Brain Cell - Ryosuke Cohen

[Ruud Janssen]

What are your thoughts about this project? Would be interesting to know what you think. Do you participate. Since when, How much times. Do you know the concept? Will also try to publish a few samples here (or others can help me with that)

[Francis Van Maele]

have been corresponding with ruyosuke since 14 years .. just happened to be travelling in japan and wrote him would love to visit him.
He is a very nice, quiet teacher speaking not too much english.
As i came we went straight to a friend of him who did speak english well .. we had a good time and lots of beers.

[Oh Boy]

You mentioned that you received no response to a long letter you sent. I have been exchanging items with Ryosuke since 1984. I have confirmed that some things have gone missing on their way to or from Japan. Ryosuke did 7 body paintings of mail artists while in Southern Calif. These were completed in Japan and then sent to the subjects. Only 6 of them made it to their destination. These were sent in large tubes. I would guess that these would be hard to be lost but Creative Thing never received his.

Not sure how you decided that he has reached a "god" stature in mail art, those of us that correspond with him on a regular basis view him as just one of the guys, but a very busy guy at that. He is assembeling the contributions from at least 60 people, printing 150 collages, typing up a documentation sheet, addressing 60 envelopes for each Brain Cell.

I do not think there are any "god" mail artists. Ray Johnson is often referred to the "Father" of mail art... he was dead less than 24 hours before someone created a project that was a spoof suicide note.

[Oh Boy]

Many mail artists participate in this from of art without knowing about networks, shows or pioneers. I got started exchanging art through the mail with a few friends as a way to stay in touch. Often it was a form of ping-pong.
I would send something and they would send it back altered. I had been doing this for a few years before I attended an art show in San Diego, 1983. A group of artists were asked to be part of the show by sending through the mail a piece of art that represented 'breakfast.' This was wake up call to me that I was not the only one doing this type of exchange.

[Gik Juri]

Please, excuse me for intervention, but Ryosuke and Ray are two very different stories. Ray is famous artist, pre-pop-artist, Ryosuke simpy makes his Brain Cells over the years and is unknown in art-world. Ray was one of the first, "father of mail art", Ryosuke has only one good long-time project, important for mail art network. They have very different status and "role models".

I met Ryosuke in Moscow in December 2006. He is very far from "god status" in real life and he really knows English bad. As I know, he makes BRAIN CELLS without any support or assistance (students or anybody).

[Gik Juri]

Ok! I trust You, it doesn't big matter, it seems to me.

[Ruud Janssen]

Ryosuke Cohen did a lot more of which you probably are not aware. He also did the Brain Cell Sticker project (everybody received a packages of hundreds of sticker with BrainCell on it with his/her name , The complete Cell Theory of the network was very symbolically demonstrated there. Also he made rubberstamsp for some issues which he sent to all Brain Cell Participants. This was in the 90-ies.

He also experimenten with Fractal. He participated in the Net Run Event with Shozo Shimamoto.

All took place in the 90-ies.

So Ryosuke is known for a lot of things. I must correct that.

[Denis Charmot]

I also sent some artiststamps to Ryosuke. I also received some that I did not participate. I love his work, it's great. A question anyway, is someone knows why the stamp of the letter is in French?

[Peter Dowker]

I`ve been asking myself the same question Denis. Isn`t there some kind of historical link between international post and the French language. Seems to me that I recall seeing `Par Avion``used on mail coming from non-Francaphone countries.

[Denis Charmot]

Hi Petre
Yes, I know that French is the official language of the post, United Nations, the Olympic games ... But I have already received mail from Japan and none was in French.

[Peter Dowker]

Did they have this bulk mailing stamp, or regular postage stamps?

[Denis Charmot]

On each letter I received from Ryosuke they are stamped in French. On other mail there are stamps in Japanese.

[Gik Juri]

Here is Brain Cell Artist's book by Ryosuke shown at "Accumulation" exhibition in Moscow in February-March 2008.