Eiji Ohashi

One night 14 years ago, I drove through a snowstorm at night. Caught in a whiteout I lost track of where I was, but the familiar light from the vending machines guided me the way. Ever since then, vending machines have become something special to me. They are a window through which to view the world.
Standing isolated alongside the road, vending machines lead a lonely existence. They are so commonplace in Japan that no one pays particular attention to them, but I see in them an image of the modern human. Whether it rains or snows, the vending machines continue their service and diligently wait for the next customer to arrive. They strike me to the core and help me visualize fragments of memories that I had thought lost.
The glowing figure of the vending machine shows us not only an image of our past selves but also optimism for things to come. Where their light shines, we can sense hope for the future. In these moments, the vending machines become ultimate modern artworks, similar to the vacuum cleaners of Jeff Koons.