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Masanori Tomita “Quiz”
KayokoYuki
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Artists
Masanori Tomita
Artist Masanori Tomita has consistently worked on oil on canvas paintings that are simultaneously abstract and figurative. Concrete images such as human silhouettes or hands gradually emerge from the layers of accumulated oil paint, which makes the surface of his paintings appear as totally abstract at first glance. However, is some ways his paintings resemble the various patterns behind the constellations of the night sky, as well as traditional Chinese landscape paintings, which represent the sublime through highly formalized scenery that never existed in reality.
The title of this exhibition, “Quiz,” is also the title of one of the pieces on view. For the artist, the significance of this title lies in the silhouettes of the four letters that make up the word “quiz,” rather than what it denotes as a word. Quite interestingly, though, this happens to be reminiscent of one of the theories for the etymology of “quiz,” which claims that it was invented by someone who had made a bet that a nonsense word could be made known overnight. If that was the case, originally, the word “quiz” does not have any meaning. Tomita states that the act of naming a piece of his painting when it is finished is that of “giving a name to a name.” For him, naming something that is evidently present in its own right means giving a certain code to an already self-contained existence to invent a new value, an act that is “deeply sinful and enjoyable.” Confronting Tomita’s paintings, viewers are overwhelmed by the material presence of the overlaid layers of his oil paint. However, in contrast to this bold materiality, images emerging from behind the surface seem so ephemeral and ghostly that it is as if they might transform into something different at any moment.
The title of this exhibition, “Quiz,” is also the title of one of the pieces on view. For the artist, the significance of this title lies in the silhouettes of the four letters that make up the word “quiz,” rather than what it denotes as a word. Quite interestingly, though, this happens to be reminiscent of one of the theories for the etymology of “quiz,” which claims that it was invented by someone who had made a bet that a nonsense word could be made known overnight. If that was the case, originally, the word “quiz” does not have any meaning. Tomita states that the act of naming a piece of his painting when it is finished is that of “giving a name to a name.” For him, naming something that is evidently present in its own right means giving a certain code to an already self-contained existence to invent a new value, an act that is “deeply sinful and enjoyable.” Confronting Tomita’s paintings, viewers are overwhelmed by the material presence of the overlaid layers of his oil paint. However, in contrast to this bold materiality, images emerging from behind the surface seem so ephemeral and ghostly that it is as if they might transform into something different at any moment.
Schedule | Dec 17 (Sat) 2016-Jan 29 (Sun) 2017 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Dec 17 (Sat) 2016 18:00 - 20:00 | ||||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||||
| Website | http://www.kayokoyuki.com/en/161217.php | ||||||
| Venue | KayokoYuki http://www.kayokoyuki.com/ | ||||||
| Location | 2-14-2 Komagome, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 173-0003 | ||||||
| Access | 2 minute walk from the East exit of Komagome Station on the JR Yamanote line, 2 minute walk from exit 4 at Komagome Station on the Namboku line. | ||||||
| Phone | 03-6873-6306 | ||||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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