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The meaning of the word "prime" is "the origin" or "a state in which something is at its most splendid." Art is essentially something that is 'artistically' expressed through a visible object. And, the universal values of 'color' and 'form' that form the visual components of this object and which we are all familiar with, also play a large role in order for art to function as a communicator.
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| Simple and primal forms of expression. |
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While the boundaries of expression in contemporary art continue to expand, there is a tendency for an increasing radicalization and characterization in the themes and content of the work that is being produced. In particular, since around the end of the nineties, we have seen the emergence of a new type of conceptual art. Sub-cultural aspects which are strongly reflective of a 'virtual' perception as represented by animation and computer games, or an element of 'play' and humor have been incorporated into these works, and this new breed of conceptual art is increasingly at the forefront of contemporary art today. Meanwhile, there is also a tendency in which formative elements such as color and form, long regarded as the primal elements of art, are seen less frequently in individual works. And, at the same time, there is an increase in works of a deeply personal nature, the source of which is the artist's own sensibilities, while art as a form of communication is also emerging as an issue.
However, in recent years, not only viewers but artists are moving slightly away from these complex concepts and from the pursuit of unconventional ideas, instead returning to the primal state of art, and there is a new tendency in art, an emerging awareness of a need to experience the entertaining and interesting aspect of contemporary art that is based on natural perceptions, by drawing on the universal elements of color and form that we are all familiar with.
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"Prime: Reflection of Form and Color" which will be held at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery is an opportunity for visitors to view the work of six Japanese artists who are continuing to explore new possibilities in artistic expression while utilizing the media of 'painting' and 'sculpture' that have been cultivated over the long history of art. Although the six artists use completely different methods of expression, all have continued to show an interest in formative issues such as 'color', 'form', 'size' and 'proportion', and at the same time, have continued to create works which are outstanding in their ability to reflect the sensibilities of the times.
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DOMOTO Yuumi (Born 1960)
Painting: 6 oil paintings (Gallery 1)
Born in Paris. After studying at Tama University of Fine Art, Domoto graduated from Cooper Union Fine Art College in New York. Domoto paints dynamic abstract paintings, covering the entire canvas in large brush strokes. The colors that she uses are vivid and yet reveal a sensitivity of expression that develops so dramatically on the canvas that there is almost a sense of a story emerging from the painting. This powerful expression and creativity has made Domoto one of the most important abstract artists today. There are seven large works by Domoto in this exhibition, including the three works from the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery's Terada Collection.
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"Back"
oil in canvas
229.0*178.0cm
1998
photo by SAITO Arata |
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MATSUI Shiro (Born 1960)
Three-dimensional Work: Installation (Gallery 1)
Born in Nara Prefecture. Completed post-graduate studies in sculpture at the Kyoto City University of Fine Art. Matsui has held many solo and group exhibitions both in Japan and Germany since 1983. There is a humorous aspect to his works, based on a pure and simple form that eases any tension on the part of the viewer. He continues to be concerned with the elements related to space, such as the relationship between the internal and the external, and what is on the surface and what is behind. At the same time, there is an incisive criticism in his work that draws the viewer into the space by transforming that space. With the advent of the nineties, Matsui began to create flexible installation-like work using silicon rubber that has been produced in primary colors such as red, yellow and blue. Matsui's exhibit in this show is an enormous work of silicon rubber that resembles a curtain and which hangs down to the floor from a six meter high ceiling. An installation that has been created within the context of the space at the gallery will also be on shown.
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"Round Rectangle"
silicone rubber on canvas
330.0*320.0*600.0cm
1998
ohoto by NARITA Hiromu |
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MAJIMA Hidenori (Born 1960)
Painting: Nihonga [Japanese style painting] (Gallery 1)
Born in Ibaragi Prefecture. Completed Master of Arts in Fine Arts at the Tokyo University of Fine Art. Majima specialized in Nihonga at University. Through the extremely physical method of using pigments, a feature of Nihonga, Majima introduces reciprocal elements such as the relationships between image and the abstract, between space and illusion and between intention and coincidence into his art, but negates these elements, inherent to painting, by not engaging in them. Majima drips powdered marble onto a canvas that has been covered in water to create a painting without the use of brushes, relying only on the action of the water, and the result is a work that can be described as both image-based and abstract. A total of eight works by Majima will be shown during this exhibition, including six paintings in circular frames that are rarely seen in Nihonga.
