Exhibition/event has ended.
Yukino Yamanaka + Apollinaria Broche "Altergaze | 影像"
Con_
Finished
SHARE
Artists
Yukino Yamanaka, Apollinaria Broche
CON_ is pleased to present ‘Altergaze|影像’ a duo exhibition by Yukino Yamanaka and Apollinaria Broche. Featuring all new works by both artists, the exhibition will be on display from September 20th (Friday) to October 13th (Sunday), 2024, at CON_ .
Both Broche and Yamanaka see the cracks, shadows, fears, and emptiness where various gazes intersect. These represent the inconvenient contradictions, wounds, and blind spots in a historically constructed visual perception. Yet, what they both find within this is a sign of metamorphosis. They both make reference to the gazes of various beings that have negative connotations in various narratives—from mythology to subculture: fairies, yokai (spirits from Japanese folklore), dolls, selfies—and give them forms that are not confined to a single shape. This is made apparent through the act of capturing forms and traces of objects or actions that are constantly in flux, like the transformation from chrysalis to butterfly, a blur caused by a sudden turn, or the contours of a shadow. "Altergaze|影像," the omnipresence of the gaze, and what shifts between them is affirmed. Within this moment, the cracks become an exit point for the transition to the next body, and the shadows become blank spaces that mark new identities.
The title of the exhibition, written in both English and Japanese, refers to the interaction between these two artists, who come from differing cultures but share a sense of contemporaneity in their respective forms of expression and motifs, capturing the tangible and intangible, human and ghostly, history and presence.
Apollinaria Broche, who is of French and Russian origin, creates mixed-media sculptures that blend opposing concepts such as the personal and political, fragility and strength, fantasy and reality. Her imaginary sculptures, which include human-sized flowers and strange fairies, are composed of bronze and ceramic, providing the sculptures with a weighty presence that is simultaneously delicate and fragile quality, evidenced by the way they are prone to cracking and collapsing. Within this delicate balance, Broche summons and gives form to imaginary beings from mythology, art history, folklore, and Japanese subculture, transforming the contradictions and tensions of these dualities into entirely new possibilities. In this exhibition, she presents new works influenced by the gazes, shadows, and colors found in Yukino Yamanaka's portraits, research on Japanese yokai and natural environments, with ceramic and glazing techniques learned during her residency in Yamanashi, Japan.
Yukino Yamanaka captures beings that deviate from the self, depicting their non-human contours, shadows, and gestures. The figures emerging from her self-portraits and the dolls she has collected, seem to expose the contemporary ego seeking attention and validation. However, the blank portions of the canvas resemble areas of overexposure in a photograph, as evidenced in the hair, faces, and hands, the dripping paint, and brushstrokes that suggest a soft blurring and distortion, invite into reality a ghostly presence that cannot be defined by the personification of ‘self’. While depicting images related to the self, Yamanaka simultaneously suggests the form of a non-existent self or an as-yet-unperceived entity, akin to the overexposure of digital data that contains no information. In this exhibition, she presents new works that respond to the narratives, transformative possibilities, and ceramic textures present in Broche's sculptural works.
Both Broche and Yamanaka see the cracks, shadows, fears, and emptiness where various gazes intersect. These represent the inconvenient contradictions, wounds, and blind spots in a historically constructed visual perception. Yet, what they both find within this is a sign of metamorphosis. They both make reference to the gazes of various beings that have negative connotations in various narratives—from mythology to subculture: fairies, yokai (spirits from Japanese folklore), dolls, selfies—and give them forms that are not confined to a single shape. This is made apparent through the act of capturing forms and traces of objects or actions that are constantly in flux, like the transformation from chrysalis to butterfly, a blur caused by a sudden turn, or the contours of a shadow. "Altergaze|影像," the omnipresence of the gaze, and what shifts between them is affirmed. Within this moment, the cracks become an exit point for the transition to the next body, and the shadows become blank spaces that mark new identities.
The title of the exhibition, written in both English and Japanese, refers to the interaction between these two artists, who come from differing cultures but share a sense of contemporaneity in their respective forms of expression and motifs, capturing the tangible and intangible, human and ghostly, history and presence.
Apollinaria Broche, who is of French and Russian origin, creates mixed-media sculptures that blend opposing concepts such as the personal and political, fragility and strength, fantasy and reality. Her imaginary sculptures, which include human-sized flowers and strange fairies, are composed of bronze and ceramic, providing the sculptures with a weighty presence that is simultaneously delicate and fragile quality, evidenced by the way they are prone to cracking and collapsing. Within this delicate balance, Broche summons and gives form to imaginary beings from mythology, art history, folklore, and Japanese subculture, transforming the contradictions and tensions of these dualities into entirely new possibilities. In this exhibition, she presents new works influenced by the gazes, shadows, and colors found in Yukino Yamanaka's portraits, research on Japanese yokai and natural environments, with ceramic and glazing techniques learned during her residency in Yamanashi, Japan.
Yukino Yamanaka captures beings that deviate from the self, depicting their non-human contours, shadows, and gestures. The figures emerging from her self-portraits and the dolls she has collected, seem to expose the contemporary ego seeking attention and validation. However, the blank portions of the canvas resemble areas of overexposure in a photograph, as evidenced in the hair, faces, and hands, the dripping paint, and brushstrokes that suggest a soft blurring and distortion, invite into reality a ghostly presence that cannot be defined by the personification of ‘self’. While depicting images related to the self, Yamanaka simultaneously suggests the form of a non-existent self or an as-yet-unperceived entity, akin to the overexposure of digital data that contains no information. In this exhibition, she presents new works that respond to the narratives, transformative possibilities, and ceramic textures present in Broche's sculptural works.
Schedule | Sep 20 (Fri) 2024-Oct 13 (Sun) 2024 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Sep 20 (Fri) 2024 18:00 - 21:00 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Con_ https://www.contokyo.com/  | ||||
| Location | 4F Muraka Bldg., 2-2-14 Bakurocho, Nihombashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0002 | ||||
| Access | 3 minute walk from exit C4 at Bakurocho Station on the JR Sobu Main line, 4 minute walk from exit A2 at Asakusabashi Station on the Toei Asakusa line, 5 minute walk from the East exit of Asakusabashi Station on the JR Sobu line, 8 minute walk from exit A1 at Bakuroyokoyama Station on the Toei Shinjuku line. | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
Back to Articles
SHARE
No comments yet