphor - Metaphorical Nature." He says it is his biggest exhibition in a while.

Japanese comments often refer to Kakizaki-san as eminent and wealthy. I think both may be a bit of an exaggeration, especially the "wealthy" part. He is a known artist, but perhaps not that enormously successful. He has had exhibitions in Japan, Sweden and Paris, among other places, but I don't get the sense he is tremendously well-known (although he does have a Japanese Wikipedia entry). He has also done work for Alexander McQueen and, many years ago, for Sony, as well as floral stage sets for performances. The Kakizaki family also owns and runs a long-established flower shop, and Memi's mother works there, it appears. One of Memi's grandmothers is a judge in ikebana competitions.

Personally, I very much like his work. I can't help comparing it to the hugely famous Andy Goldsworthy, who also works with natural objects. But I somehow think Kakizaki-san may give more respect to the objects themselves, rather than just using them as part of a construction. This stands to reason, since he studied horticulture.