KOSAKU KANECHIKA is pleased to present the exhibition “drawings: 5 artists” at the Tennoz gallery from February 21st to April 11th, 2026. This show features five artists from Japan and abroad, focusing on works on paper that provide intimate insights into each artist’s practice.

We are pleased to introduce for the first time works by TARWUK, an artist duo consisting of Bruno Pogačnik Tremow and Ivana Vukšić. Rather than positioning themselves as individuals, they conceive of themselves as a single entity, defining TARWUK as one unified subject—a “condition” in itself. Both were born in the former Yugoslavia, in Croatia, and grew up directly experiencing the instability brought about by the collapse of the socialist system, the transition to post-socialism, and the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s. These experiences form the foundation of TARWUK’s persistent exploration of selfhood, as well as recurring themes of fragmentation, transformation, and layered temporality in their practice. Their drawings, which intuitively capture fantasies born out of despair and anxiety through spontaneous lines and forms, present an inner world shaped within conditions of social tension.

For Ataru Sato, drawing and painting are tools to chronicle and interpret the complexity of human life around him, exploring personal themes in strikingly honest and at times provocative imagery. 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 refuses to shy away from fantasies, shame, loneliness, pain, or indulgences, matters that are typically considered indecent or immoral but are nonetheless integral aspects of the psyche. He opens a direct portal into a psychological investigation of his lived experience.

Ryu Takeda’s paintings evoke the imagery of accidental stains or scars. He remarks that the memories and characteristics of the rural forests from his childhood are expressed not only through his sight, but through sound, smell and touch. Takeda, who often compares the act of painting to an excavation, paints as if to unearth the unconscious realm that has been lost through verbalization and classification.

Tenki Hiramatsu’s paintings begin without specific motifs, and figures subsequently emerge from applying and reworking oil paint over weeks or months, rotating the work in 90° increments. Figures materialize from the depths of initially unrelated backgrounds and traces of brushstrokes, as abstract compositions and colors respond to one another. Hiramatsu describes his creative process as an exploration of existence without purpose.

Depicting powerful women with muscular physiques, Ana Benaroya’s work subverts traditional representations of the female figure. She communicates female perspectives, desires, and queer sensibilities, drawn and painted with a vibrant, graphic style influenced by comics and cartoons. Distorted bodies and exaggerated muscles exude strength, idiosyncrasy, and a bold allure, which, together with glimpses of tenderness and coy playfulness, redefine femininity.

This group show presents drawings by TARWUK that explore identity, memory, coincidence, and performance, including works developed over the course of a decade. It also exhibits new works on paper by Ataru Sato, as well as drawings by Ryu Takeda that demonstrate his broad investigation of form. Also presented are works in silverpoint by Tenki Hiramatsu that are being shown for the first time, and drawings by Ana Benaroya, which the artist considers equally as important as her paintings, and which reveal the influence of illustration and comic books in her work. In all, “drawings: 5 artists” consists of approximately thirty works by these five artists.