Modern Sensibility

No values or perspectives emerge out of nowhere overnight; they are born through the workings of some collective entity, or by riding the currents of history—either aligning with them or swimming against them. A unique kind of potency can indeed reside in objects and phenomena amid such continuity. It is precisely because we live in a world where, paradoxically, unimaginable events unfold daily in various places, that we present a group exhibition at the Kyobashi gallery that intentionally focuses on this very continuity, which perhaps is best described as a “modern sensibility” of sorts. Yuka Mori creates works using materials rooted in the long history of traditional Japanese painting, such as washi (Japanese paper) and natural pigments. Unlike the shrinking of analog production environments as photography becomes increasingly digital, the availability of high-quality materials for traditional Japanese painting is gradually diminishing due to the declining number of artists. While Japanese painting is often subject to certain stereotypes due to its long history and the recurring nature of its themes, Yuka Mori engages with the “traditional” motif of plants to portray the realm between humanity and nature as a fluid, hybrid world. There is a sense of quiet resistance and a re-evaluation of values in her approach—characterized by meticulous observation of the environment where plants thrive, an engagement with one’s own bodily sensations, brushstroke-like movements rarely seen in traditional Japanese painting, and techniques that draw the viewer’s gaze even to the sides of the wooden frame. Akio Niisato’s artistic endeavors have evolved through a continuous process of self-reflection—one that represents an avant-garde approach to the history of ceramics while shattering it in the literal sense. His representative work “Luminescent” is highly acclaimed as one of the finest examples of contemporary porcelain, created through refined craftsmanship and dozens and of hours of repetitive, meticulous work. In recent years, however, the artist has repeatedly engaged in the act of personally shattering his completed works—thereby bringing to light elements latent within the “Luminescent” vessels—and using that process to evolve into the next stage of creation. From the more complex play of light and shadow created by distortions and incisions to forms that take on a greater sense of materiality through the use of color—the exploration that began with the completion of “Luminescent” knows no end. At times, it brings a fresh sense of surprise to viewers when an artist steps away from the clay and sculpting techniques they are most familiar with to create works of a completely different character. We invite visitors to take a moment to observe how these ceramic works transcend their physical dimensions, manipulating light and radiating out into the surrounding space. Seiichiro Osa’s paintings refine language, while language expands the scope of his paintings. This impression likely stems from more than just the fact that he is also a haiku poet. What do we feel when we stand before his abstract paintings? From the sense of rhythm born from the interplay of color combinations and the varying scales of their arrangement, to the presence of colors lying deep within other colors, and even deeper still, the subtle bleeding of paint and traces of brushstrokes, and the cracking of the paint itself—they evoke the sensation of something that has gone to its very limits and has then returned, only to continue to wandering across the canvas. But what exactly? The artist’s statement, “capturing landscapes alive withing the mind” suggests that a certain kind of concreteness lies hidden even within abstract paintings. As we observe how certain elements deviate from a steady rhythm while retaining a raw, visceral quality, it seems as though various words are absorbed into the painting, only to return in a different form, creating a kind of back-and-forth exchange. Painting has an extensive history, and in Osa’s works, one can sense something akin to a resolute spirit—a yearning for that sense of timelessness. Kouichi Tabata creates highly distinctive works by painting across two offset panels, which are later aligned into a rectangle to resolve that initial misalignment—a process that generates a new kind of misalignment, thereby completing the painting. In addition to paintings, Tabata also creates video works and collages, but what is consistent throughout is his focus on “movement.” It is an established fact in the history of visual culture—and now common knowledge—that certain roles once played by painting were taken over by photography and eventually evolved into moving images. However, painting possesses an aesthetic that transcends mere function; shaped over the course of its long history in tandem with the social conditions and sensibilities of each era, it continues to be the subject of lively debate across the world today. The time and space found in Koichi Tabata’s paintings give rise to a “painterly space” born precisely from this misalignment, and it seems that this is indeed one of those places where history culminates—a place where we are permitted to enjoy and savor that “painterly space.”