Valuence Begins Global Rollout of MAGO Gallery

The Valuence Group (Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Shinsuke Sakimoto) (TOKYO:9270) has announced that it has partnered with MAGO CREATION Inc. (Tokyo; Representative: Mago Nagasaka) to launch MAGO Galleries worldwide. Starting with an opening of the gallery in Hong Kong on September 2, 2021, the gallery is set to expand to Europe and the United States, with the future goal of selling art and therefore achieving sustainable capitalism as part of a joint sustainability project for the two companies.

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Artist Mago Nagasaka and Valuence Group CEO Shinsuke Sakimoto Team Up to Realize "Sustainable Capitalism" (Photo: Business Wire)

A Tag Team of Japan's Top Branded Goods Resale Player and Mago Nagasaka

The Valuence Group's primary goal has been to help create a recycling-oriented society through reuse of luxury branded goods, antique items, and art. In May 2021, Valuence announced that it had contributed to a reduction in global environmental burden of 3.47 million tons of CO₂ emissions (equivalent to Iceland's emissions in a single year, or absorption from 248 million cedar trees) through this reuse.

Now, as a new sustainability initiative, Valuence has teamed up with artist Mago Nagasaka to expand his MAGO Gallery worldwide. We will work to launch this gallery around the world as part of our work toward the Valuence Group materialities of Fostering Future Leaders and Culture & Education. Furthermore, we will aim to achieve Mr. Nagasaka's advocated goal of sustainable capitalism through the sale of artwork.

Shared Values in Business Visualizing Sustainability

Mr. Nagasaka creates art using electronic waste collected in Ghana's Agbogbloshie district, known as the world's biggest graveyard for such waste. Through his art, he conveys the actual conditions of this region and raises related issues. The profits earned from this art are returned to the people who live in this district.

What Mr. Nagasaka and the Valuence Group have in common is that they add value to items that are no longer needed, that they raise issues regarding overproduction and disposal, and that they communicate their messages not only on a domestic but also a global level. Given this, Valuence shares a strong sense of empathy with Mr. Nagasaka's work, and has decided to help deploy his gallery worldwide in the desire to create an environment where the people of Ghana can live true to themselves.

Hong Kong to Become a Launchpad for Gallery Expansions into France and the United States

The first MAGO Gallery in partnership with Valuence will open in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Hong Kong, on Sep. 2, 2021. The gallery will be set up in Group company Valuence International Ltd.'s own office in the district, and operated by the company. The next MAGO Gallery is set to open in Paris, France in the fall, with two more to open in New York and Los Angeles by the end of 2021.

Toward Sustainable Capitalism

Sustainable capitalism, a concept advocated by Mr. Nagasaka, refers to the state in which the three cogs of culture, economy, and social contribution turn and develop together in a sustainable fashion, with the goal of economic development that maintains shared values with local stakeholders.

Through Mr. Nagasaka's MAGO CREATION, the Valuence Group will distribute a portion of profits from MAGO Gallery in Hong Kong and other countries to distribute gas masks to people living in Ghana's Agbogbloshie district, to improve education and culture, and to achieve sustainable capitalism in partnership with Mr. Nagasaka.

Comment from Mr. Mago Nagasaka

I am very pleased to have the moral support of the Valuence Group, and to be able to expand this gallery to Hong Kong, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles. Life is grave for those living in the Agbogbloshie district of Ghana. With the help of those buying artwork made of electronics waste and other stakeholders, we have been able to distribute gas masks and build art museums in the hope that we could aid these people who struggle to get by, even if just a little.

Working hand in hand with Valuence, we will launch these galleries around the world to convey the reality of their difficult situation, and work to reach more people about our activities and our underlying concepts with the goal of achieving sustainable capitalism.

Profile: Mago Nagasaka

Mago Nagasaka was born in Fukui Prefecture in 1984. With the slogan of sustainable capitalism, he creates works of art using electronic waste dumped by advanced nations in the slums of Ghana. Alongside his art production, he also delivers gas masks to locals in the Ghana's Agbogbloshie district, in a desire to help people he has witnessed suffering (severe levels of electronic waste, environmental deterioration, harm to personal health, and poverty) in what is called the graveyard for the world's electronic device garbage. He also established a free school for local children living in the slums, hiring teachers with his own money. In 2019, he opened an art museum exhibiting his own art in the slums. His activities caught the eye of Hollywood documentary film director and Emmy Award winner Kern Konwiser, who would produce the Still a Black Star documentary about Nagasaka's efforts. The film would go on to win Excellence Awards in four categories at the Impact Docs Awards, a U.S.-based film competition for documentaries. It is now in preparations for public screenings.

Comment from Valuence Group CEO Shinsuke Sakimoto

Mr. Nagasaka has my deepest respect, as a man who has not only taken broader action here in Japan, but has also used the artwork of his own hands to bring a message to the rest of the world, and continues his activities with unbending principle. With our new gallery openings, it brings me great joy and excitement to be able to take part in his efforts.

Today, Valuence is not only expanding its business across Japan, but throughout the rest of the world as well, and is working to permeate a circular society among its people through reuse. We will ensure that the world hears about our work with Mr. Nagasaka, and that as many people as possible learn about what it's like in Ghana and the difficulties faced there. By doing this we will press forward with our work to help the people of Ghana live true to themselves.

MAGO Gallery Hong Kong Opening Media Event *Media only

To commemorate the opening of the Valuence Group's first MAGO Gallery, MAGO Gallery Hong Kong, we will hold an opening event for media in Japan and Hong Kong.

• Event Date/Time: September 2, 2021, 10:00 (HKT)
• Format: Online (Event URL will be sent to those applying to attend)
• Event Details (TBC)
  
  * Event details are subject to change without notice. Thank you for your understanding.
  • Greeting from Valuence Group CEO Shinsuke Sakimoto
  • Dialogue with Mago Nagasaka and Shinsuke Sakimoto
  • MAGO Gallery Hong Kong Artwork Introduction and Viewing
  • Question and Answer Session
• To Apply: Please access the following URL and fill out the form.
  
  https://forms.office.com/r/pz0qkzrv3A
  
  * Deadline: August 25, 2021, 22:59 (HKT)

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