KOSAKU KANECHIKA is pleased to present the group exhibition “5 ARTISTS”, on view from March 4, 2023 to April 1, 2023.
This group show features works by Yutaka Aoki, Takuro Kuwata, Noritaka Tatehana, fumiko imano, and Ruby Neri, whose solo exhibition the gallery plans to hold in May this year.

Yutaka Aoki uses acrylic paint to create abstract works with substantial impasto to study light and its organic, three-dimensional qualities. Aoki observes light as a multi-faceted element that grants information on the world and is also an indicator of the passage of time. His paintings oscillate between two- and three-dimensionality, and respond not only to materials and production processes, but also to specific elements in their environment, including the relationship with the audience’s gaze, the passage of time, and the conditions of the exhibition space. Light imbues his work with an intrinsic richness, providing a visual experience that awakens the natural human senses desensitized by our increasingly digital lives.

Takuro Kuwata has rapidly expanded the possibilities of ceramic art by creating works of an unparalleled nature that have been exhibited globally in Brussels, London, and New York. Kuwata’s contemporary visual language, which utilizes techniques of traditional Japanese pottery such as ‘kairagi’ and ‘ishihaze’ in a novel manner, has garnered international acclaim. Situated at the heart of Japanese ceramic artistry, Kuwata’s studio in the Mino region of Gifu retains history and techniques dating back to feudal Japan. Inheriting the traditional tea ceremony aesthetic of wabi-sabi, his works embrace imperfect beauty and natural forms that are celebrated in the preservation of a rustic, unrefined elegance. Through dialogue with the environment, history, nature, and time, Kuwata fuses together elements of tradition and modernity.

Noritaka Tatehana presents a never-before-seen perspective and worldview by combining elements of traditional Japanese culture with values of the contemporary world. His carefully honed artistry is elegantly expressed throughout his various mediums. Nurturing the sensitivities of a rich history, mythology, and innovation, Tatehana’s work brims with his potential and hopes for the future. The artist is renowned for his trademark works titled “Heel-less Shoes,” which are inspired by the elevated wooden clogs worn by traditional Japanese courtesans. These works have attracted global recognition since being worn by celebrities including Lady Gaga. To date, Tatehana’s work has been collected by institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

fumiko imano is highly acclaimed for her collaborations in fashion, including photography for LOEWE for eight seasons since 2018, and designing sneakers for VANS using her original artwork. Best known are her series of self-portraits taken with a 35mm camera with the images cut and pasted to create a twin-like motif. Encapsulating an innocently nostalgic and humorous charm that is reminiscent of photographs that might have been taken during a family trip, imano’s self-portraits elicit an instinctive smile from their viewers. In sharp contrast, the distinct lines cut by scissors and joined together attest to the reality of their fictitious nature. Intentionally created by hand in the current digital age, imano’s playful photomontages provide a penetrative insight into the machinations of identity and employ an unconventional visual language to convey new stories.

Based in Los Angeles, Ruby Neri draws upon the rich histories and lived experiences of various northern Californian art communities in her work. Depicting a characteristic female typology, the artist’s influences include ancient sculpture, folk art, the Bay Area Figurative Movement, street art, and comic culture. Stemming from a lineage of such qualities, Neri’s female figures brim with an enthralling vitality and human emotions such as joy, fear, and ambivalence. Transferring mark making techniques reminiscent of a graffiti tag onto her sculptures, hues and tonalities intertwine to form the robust energy of each work.

Presented in this exhibition will be a sculpture by Takuro Kuwata that is derived from the traditional Japanese tea bowl, a painting from the “Descending Painting” series by Noritaka Tatehana, as well as a selection of photo montage works by fumiko imano featuring her autoportrait twin motifs taken in various places around the world.
We are also delighted to introduce three works by Yutaka Aoki, including paintings created last year and presented for the first time, in addition to Ruby Neri’s pastel work on paper. At this time, we cordially invite you to attend “5 ARTISTS” at KOSAKU KANECHIKA.