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Manabu Ikeda Exhibition
Mizuma Action
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Artists
Manabu Ikeda
Ikeda was born in 1973 in Saga, and received his master's degree from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 2000. In 2001, he won the grand prize in the fourth Hamamatsu nationwide public exhibition of painting. In 2006, he had his solo exhibition at Mizuma Action for the first time. With his epic work “History of Rise and Fall,” he overwhelmed audiences and made a stunning debut. Since the stir generated by this exhibition, Ikeda's appeal has only continued to spread, with group shows at museums in Italy (Turin), Germany (Karlsruhe and Berlin), and Canada (Hamilton and Victoria).
For this much anticipated exhibition, Ikeda took on the challenge of undertaking the largest-format work he has ever done: 190 cm long by 340 cm wide.
Since his graduation piece for graduate school, he has been consistently working on paper with pen and ink. Using a thin nib, Ikeda weaves elements of civilization and nature into fantastic narratives, which emanate a sense of pure curiosity and abundant imagination. Trains running on tiled roofs. Cars getting caught up in traffic jams in tunnel made of timber. Humans 0.5cm tall climbing, surfing, and sometimes working at place like construction sites. Birds and airplanes fly in the sky, while imaginary creatures lurk quietly in the shadows. His drawing is so alarmingly dense that he can only manage one fist-sized area per day. However, with indefatigable patience, entire scenes gradually pile up, with the steady, inexorable accumulation of diary entries.
When we see the whole image, we realize that the accumulated details become not just a sprawling painting in miniature, but rather a micro and macro world at the same time. This unique duality stems from his architectural point of view and profound affinity for construction.
Ikeda has previously used a huge ship (Regeneration, 2001), a giant tree (Existence, 2004), an aerial metropolis (Ark, 2005), and a castle (History of Rise and Fall, 2006) as his themes. For this new work, he drew an entire marine civilization, seemingly materialized from great waves, or looking as if it is on the brink of being swallowed by a tsunami or glacier.
[Image: Manabu Ikeda, as yet untitled (detail), 2008, pen and ink on paper, 190×340cm
Courtesy Mizuma Art Gallery]
For this much anticipated exhibition, Ikeda took on the challenge of undertaking the largest-format work he has ever done: 190 cm long by 340 cm wide.
Since his graduation piece for graduate school, he has been consistently working on paper with pen and ink. Using a thin nib, Ikeda weaves elements of civilization and nature into fantastic narratives, which emanate a sense of pure curiosity and abundant imagination. Trains running on tiled roofs. Cars getting caught up in traffic jams in tunnel made of timber. Humans 0.5cm tall climbing, surfing, and sometimes working at place like construction sites. Birds and airplanes fly in the sky, while imaginary creatures lurk quietly in the shadows. His drawing is so alarmingly dense that he can only manage one fist-sized area per day. However, with indefatigable patience, entire scenes gradually pile up, with the steady, inexorable accumulation of diary entries.
When we see the whole image, we realize that the accumulated details become not just a sprawling painting in miniature, but rather a micro and macro world at the same time. This unique duality stems from his architectural point of view and profound affinity for construction.
Ikeda has previously used a huge ship (Regeneration, 2001), a giant tree (Existence, 2004), an aerial metropolis (Ark, 2005), and a castle (History of Rise and Fall, 2006) as his themes. For this new work, he drew an entire marine civilization, seemingly materialized from great waves, or looking as if it is on the brink of being swallowed by a tsunami or glacier.
[Image: Manabu Ikeda, as yet untitled (detail), 2008, pen and ink on paper, 190×340cm
Courtesy Mizuma Art Gallery]
Schedule | Nov 26 (Wed) 2008-Jan 17 (Sat) 2009 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | http://www.mizuma-art.co.jp/exhibition/e_1225440292.php | ||||
| Venue | Mizuma Action http://www.mizuma-art.co.jp/top_e.php | ||||
| Location | 2F Kagura Bldg., 3-13 Ichigayatamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0843 | ||||
| Access | 5 minute walk from exit 5 at Ichigaya Station on the Yurakucho and Namboku lines, 8 minute walk from the West exit of JR Iidabashi Station, 8 minute walk from exit B2a at Iidabashi Station on the Tozai, Yurakucho and Namboku lines. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3268-2500 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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