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[Image: "Recorded Every Single Day" (1986) Torinoko paper with pigment ink pen and colored pencil 213.5×153cm ©Yoshio Kitayama Courtesy of MEM, Tokyo]

Yoshio Kitayama Exhibition

MEM

Finished

Artists

Yoshio Kitayama

Yoshio Kitayama has been passionate about drawing since childhood, pursuing painting as a self-taught artist. However, as he grew older, the vibrant and free lines he once drew became lost, leading him to temporarily abandon painting. By the late 1970s, Kitayama began creating relief works on wooden panels, using twigs, bamboo, wire, and thread instead of drawn lines. Eventually, these lines, initially integrated into the panels, were released into space, evolving into three-dimensional works made of bamboo and washi paper. Kitayama describes his three-dimensional works as embodying "how humans acquire the world and create their own world, shaping the dynamic yet undifferentiated world of a young child into artistic potential." He saw the selection, combination, and connection of materials as a sensory act of capturing forms, addressing "the vast world of the unconscious."

In 1982, Kitayama exhibited large-scale three-dimensional works at the Japan Pavilion at the 40th Venice Biennale, and in the same year, he resumed painting. He considered painting to be "a very conscious world," and initially, he could only draw small images on large blank canvases. These empty spaces represented his challenging relationship with himself and the entirety of art history, while the small images reflected his hesitant feeling of "this is all I can say." This marked the beginning of two series: "Idol Figures," depicting human-shaped clay sculptures transferred to flat surfaces, and "Cosmos Figures," featuring all-over abstract paintings.

Kitayama's work spans beyond sculptures and paintings, extending into installations that incorporate fossils, antiques, old newspapers, books, dolls, and other elements alongside his artworks. This exhibition traces the evolution of Kitayama's practice across three methods: painting, sculpture, and installation, including his latest works.

[Event]
Talk Event
Date: Tuesday, June 25, 18:30–20:00
Speakers: Toshiaki Minemura (art critic), Kosai Hori (artist), Yoshio Kitayama
Venue: MEM
Participation Fee: 1200 yen
Capacity: 20 people, reservation required
*For event details and registration, please check the official website.

Schedule

Jun 25 (Tue) 2024-Jul 15 (Mon) 2024