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"Untitled No.3"
Linen paper, water, Indian ink, acrylic, glue, and pigment on panel
ƒÓ130.0cm
1996
photo by UCHIDA Yoshitaka |
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KONDO Masakatsu (Born 1962)
Painting: Acrylics (Gallery 2)
Born in Nagoya. After attending the Chelsea College of Art (London), Kondo studied at the Slade School of Fine Art (London), and has since continued to live in London. From around the mid-nineties, Kondo began producing images of snow-covered mountains. Kondo's images of mountains differ slightly from the actual shape of the mountain, as Kondo, in order to accentuate the symbolic form of the mountain, depicts his subject either by stretching or enlarging the image of the mountain. There is a strange sense of presence in these paintings in which the subject has been manipulated in such an unusual way. This is because, although the magnificence of the severity of nature has been maintained, the reality of the actual form has been eliminated. Kondo's work appears almost to be a symbol of contemporary society, which has been eroded by the 'virtual' world. This Exhibition includes two of Kondo's works from his mountain series as well as two new works that depict forests with a use of accentuated colors, pointing to a new direction in the artist's work.
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"Mountain H"
acrylic on canvas
206.0*255.0cm
1998
photot by Koji Ogura Gallery |
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MAEDA Noriaki (Born 1961)
Three-dimensional Work: Sculpture (Gallery 2)
Born in Tokyo. Completed a Master of Arts from the Tokyo University of Fine Art, and has continued to live in London since completing studies at the Royal College of Art. Maeda began producing steel sculptures based on a mythological theme from around the end of the eighties. The overwhelming sense of presence of Maeda's works, due to their enormous sense of volume, began to attract attention during this period. From the beginning of the nineties, Maeda began to gradually move towards an abstract form. At the same time, the open relationship between his work and the space surrounding it became an important element of his work. This tendency can be seen increasingly in recent years, and Maeda, while maintaining the sense of volume of his work, continues to search for a visually harmonious relationship with the environment by using metallic mesh and transparent materials. A massive, wall-like, 3-meter-high and 9-meter-long work of copper plate and resin will be on display in this Exhibition.
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"Untitled 99-c"
acrylic, stainless steel mesh
300.0*210.0*90.0cm
1999
photo by Jonty Wilde |
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OSHIE Chieko (Born 1969)
Painting: Oils (Gallery 2)
Born in Osaka. Completed post-graduate studies in Fine Art at the Kyoto City University of Fine Art. Oshie produces works that depict plants, such as "Yamagobou (Pokeweed)" that can often be seen in the hills in the outskirts of towns that are undergoing urbanization, and she depicts these plants through the process of carefully rubbing oil pastel into the canvas. Oshie focuses on these familiar grasses and plants from which one can feel a definite sense of existence, and transfers, onto canvas, the life force of nature as it changes color and appearance to reflect seasonal changes. These paintings, in which the microcosmic workings of nature are developed on the canvas through the use of the delicate and yet bright colors of oil pastels, are always cheerful and never introverted. There are eight works in oil by Oshie in this Exhibition that includes two new works.
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"Kusaikire"
oil, oil pastel on canvas
112.0*436.5cm
1998
photo by UCHIDA Yoshitaka
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Dates: Saturday 27 May, 2000 - Thursday 20 July, 2000
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 20:00 (to 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, entry up to 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (Tuesday if the Monday is a public holiday), year-end/new year, General closing days (twice a year)
Admission: Ordinary:700 yen (600 yen), College and high school students: 600 yen (500yen), Junior high and elementary school students: 500 yen (400 yen), Children below school age: free
*Admission includes entrance for Terada Gallery
*Amounts in brackets ( ) are rates for groups 15 or more.
Organizered by the Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation and Asahi Shimbun
Sponsored by Nippon Life Insurance Company / NTT Urban Development Co. /Odakyu Electric Railway Co.,Ltd.
For further information: Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery Tel. +81-3-5353-0756
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