Lulu Series: Rode Work/Under City

Japanese artist collective SIDE CORE is known for site-specific public projects that blur the boundaries between contemporary art, skate culture and urban infrastructure.

The group will discuss their multi-channel video installation rode work ver. under city. Created in collaboration with renowned skate film crew, Far East Skate Network, the piece captures skaters navigating Tokyo’s subterranean environments — including stormwater basins, disused transit tunnels and maintenance corridors. These movements transform utilitarian spaces into expressive terrains, linking isolated structures into a speculative, virtual undercity.

Like Richmond, much of Tokyo is built on reclaimed land and faces the constant risk of natural disasters. rode work ver. under city was shot in a regulating reservoir constructed as part of the city’s flood control system. Although Tokyo and Richmond are separated by the Pacific Ocean, they share geological conditions as well as cultural and historical connections. Through this project, SIDE CORE seeks to reveal the invisible links that exist between such distant places.

Free to attend. RSVP requested.

About the Presenters:

Launched in 2012, SIDE CORE is comprised of artists Takasu Sakie, Matsushita Tohru and Nishihiro Taishi. Harimoto Kazunori also participates in the collective as a video director.

SIDE CORE members create works based on the question of how an individual can go about sending messages in the city and public space, by referencing the ideas and history behind street culture. They sometimes collaborate with artists working in other genres to create a variety of works in the blind spots and hidden spaces of cities.

Recent major exhibitions include SIDE CORE: Living road, Living space (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2025), SIDE CORE|Concrete Planet (WATARI-UM, The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art and outdoor, Tokyo, 2024), 8th Yokohama Triennale Wild Grass: Our Lives (Kanagawa, 2024).

About the Lulu Series:

The Lulu Series is an annual spring series of talks about Art in the City and its importance to establishing connections between citizens and their communities. Richmond Public Art is partnering with Richmond Art Gallery and the Wilson School of Design at KPU to present three engaging talks in Spring 2026.

Since 2003, City of Richmond has presented regional, national and international speakers including acclaimed artists, architects, urban planners and other cultural leaders. Previous lecture topics have included planning and placemaking, public and environmental art, art as community development, art as urban revitalization, architecture, artists’ live/work spaces and sculpture parks.

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