[Image: Yusuke Asai "Abundant Song of Antero Bipnen" (2017) Soil, acrylic resin, acrylic, colored pencil, pencil on canvas, H146 × W112cm Photo by Fuyumi Murata]
The word "matter" in the title of this exhibition has many translations. It can mean substance, affair, issue, important, and in the plural form, situation, and circumstances. Its origin comes from the Latin "materia," which corresponds to the Greek "hylē" (the former term in Aristotle's philosophy of "substance-form"). Furthermore, "materia" itself is derived from the Greek "mētēr" and the Latin "mater," meaning "mother," suggesting that "matter" is not just a substance but a place where something is born.
This exhibition is constructed around the keyword "matter." It explores how artists engage with "matter" (substance, affairs, issues, etc.) and how "matter" (artwork) exists, and what "matter" (situations, circumstances, etc.) they become.
The exhibition starts with works by Yusuke Asai (b.1981~). Asai continues to create drawings freely using everyday materials such as soil, water, dust, flour, tape, and pens, responding flexibly to the locations and environments where his works are received, from small drawings to all-over works covering rooms and large murals.
Machiko Ogawa (b.1946~) was fascinated by the beauty of minerals during her study abroad in Paris. Under the idea that "forms already exist," she creates works that embody the duality of creating and breaking, utilizing the qualities of distortion, cracks, chips, and twists of glaze.
Akiko Kinugawa (b.1986~) believes that behind all life forms constituting the world lies an infinitely equal realm. Using a technique of repeatedly layering thinly applied oil paints, her works depict the image of life that slowly emerges and continues to change.
Yoshiaki Kaihatsu (b.1966~) is an artist whose expression methods range from painting, photography, video to installation. In each case, he focuses sharply on the times and society, prompting viewers to engage in spontaneous reflection.
Tadasu Takamine (b.1968~) keenly observes the established concepts of contemporary society and issues that many people blindly accept, visualizing them with witty compositions and expressions using the body, challenging viewers with questions.
Tadasu Yamamoto (b.1950~) has been photographing water as the main subject, exploring the substance called "photography" and encountering light.
Noe Aoki (b.1958~), who continues to create using iron as the main material, brings rich changes to space, overturning the concept of sculpture as a mass.
Takuro Tamayama (b.1990~) alienates space most minimally or emphasizes the principles of nature by emphasizing the sensation and perception of viewers.
Muneteru Ujino (b.1964~) has been researching the "material world" in the mass production and consumption society since the 20th century. However, in his work "Lives in Japan" exhibited in this exhibition, the artwork installation is replaced with "information" in the form of video. It is the first installation to examine the modernity of "material matter," where material heads towards illusion.
9 minute walk from exit B at Tennozu Isle Station on the Rinkai line, 10 minute walk from the South exit of Tennozu Isle Station on the Tokyo Monorail line, 9 minute walk from the North exit of Shimbamba Station on the Keikyu line.
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