| EN |

visible and invisible:mixed media+painting
Events
Written by In the document   
Published: June 07 2009

TOJINBARA,Nozomi "When working hard though it is" (2009); oil on canvas, 27.3×22.0cm copy right(c) Nozomi TOJINBARA

OKAYAMA,Masami "milk pool" (2009); mixed media copy right(c) Masami OKAYAMA

Group exhibition featuring mixed media and painting as the second part of the two exhibition series, visible and invisible. In this show, we will be introducing some stand out artists representing universities in the Kansai and Nagoya areas, who recently exhibited at their graduation exhibitions. New and recent works will be exhibited, so please do not miss this opportunity. Representing painting are works by Nozomi Toujinbara, a graduate student at Kyoto City University of Arts; Mai Goto who graduated from the Seian University of Art and Design and presently works in Oita prefecture; and Kota Miyazaki, a graduate student at Nagoya University of Arts. Nozomi Tojinbara explains that the animals and girl-animal figures that appear in her work are representations of her childhood still living in her heart. These figures take various forms and develop as allegories of the recording medium for artist’s complex emotional. In Mai Goto’s work, her young boys and girls’ eyes are painted as if they “cannot help but believe that something exists.” However, nothing is reflected in their eyes, and their half-open mouths give no sign of any concrete message. Kota Miyazaki’s dozens of oil paintings that make up his UMA series are a continuation from his earlier UFO series. The letters UMA stand for “Unidentified Mysterious Animal,” or cryptid in English (an animal that is believed to exist but there is no evidence). Miyazaki says, “Although we can’t say these animals exist, I have a strong hope they do. I feel these imagined animals also carry hidden messages for people.” His pictures appear to reflect the tradition of using painting to represent what we cannot see. Toujinbara, Goto, and Miyazaki explore the themes of imagination, hearsay, and impression in different ways. However, using painting to express the uncertain and invisible phenomenon is what they have in common. Representing video art are works by Manami Okayama, who graduated from Kyoto Seika University Graduate school this spring, and Ryota Yagi, a doctoral course student of Kyoto City University of Arts. Manami Okayama has up to now produced video works in combination with small-scale sculpture and drawing, yet each layer is still recognisable. For this exhibition, her video work will be projected on a set of blinds set up between the exhibition room and the storeroom. According Okayama, “the blinds represent a vague boundary, separating the inside and the outside (light).” Yagi’s is active artist whose work experiments with perception by various methods of expression. For this exhibition, he will exhibit three works on the theme of “time”. Regarding one of the works and exhibition theme of visible/invisible, Yagi explains, “Our view of the world is created by perception. People always try to see something invisible, but they never try to listen to something they can’t hear.” Seiichi Shibata and Takao Machiba both majored in advertisement design at the Kyoto City University of Arts and present different concepts toward space. Shibata’s works are made up of layers of cut paper pieces, cut from handmade coloured paper. 32 of these works will be displayed on the wall. Each piece of cut paper is made from a set rule, and when combined, the result is “chance” samples of abstract shapes and colour. According to Shibata, this sense of “chance” occurs when he spreads out the cut paper pieces and plays with their combinations. The word “chance” can also be rephrased as “feeling,” and to him, art is about “making visual the feelings one cannot conceptualise.” In his solo exhibition held last year, Machiba made hollow 3D objects that give an effect of gravity and volume in the empty space by reflecting colors emitted inside. For this exhibition, only Machiba’s works will be displayed in the pfs exhibition room, with the ground glass door made transparent to experiment with natural light. This work is can be seen as a continuation of ideas presented in her solo exhibition. We hope the group show visible and invisible will be an opportunity to consider how people use art to “express invisible phenomenon.” Also, the mass media that surrounds us provide massive amounts of visual information, but are they truly “visual” experiences? Interpreting the “visual” quality of art from a wider perspective, this exhibition will showcase young artists who explore the somewhat primitive idea of “looking”. * The text was provided by Matsuo Megumi + Voice Gallery pfs/w.

Last Updated on June 13 2009
 

Related Articles


| EN |