KOSAKU KANECHIKA is pleased to present Tenki Hiramatsu’s solo exhibition “Sweat and Tears” at its Tennoz and Kyobashi galleries from April 25 to June 6, 2026.
 
Hiramatsu begins painting without predetermined motifs. His work is defined by a process in which he identifies the point of convergence of chance and necessity that emerges from abstract backgrounds that may appear entirely unrelated, or from chaotic compositions born of improvisational brushwork and layered color. Traversing freely across personal memories, experiences, imagination, and art-historical references, he subsequently discerns and uncovers concrete motifs—such as human figures—within his evolving visual landscapes.
By employing oil paint, acrylic, and wax in layered applications, he imbues the canvas with a distinctive depth and complex texture that could not be achieved using a single medium alone. The resulting multilayered surface serves as a nexus where the artist’s inner judgment intersects with serendipitous occurrences, allowing images to gradually emerge from an exchange of resonating colors and textures.
 
While Hiramatsu views the process of creation as a continuous series of decisions, he also describes the path forward as “obscure and shrouded in mist,” leaving him with no choice but to grope in the dark at every step. His current creative approach, which is characterized by the autonomous accumulation of decisions amidst uncertain circumstances, was shaped by the encouragement he received from his mother during his childhood to “do what should be done.”
This attitude is also reflected in Hiramatsu’s treatment of motifs. Even if he succeeds in painting a flower just as he envisioned, this does not signify the completion of the work. On the contrary, his paintings often emerge from a dynamic negotiation between intention and chance. In many instances, “something entirely unexpected happens by accident while I paint, and before I know it, the picture is complete.”
 
Even while acknowledging the difficulty of gauging his daily progress in the moment, Hiramatsu realizes that at a certain point, the work reaches a threshold of completion. At the end of the day, after the work lights are turned off and he gazes absently at a painting, the work he had been struggling with suddenly begins to reveal a different side, and the next step becomes clear on its own. When he is able to reluctantly let go of the freedom that is inherent in working on an incomplete piece, step back from his own self-consciousness, and confront the work as a detached observer, perceived failures are sometimes affirmed in unexpected ways, allowing the painting to crystallize into its inevitable form.
 
For Hiramatsu, rather than serving as preparatory sketching, drawing itself constitutes a form of expression that stands on its own, established by the presence of the very lines themselves. Conversely, in his paintings, accumulated materials emerge as distinct layers, simultaneously embodying both improvisation and the passage of time. The exhibition explores these different dimensions of Hiramatsu’s practice through a multifaceted presentation.
 
The title of this solo exhibition, “Sweat and Tears,” was chosen to reflect an urgent draw towards the intensity imbued by a sense of physical immediacy. What form will Hiramatsu’s decisions―made with quiet determination despite the intensity of the moment―and the traces they leave behind take as this dialogue comes to a close? The exhibition presents Hiramatsu’s current creative endeavors at both gallery spaces.

The Tennoz space presents approximately 10 works on paper, while the Kyobashi venue features approximately 10 works, focused primarily on paintings.

Tenki Hiramatsu

Tenki Hiramatsu was born in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan in 1986, and is currently based in Berlin. He studied painting at the Nihon University College of Arts, and later at the Staatliche Kunstakademie Karlsruhe. Hiramatsu’s major solo exhibitions include “Never Again” (Kunstverein Rastatt, Rastatt, 2019), “Unendliche Zigarettenpause” (Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, 2023), “Breather” (Sebastian Gladstone, Los Angeles, 2024) and “Slow Living” (Half Gallery, New York, 2024). His work was also featured in group exhibitions such as “Regionale 18 OOO Object Oriented Ontology” (Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, 2017), “Alte Freunde, neue Freunde” (Claas Reiss, London, 2021), and “Splendore – joie, joie, joie…” (Fondation Fernet Branca, Saint-Louis, 2024). Hiramatsu’s work has been acquired by UBS Art Collection and Zurich Insurance, among others. This exhibition is his first show at KOSAKU KANECHIKA.