Exhibition/event has ended.
Naofumi Maruyama “Lascaux and Weather”
Shugoarts
Finished
SHARE
Artists
Naofumi Maruyama
Rather than approaching the “demise of painting” as a style, Naofumi Maruyama says he is struck with a sense of urgency regarding the purported end of this art form in contemporary society. The title of this exhibition, “Lascaux and Weather,” also indicates the artist’s awareness of issues related to the act of depiction as a whole.
For the monochromatic works in this exhibition, Maruyama chose pigments made by the Lascaux corporation. His use of these readymade art materials bearing the emblematic name “Lascaux” unexpectedly creates a link between the Paleolithic era and the present day, and calls to mind the fundamental question of why people paint. In an interview conducted with the artist prior to the exhibition, Maruyama gave the following answer to the question, “What does it mean to be a painter in an age when painting as an art form seems to be on the way out?”
“It is necessary to create a way of reading or interpreting painting. When times change, the way that we read painting must also change, and since we still donʼt really understand why people paint, I have the sense that there are still a multitude of options available.”
Without preparing the surface of the canvas, Maruyama makes his works by permeating the wellwetted cotton with paint. The layer of water allows the pigments to spread out freely, bleeding, overcoming boundaries, and eventually becoming fixed to the canvas. To Maruyama, water is not a means of imbuing the work with chance, but rather a way of avoiding decisions – an ambiguous entity that is both freeing and limiting. Like the weather, water is something that constantly dwells between the subject and the object, and the artist and the canvas. Or like a given era or information, it is an important element that intermittently creates an environment or atmosphere. Thus, the technique of using water as a medium to make bleeding and blurring is closely linked to Maruyamaʼs viewpoint and character as a painter.
This exhibition focuses primarily on the ‘Waterfront Scenery’ series, made with Lascauxʼs grey paint. In early July, please keep an eye out for a video interview with the artist that will be uploaded on the galleryʼs website.
For the monochromatic works in this exhibition, Maruyama chose pigments made by the Lascaux corporation. His use of these readymade art materials bearing the emblematic name “Lascaux” unexpectedly creates a link between the Paleolithic era and the present day, and calls to mind the fundamental question of why people paint. In an interview conducted with the artist prior to the exhibition, Maruyama gave the following answer to the question, “What does it mean to be a painter in an age when painting as an art form seems to be on the way out?”
“It is necessary to create a way of reading or interpreting painting. When times change, the way that we read painting must also change, and since we still donʼt really understand why people paint, I have the sense that there are still a multitude of options available.”
Without preparing the surface of the canvas, Maruyama makes his works by permeating the wellwetted cotton with paint. The layer of water allows the pigments to spread out freely, bleeding, overcoming boundaries, and eventually becoming fixed to the canvas. To Maruyama, water is not a means of imbuing the work with chance, but rather a way of avoiding decisions – an ambiguous entity that is both freeing and limiting. Like the weather, water is something that constantly dwells between the subject and the object, and the artist and the canvas. Or like a given era or information, it is an important element that intermittently creates an environment or atmosphere. Thus, the technique of using water as a medium to make bleeding and blurring is closely linked to Maruyamaʼs viewpoint and character as a painter.
This exhibition focuses primarily on the ‘Waterfront Scenery’ series, made with Lascauxʼs grey paint. In early July, please keep an eye out for a video interview with the artist that will be uploaded on the galleryʼs website.
Schedule | Jul 7 (Sat) 2018-Aug 10 (Fri) 2018 Opening Hours Information
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Shugoarts http://www.shugoarts.com/  | ||||
| Location | 2F Complex665, 6-5-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032 | ||||
| Access | 2 minute walk from exit 1b at Roppongi Station on the Hbiya or Toei Oedo line, 8 minute walk from exit 7 at Azabu-juban Station on the Nanboku or Toei Oedo line, 11 minute walk from exit 5 at Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6447-2234 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
Back to Articles
SHARE