Home About Human Arts Art & Creativity Month What you can do here Facilities Gear Works Price List Access Blog
Art & Creativity Month
アート＆クリエーティビティー月間
Welcome to the Human Arts Studio Art & Creativity Month. During the month of February 2026, the entire Human Arts Studio will be converted into an Art Gallery displaying the works of various artists living in Japan. We will be hosting artists to show their works, play music, screen films, do workshops and have wine talks... The walls and windows and ceilings in the Main Hall, Studio J, the Sunrise room and the Sunset Space will be covered with art and photographs. We also have 3 large screen TVs and 2 projectors to show films, photos and digital content.
The Human Arts Gallery will be open on the weekends from February 1st to March 8 from 1 PM to 7 PM and will have in-person and live streaming events.
See below for events and artists. Keep coming back, there is more to come!
HA Gallery Artists
From Geometry to Abstraction
Herman Bartelen
This exhibition brings together recent and earlier works by Herman Bartelen, highlighting the evolution of a sustained exploration of geometric and abstract art. Through drawings, photo collage, scrolls, assemblage, and mixed-media works, the exhibition reveals an ongoing dialogue between pattern, colour and material.
Herman Bartelen is a multimedia artist working with geometric abstraction, assemblage, abstract painting, collage, and photography. His work explores structure, repetition, and intuition through layered forms and materials. He has held over 35 exhibitions in Japan, Ontario (Canada), and Thailand.
Cécile Gerey – Expressive Arts Facilitator & Cyanotype Artist
Cécile Gerey is a French expressive arts facilitator currently based in Japan.
Living between cultures, languages, and creative worlds has deeply shaped her approach.
Her work supports creativity as something we remember when we slow down : unfolding through the body, sensation, and presence rather than technique or performance.
Her spaces are known for being calm, welcoming, and deeply human, inviting people of all backgrounds to relax, explore, and express themselves freely.
The cyanotype pieces on display were created specifically for the Human Arts Studio.
Each work links:
- a musical instrument
- a kanji character
- a particular emotional quality.
The pieces explore how sound and feeling resonate, how rhythm, intensity, vibration, and silence can be felt visually. The kanji acts as an anchor, giving form to an experience that is usually intangible.
All works are unique cyanotype prints.
Cyanotype is an early photographic process that depends on light, time, paper, and weather conditions. Because of this, no two prints can be repeated exactly. Variations in exposure, paper texture, and sunlight are part of the final image.
These pieces were made for this space and its musical function. They are intended to support listening, focus, and creative presence.
Events
January 24th 1 PM-3PM Warm Up Workshop
Neurographic Art — Unlock Your Creativity is a 2‑hour hands-on drawing experience focused on creativity, flow, and the joy of making art without pressure
- up to 10 in-person students can attend (RSVP required) and others can join the YouTube Live Stream. Guided by Cécile Gerey
Sunday, February 1 - Art and Creativity Month - Opening Show : 1 PM - 7 PM
Live Music Performances, Video screenings, Artist talks
all streamed on YouTube.
Under the name HermanB & the Annubhava Orchestra, Bartelen will release a new CD, where is my frank rogue?, on February 1. The album features six original songs co-written with Michael Fogarty and continues Bartelen’s exploration of sound, groove and poetry. The CD release event will include a live vocal performance, with the album available at the event and on all major streaming platforms.
Wine Talks
Wine Talk #4 (Long In Japan) with our featured artist Herman Bartelen - Saturday, January 31st @ 6 PM
Wine Talk #5 (Long In Japan) with Deborah Grow - Saturday, February 21st @ 6 PM
Wine Talk #6 with Yasuhide Takimoto - Saturday, March 7th @ 6 PM