PROFILE

Nagasaka Mago

Founder of MAGO CREATION Co., Ltd. / MAGO Art & Study Institute

Born in Fukui Prefecture, Japan in 1984. In 2009, when his company went bankrupt, MAGO became a street painter. In June 2017, he visited Agbogbloshie, a Ghanaian slum known as "the world's largest graveyard of electronics. He asked himself, “Is it so important for us to create wealth at the expense of these people, who are said to be dying in their 30s from cancer due to breathing a lot of toxic fumes?” He decided to use the power of art to convey this truth to developed countries.

With funds generated from art sales, he has so far delivered more than 1000 gas masks to Ghana. And in 2018, he established the first school in the slum, "MAGO ART AND STUDY". On his 5th visit to Agbogbloshie in August 2019, he spent 53 days and established the slum's first cultural institution, the MAGO E-Waste Museum, for their new hope and life. This project was filmed by Emmy Award-winning director Kern Konwiser for the documentary film "Still A Black Star." This film won the "Audience Award Best Environmental Film" at the NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL in the US. The film is currently being prepared for release.

PHILOSOPHY

Formula to make people and the earth become happy “Sustainable Capitalism”

MAGO holds out the concept of “Sustainable Capitalism”, a sustainable cycle which composes 3 important elements of “culture”, “economy”, and “social contribution”, into his activities. The more Ghana artwork of Mago is owned, the wastes in Ghana will be reduced, contribution to the economy will be made, and culture will grow. At the same moment, this issue will spread all over the world.

In addition, when MAGO and his artwork receives high reviews and appraisals through his activities, it is possible that the value of the artwork you purchase will increase even up to 100 times. A painting that MAGO was selling for US 300 dollars on the street of New York is currently dealt between collectors at US 30,000 dollars.

Owning MAGO’s Ghana artwork =
Culture “Owning artwork”
Economy “Investing in art”
Social contribution “Developing the slum”

This is the spirit of “Sustainable Capitalism”. MAGO is implementing economic activities into his artwork, which was said to be a taboo within artists.

Not only the people who buy MAGO’s art, but also people living in Ghana and the earth will be happy. True sustainability means that the culture, economy, and environment all change at the same time.

STORY

World largest graveyard of electronic wastes “Ghana Agbogbloshie”

MAGO, who became a painter on the streets after his own company has gone bankrupt in 2009, decided to visit by himself a place that was known to be the world’s largest graveyard of electronic wastes, the slums of Agbogbloshie in Ghana. At Agbogbloshie, MAGO met workers who burned electronic wastes which were thrown out by the developed countries for $5 a day.
What he saw there was the sad truth that these workers would develop diseases such as cancer and passed away in their 30s, caused by the inhalation of toxic gas.
“Is it truly important to build wealth while these people become casualties? I want to reveal the truth to the developed countries through the power of art.”

True love found at the slums of Ghana

After returning to Japan, MAGO created art using scraps which were not used even at the slums. From the sales generated, he visited Ghana again for the 2nd time in November 2017, and he provide 850 sets of gas masks. So they can live longer against cancer. At that time, MAGO promised to the people at Agbogbloshie that he will “make the slum a better place with art.”
The promise he made brought a miracle.
On March 20th 2018, at the Ginza exhibition “Art exists to save people, after the visit to the slums of Ghana”, MAGO’s art was sold for ¥15,000,000.All for the people in Agbogbloshie. This true love has given MAGO an one and only creativity which will never be depleted.
Since then, MAGO has continued to use cumulated scraps from the slum to create art, and with the sales generated, he has been giving back to the people in Agbogbloshie.

Providing education, culture, and economy with the sales from art

Up to today, MAGO has delivered over 1,000 sets of gas masks to Ghana, and in 2018, he has established the first school in the slums called “MAGO ART AND STUDY”.
In August 2018, on his 5th visit to Agbogbloshie, he has stayed for 53 days and established the slum’s first cultural facility “MAGO E-Waste Museum” to provide hope and support to the people in Agbogbloshie.

Building a factory in the slums, then to a peaceful world

MAGO’s goal is to gather over ¥10,000,000,000 and build the most advanced recycling factory in Agbogbloshie by 2030. He will leave the worldwide network of wastes send to Agbogbloshie as it is, employ the people in the slums to work at the factory, and change the world’s worst graveyard of electronic wastes into a pollution zero Sustainable Town.
Eventually there won’t be any more scraps, and MAGO will not be able to continue creating his artwork. At then, MAGO’s “art for solving problems” will be complete, give more value to MAGO’s existing artwork.
As an artist, MAGO’s ultimate goal is to make the world a more peaceful place. He is seriously committed to make it happen.
Solving the Ghana slum issue will certainly lead us to a peaceful world in the future.
We ask everyone to replace a part of your fortune into MAGO’s art.
Compilation of everyone’s love will lead to the construction of the recycling factory at Agbogbloshie. “If the world is not beautiful, people cannot live their life beautifully. That is why art and its beauty will lead us to peace.”