Shinishi Sakai: Shino's Bar / Gallery Surge

"Shino's Bar is a communication spot for people affiliated with contemporary art, where fine wine and spirits are served and guests can enjoy witty conversation. Unfortunately, Shino's Bar is difficult to find. Its location is unknown, and it does not always open. It is a pop-up bar.
In 1995, the exhibition NowHere, featuring contemporary art, was held in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, where artists from Japan and the Netherlands attended. Mr. Shino, a technical supporter of a Japanese artist group, joined this project, and he lived in a kindergarten that was prepared as the temporary hotel for the staff. At the kindergarten, he enjoyed a nightcap with his friends. The Japanese who lived in the same house joined him, and they enjoyed conversation and spirits. It did not take time before Dutch persons joined this night-party. This party was held every night in a room of the kindergarten, and a variety of persons who attended the exhibition from Europe and North America also visited the room. Sometimes, they called the party Shino's Bar (Pronounce as 'shinoba-').
In 1996, another part of the Internal Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition, Twelve Environments, was held at a former school in Tokyo. It was the second stint of Shino's Bar. It was set up in a room in the school where plenty of persons gathered and enjoyed the parties. In 1997, Shino's Bar again came to Europe to the Cistercian monastery in Plasy, Czech Republic.
On 20th July 1997, the website Shino's Bar Internet is established as a virtual but permanent bar on the net."

Shino, Shin-ichi Sakai


Shino's Bar International since 1995, Location - unknown, Open - occasionally
Shino's Bar Internet since 1997, Location - http://Paper.Cup.Com/, Open - 24/7
The history of Gallery Surge as described at the website of Shino's Bar:
1996
Twelve Environments, 根の回復として用意された12の環境
Akasaka Elementary School, Tokyo, Japan
CURATOR: Shin-ichi Sakai
ARTISTS: Kosugi + Ando; Sander Doerbecker; Goji Hamada; Felix Hess; Cuus Koenraads; Hideharu Matsueda; Kazue Mizushima; Paul Panhuysen; Arichi + Sasaoka; Tokihiro Sato; Nico Schulte; Christiaan Zwanikken; Martijn Troost.
Grafiti of NowhereTwelve Enviiroment ICAEE 
赤坂・Shino's Barの夜は更けて 
IN/OUT, アートは楽しい 7 IN/OUT
Hara Museum ARC , Gumma, Japan
CURATOR: Yukari Okada
ARTISTS: Soichi Arichi + Takashi Sasaoka; Takamitu Kido; Hisaya Kojima; Atsuhiito Sekiguchi; Kozo Nishino; Taizo Matsumura; Hiroyuki Moriwaki; Kazuhiko Hachiya; Synov Takeuchi 
A Gift of Remembrance, 光の記憶展 '96
Art Gallary La Fenice, Osaka, Japan etc.
CURATOR: Eri Muroi
ARTISTS: Hajime Imamura + Isa Mitake; Risa Inooue + Masahiro Kobayashi; Yukio Fujimoto + Takashi Sasaoka; Takashi Sasaoka + Eri Muroi;
1997
Emerging Appearance, ものとあらわれ
The Museum of Modern Art,Wakayama, JAPAN
CURATOR: Yasumasa Okumura
ARTISTS: Soichi Arichi + Takashi Sasaoka; Yukio Fujimoto; Mission Invisible; Yutaka Moriguchi; Tomoji Ogawa; Takashi Sasaoka 
HERMIT PROJECT 1997 - Near the Begining,
Center for Metamedia - Plasy, CZECH REPUBLIC
ORGANIZERS: Igor Hlavinka, Shinichi Sakai, Vladimir Vimr, Miloš Vojtěchovský
ARTISTS from Japan: Toyohisa Amano; Soichi Arichi + Takashi Sasaoka; Christophe Charles + Ritsuko Endo; Shuichi Chino; Michiiyoshi Degchi; Asako Tokitsu; Goji Hamada; Shuji Mizutome.
CATCHING THE LIGHT, 光をつかむ - 素材としての<光>の現われ
O Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
CURATOR: Kazuo Amano
ARTISTS: Soichi ARICHI + Takashi SASAOKA; Toshihiro SAKUMA; Nobuyuki HIRAMATSU; Taizo MATSUMURA; Shigenobu YOSHIDA; Yoshiaki Watanabe
1998
SASAOKA Takashi - Installation 1998, 笹岡 敬 展
Fukuzumi Gallery, Osaka, Japan
Sound & Art Exhibition - Mushi Mezuru II, Performance view 
CHINO Shuichi, Xebec Hall, Kobe, Japan
ALTERNATIVES IN ART '98 - VARIANTS OF VISION, 異なる視界
Osaka Contemporary art Center, Osaka, Japan
CURATORS: SAITO Mitsuko, KITAJIMA Akari, MIKAI Mariko, OGUCHI Seiko
ARTISTS: IZAWA Isako, ISHII Masayuki, TOGO Yasuhiko, OKAMOTO Mitsuhiro, MIURA Tsutomu, YAMAZAKI Nobuko
Micro & Macro CosmoNavigators, I'Exposition du Sculptures en plein air
Gallery KURANUKI, Osaka, Japan
ARTISTS: Hitoshi Nomura, Mission Invisible, Takaharu Ubukata
Snap shot 
A Gift of Remembrance, 光の記憶展 '98
Art Gallary La Fenice, Osaka, Japan
CURATOR: Eri Muroi
ARTISTS: Toshijiro Sakuma, Hajime Imamura, Isa Mitake, Takashi Sasaoka
Soichi ARICHI - Installation, 有地左右一展 Graffiti 1o Anniversary of Shino's Bar Internet 
GALLERY SURGE , Tokyo, Japan
Takashi YAMAMIYA, 山宮隆個展「世界への触角」 Graffiti 2 Shino's Bar on the roof 
Galarie ou, Osaka, Japan
Satoru TAMURA タ ムラサ トル展 Contemporary Art Factory Tokyo, JAPAN 
REFLEX-signal 1998 HIRO CHIKASHIGE GALLERY, Okayama, JAPAN
ARTISTS: Soichi ARICHI + Takashi SASAOKA 
1999
Michiyo SHAKUNAGA 釈永道代 展 CAS, Osaka, JAPAN 
CURATOR: Masahiro YAGI 
REFLEX-1999 GALLERY SURGE , Tokyo, Japan
ARTISTS: Soichi ARICHI + Takashi SASAOKA 
Collaboration Art Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, Fukushima, JAPAN コラボレーション・アート 展 福島県立美術館 
Soichi ARICHI + Takashi SASAOKA 'Puddles' 
TENT., Rotterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
2000
Takashi SASAOKA - WATER2000 - The Cubic Gallery ITEZA, Kyoto, JAPAN 
Marleen van Wijngaarden Gallery Surge, Tokyo, JAPAN 
Soichi ARICHI + Takashi SASAOKA EI Huis , Gent, BELGIE
2001
Tomoko KONOIKE GI-GA fujikawa gallery/next, Osaka, JAPAN
2002
Theater of our lives, 未来予想 図~私の人生☆劇場 Hyogo Prefectural Musium of Art, Kobe, JAPAN
2003
(nothing special)
2004
Pilot PlantContemporary Art Factory, Tokyo, JAPAN
PECK-HAM OPEN STUDIO, London, UK
Marleen van Weingaarden, Youkobo Art Space, Tokyo, JAPAN
Symposium, 和歌の浦アート・キューブ, Wakayama, JAPAN
2005
Suzan PietzchKOSTBARKEITEN - KAKEGAE NO NAI MONOStudio J, Osaka, JAPAN