KOSAKU KANECHIKA is pleased to present a group exhibition of works by the gallery artists from January 20th, 2018.

Since it opened at TERRADA Art Complex, Tokyo’s new center for art and culture, in March 2017, KOSAKU KANECHIKA has introduced artists who not only engage sincerely with existing media, but whose broad outlooks also effortlessly transcend the boundaries of those media.

Yutaka Aoki expands the scope of painting through an examination of the relationship between painting and the surrounding world, and of the many possibilities that are born from that exchange. Employing multiple techniques, Aoki’s gaze is always on the study of light and its three-dimensional quality. Supplemented by transformations engendered by specific elements in the environment, including the passage of time, the presence of an audience, and the nature of the exhibition space, light imbues his work with an organic richness, providing a visual experience that awakens the natural human senses desensitized by our increasingly digital lives.

Masaho Anotani combines various media such as drawing, collage and spray painting and depicts instinct, sensation, observation, doubts, and impulses sometimes in direct ways and sometimes in surreal ways. His work has also attracted attention from the fields of fashion and design, and he has presented many collaborations with fashion brands such as COMME des GARCONS and ZUCCa. In 2016 his work was featured in STEIDL – WERK No. 23: MASAHO ANOTANI “DEFORMED”, created by a celebrated Singaporean designer Theseus Chan and a publisher STEIDL.

Junko Oki engraves stories of life onto textiles, with each stitch placed meticulously by hand. Without the guide of an underdrawing, she creates unique motifs and patterns by freehand stitching and by rejecting the structured tradition of embroidery. Although her works display seemingly rudimentary techniques, the artist’s instinctive approach awakens a visceral reaction in viewers. Through her unique embroidery and careful attention, Junko Oki breathes new life into aged textiles, frames, and other objects. These objects, with years of stories already embedded into them, are revived by Oki’s hand through a series of attentive stitches. They include everything that came into being, and chronologies that once existed but are now gone. At the core of Oki’s creative process is a discovery of new horizons through layered impressions of time.

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.

Ataru Sato attempts to understand himself, humanity, and the world around him through the act of drawing or painting. Expressing themes such as obsession, fear, and romance through fine – perhaps excessively fine – pencil lines and distinctive brushwork, Sato emphasizes that his works are created for himself. He sees art as being created by people who are alive to express their lived experiences and has no aspiration to create art for art’s sake, art that is novel, or art that seeks to be meaningful. Sato’s images continually propagate, driven by his need to comprehend the indiscernible aspects of life.Born from a core of personal questions, his work is characterized by a powerful energy that penetrates deeply, leaving a lasting impression on its viewers.

Noritaka Tatehana presents a redesigned worldview by combining elements of traditional Japanese culture with those of the contemporary era. His carefully honed artistry is elegantly expressed through various media, and his creations, which nurture the sensitivities of Japanese history, tradition, and innovation, burst with endless possibilities for the future. Gaining the attention of audiences all over the globe, Tatehana is known for his ‘Heel-less Shoes’ series inspired by ‘takageta’— elevated wooden clogs worn by traditional Japanese courtesans. The artist’s works have been acquired by internationally acclaimed institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

The first exhibition of 2018 features works by these six artists. Masaho Anotani, Junko Oki, and Noritaka Tatehana will also hold solo exhibitions at the gallery in 2018.