Corporate News

08/01/2025

Roland DG Corporation

Roland DG and Roland Corporation Collaborate on "Paralym Art" Wrapped Piano to Deliver an Exciting Experience Combining Music and Art

Hamamatsu, Japan, August 1, 2025 – Roland DG Corporation, a leading manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and printer/cutters worldwide, is excited to announce its collaboration with Roland Corporation in the production of a one-of-a-kind digital grand piano wrapped in artwork by Paralym Art artist Ms. Michiru Kanki. The art-wrapped piano, along with other specially created items, will be unveiled at a special showcase event at NEOPASA Hamamatsu on Saturday, August 9, 2025.

Roland is a global brand that offers a wide range of innovative digital equipment from electronic musical instruments, including digital pianos, electronic drums, and synthesizers, to professional audio/video equipment such as digital AV mixers. Its high-quality and creative solutions are widely used by customers around the world, from renowned musicians and creators to amateur users.

Since 2021, Roland Corporation has sponsored the "Paralym Art" initiative, operated by the Japan Organization for the Promotion of Independence of Persons with Disabilities, to contribute to the economic independence and social participation of artists with disabilities. For this project, the company commissioned Paralym Art artist Ms. Michiru Kanki, who is active in fields ranging from music to graphics production. Her piece, "Ad-lib," created under the theme "The Future Brought by Music and Instruments," was reproduced using Roland DG's TrueVIS XG-640 wide-format inkjet printer and used to wrap a Roland digital grand piano.

At the event, visitors can enjoy a hands-on experience with the art-wrapped piano and other Roland products. The event will also feature a tactile art canvas that reproduces Ms. Kanki’s work with our unique DIMENSE dimensional printing technology, allowing it to be enjoyed both visually and by touch. Limited-edition stickers will also be produced and distributed.

Kohei Tanabe, CEO, President, Representative Director of Roland DG, said, "To bring out the full appeal of Ms. Kanki's artwork, which combines powerful, vivid colors with an enveloping gentleness, we used our flagship printer, the XG-640. We aimed to express not only the brilliant colors of the artwork, but also the passion and story embedded within it. Through this collaboration, we hope to convey to people the wonder of transforming imagination into reality."

Ms. Michiru Kanki noted, "The value that music and instruments bring has always been, and will always be, about brightening the connections between people. For this piece, 'Ad-lib,' I used orange as a base to evoke 'infinite joy and fun,' balancing it with emerald, blue, and other colors to capture the freedom, hope, style, and gentleness of music. I am thrilled that my artwork, as a one-of-a-kind piano, will be played by so many people."

Overview of the collaboration
・Art Wrapped Piano:
The art-wrapped piano was created using the TrueVIS XG-640, renowned for delivering outstanding print quality with brilliant color.
・Piano Bench:
Features graphics printed directly onto an ethical synthetic "Sobagni" leather from Kyowa Leather Cloth Co., Ltd., using the VersaOBJECT LO-640 direct-to-object printer.
・Embossed Canvas:
Tactile artwork was created using the DIMENSE DA-640 printer, allowing visitors to experience the art by touch.
・Limited Edition Stickers:
Free commemorative stickers, printed on the compact VersaSTUDIO BN2-20 inkjet printer, will be available for visitors at the event.

Art Wrapped Piano

「Ad-lib」

About Ms. Michiru Kanki
Ms. Michiru Kanki is an artist whose work conveys the importance of the hope and will to live through the experience of art. She continues to create unique pieces that fuse her original illustrations with the music she composes and performs on the piano.
Web：https://paralymart.or.jp/artists/details/?id=0000000000101

About Paralym Art
"Paralym Art" is a social contribution initiative dedicated to creating a world where artists with disabilities can achieve their dreams through art, promoting their financial independence without reliance on social security. This initiative goes beyond mere disability support, offering companies the opportunity to utilize artwork as part of their branding and promotional strategies from the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, and Environmental, Social and Governance Principles, ESG perspective. It fosters social participation and increases the income of artists with disabilities, creating a sustainable support system in partnership with their corporate sponsors.
Web: https://paralymart.or.jp/association/

About Roland Corporation
For more than 50 years, Roland’s innovative electronic musical instruments and multimedia products have fueled inspiration in artists and creators around the world. Embraced by hobbyists and professionals alike, the company’s trendsetting gear spans multiple categories, from pianos, synthesizers, guitar products, drum and percussion products, DJ controllers, audio/video solutions, gaming mixers, livestreaming products, and more. As technology evolves, Roland and its expanding family of brands, including BOSS, V-MODA, Drum Workshop (DW), PDP, Latin Percussion (LP), and Slingerland, continue to lead the way for music makers and creators, providing modern solutions and seamless creative workflows between hardware products, computers, and mobile devices.