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Masaru Aikawa "Shape, Shade, Shadow"
N Project
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Artists
Masaru Aikawa
N project is pleased to present ʻshape, shade, shadow,ʼ a solo exhibition by Masaru Aikawa, from January 13 (Sat) to February 2 (Fri), 2024.
Masaru Aikawa (b. 1978) graduated from Tama Art Universityʼs Department of Media Art in 2004. Shocked by the Andy Warhol video piece “Empire” (1964) that he was exposed to during his studies, he began to take interest in the idea of reproduction in art. His “CDs” series, which he has been making since 2007, marks the start of his journey into exploring this idea. Faithfully reproducing the normally mass-produced item using his own body, Aikawa creates a singular, unique CD of which only one exists in the world. Following this, since around 2011, he has continued to present his work in tandem with the ongoing development of the Internet and social media, focusing on the social nature of the photographic medium as his central theme.
Aikawa utilizes photographic techniques as a way of exploring the perspective of reproduction. However, he does not use cameras or take photos; instead, he uses materials accessible to anyone, such as free images from the Internet, 3D computer graphics, AI, and satellite images. Aikawa believes that advances in photographic technology and video have a significant effect on the behavior of those who use them, and he continues to examine this through his works using a variety of both old and new photographic techniques.
The video work "climb the matterhorn," created in 2021-22 in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic when physical travel and activities were severely limited, is a documentary video and series of photographs simulating the experience of climbing the Matterhorn in virtual space. Using actual satellite photos and altitude data, Aikawa constructs locations that physically exist on the world map with 3D computer graphics, which the artistʼs alter ego then virtually climbs. The work invites the viewer to follow along the artist's “bodily experience” in the virtual world, and to reflect upon the multilayered worlds that exist alongside each other in the interstice between data and CG, truth and fiction.
This exhibition will look back at Aikawaʼs previous works that explore the contrasting realms of reality and virtuality, such as his AI-generated photos and virtual spaces created from video games and satellite photos, and will also present "specimen," a new series of works created from UV-cured resin. The pieces are composed purely of shadows, referencing the idea that the shadow is the origin of photographic technique. In a time when the act of reproduction itself has almost completely lost any trace of remarkability and the birth of the internet and social media alongside the introduction of the smartphone has made it easy for anyone to readily reproduce images, Aikawa questions what possibilities may still lie within the realm of photographic art.
Masaru Aikawa (b. 1978) graduated from Tama Art Universityʼs Department of Media Art in 2004. Shocked by the Andy Warhol video piece “Empire” (1964) that he was exposed to during his studies, he began to take interest in the idea of reproduction in art. His “CDs” series, which he has been making since 2007, marks the start of his journey into exploring this idea. Faithfully reproducing the normally mass-produced item using his own body, Aikawa creates a singular, unique CD of which only one exists in the world. Following this, since around 2011, he has continued to present his work in tandem with the ongoing development of the Internet and social media, focusing on the social nature of the photographic medium as his central theme.
Aikawa utilizes photographic techniques as a way of exploring the perspective of reproduction. However, he does not use cameras or take photos; instead, he uses materials accessible to anyone, such as free images from the Internet, 3D computer graphics, AI, and satellite images. Aikawa believes that advances in photographic technology and video have a significant effect on the behavior of those who use them, and he continues to examine this through his works using a variety of both old and new photographic techniques.
The video work "climb the matterhorn," created in 2021-22 in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic when physical travel and activities were severely limited, is a documentary video and series of photographs simulating the experience of climbing the Matterhorn in virtual space. Using actual satellite photos and altitude data, Aikawa constructs locations that physically exist on the world map with 3D computer graphics, which the artistʼs alter ego then virtually climbs. The work invites the viewer to follow along the artist's “bodily experience” in the virtual world, and to reflect upon the multilayered worlds that exist alongside each other in the interstice between data and CG, truth and fiction.
This exhibition will look back at Aikawaʼs previous works that explore the contrasting realms of reality and virtuality, such as his AI-generated photos and virtual spaces created from video games and satellite photos, and will also present "specimen," a new series of works created from UV-cured resin. The pieces are composed purely of shadows, referencing the idea that the shadow is the origin of photographic technique. In a time when the act of reproduction itself has almost completely lost any trace of remarkability and the birth of the internet and social media alongside the introduction of the smartphone has made it easy for anyone to readily reproduce images, Aikawa questions what possibilities may still lie within the realm of photographic art.
Schedule | Jan 13 (Sat) 2024-Feb 2 (Fri) 2024 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://n-project.art/exhibition/%e7%9b%b8%e5%b7%9d-%e5%8b%9d%e3%80%8cshapeshadeshadow%e3%80%8d/ | ||||
| Venue | N Project https://n-project.art/en/ | ||||
| Location | 2F, 5-8-8 Nishi-tenma, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 530-0047 | ||||
| Access | 5 minute walk from Osaka-temmangu Station on the JR Tozai line, 5 minute walk from exit 1 at Minamimorimachi Station on the Tanimachi and Sakaisuji subway lines. | ||||
| Phone | 06-6362-1038 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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