ARS

Prior to his art school admission, when he was a starving, newly arrived artist, Hideki enjoyed performing on the streets of Vancouver, selling his balloon creations for as little as 25 cents, as well as performing at children’s birthday parties. One can only speculate what these early works are now worth, that is, if they haven’t yet popped or deflated, which is unlikely given the fragility of the medium.

A while back, I did spot one of his early works (In the Gloaming) on an episode of Antiques Road Show where it was appraised at $25,000 US, much to the delight of the married couple from Baltimore who’d purchased it at a yard sale for $1. (I have since read on the art-world gossip website, Parallax View, that shortly after the show aired, their dog mistook their art investment for sausage links and did what any hungry dog would do.)