The city of Tondabayashi in the southeastern part of Osaka prefecture is noted for its many expansive parks and woodlands, and was the site of large-scale ‘New Town’ development between the 1960s and ’80s. Now a sleepy suburb, Tondabayashi offers a somewhat unlikely but comfy home to Blau Katze (‘Blue Cat’), an ambitious gallery established by a local artist who sought to provide a space for artistic experiments away from the bustle of the city.
To carry out its mission, Blau Katze runs the annual Fuka exhibition, which has been highlighting up-and-coming artists since 2017. Despite being a one-man operation, the gallery has established an area-wide reach and has contributed significantly to the Osaka art scene. Besides the Fuka show, it hosts a variety of seasonal exhibitions, many of which are planned and carried out together with the exhibiting artists. On your visit, don’t forget to check out the wall next to the gallery, adorned with the handprints of artists – some of them now household names – who have held solo exhibitions at Blau Katze in the past.