Daisuke Fukunaga drawings commonly draws commonly found yet left and unattended places, where no one usually pays attentions. These places are such as an empty plot of land, a basement floor within a building under construction where there is no electricity coming yet, those dusty and worn-out cleaning mops, or tyres, plastic hoses coiling itself, or wastes. As the artist says "The way these mops or tyres are being left gives me an impression of that time is slipped out there from anywhere else. It looks very dramatic to me." Those objects exists as if they have obtained emotions or even personalities in Fukunaga's paintings, and are seen to have left the values normally being given away. With having eschatological-looking background and the use of personification, Fukunaga's paintings have strong effect to the viewers to evoke narrative and theatrical sense. Fictionality and reality together dissolves and dense sense arouse - it is the sense originated from Fukunaga's simple yet earnest attitude which artist says "The motifs I draw are based on those I actually saw and those which leave strong impressions to me."

Concept:
This exhibition will present approximately ten portrait works, which is the first attempt for the artist. Fukunaga explains about people he draw in the paintings as "There is their own ways of expressions or acts to encourage themselves when they encounter hardship, feeling empty or being passionless. These acts are seemingly to possess something to self, but I think it actually is "to have something as support". My works are the portrait of those who lives happily and prosperous by doing so - they are those I think ideal, those I actually met, or those born from my imagination - or perhaps they are my self portraits." People appearing in the paintings are comical, funny and being outside-d, yet conveying the viewers the thoughness and power of life itself.

Artist Biography:
Daisuke Fukunaga was born in Tokyo in 1981, graduated from Tama Art University, and currently lives and works in Kanagawa. Major group exhibition includes "AFTER THE REALITY 2" at the Deitch Projects (New York) in 2008 and "VOCA 2009 - The Vision of Contemporary Art" at The Ueno Royal Museum. Fukunaga also participated into "Hello! MIHO KANNO" at Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya as a part of artist group MIHO KANNO. Fukunaga was awarded "The 1st Koji Kinutani Award" from Mainichi Shimbun, in 2009. Public Collection includes Taguchi Art Collection. At Tomio Koyama Gallery, Fukunaga has exhibited his solo shows in 2006 and 2008, as well as participating in a group show "Paintings by Four Artists" in 2010.

* The text provided by Tomio Koyama Gallery.

Opened dates: January 22 - February 26, 2011
Venue: Tomio Koyama Gallery
Opening reception: January 22, 2011, 18:00 - 20:00