Exhibitions

This exhibition will present a large, 162.1×130.3 cm work on canvas by machumaYu, an artist with passionate fans around the globe. We too are excited to see how she captures the depth of her dense artistic universe on a larger scale. In addition, we will also present a contemporary version of Adam and Eve created by Kengo Takashi, a contemporary artist who has experienced renewed attention since one of his pieces sold for high value last year at Sotheby’s New York.

machumaYu
The ‘fantastic’ artworks of the 15th century painter Hieronymus Bosch were composed to evoke the religious guilt of humans, but the overwhelming power of his imagination influenced Salvador Dali and the surrealists, who in turn brought the human unconscious to the foreground, creating a wholly new form of painterly expression.
Such eccentric, visionary images exist for the viewer not as representations of mere ‘objects’ but as ‘icons’ to be interpreted.

In the manner in which they present eccentric visions of the contemporary unconscious, the artworks of machumaYu are similar to these forerunners, but they also compose their own unique universe, referred to by the artist as akarui kurayami (bright darkness). By casting a faint light on the absurdities of contemporary society, the artist is perhaps calling our attention to the beauty that lies beneath the darkness.

Works at AFT2021 will focus on the theme of Genesis/Creation, presenting a unique mythology for biological worlds otherwise born from the balance of coincidental circumstances.

 

Kengo Takahashi
With death and rebirth as its conceptual basis, Kengo Takahashi’s practice involves the use of powerful thermal energy and ultra-thin precision casting techniques. He has defined the act of giving new shape to deceased lifeforms and placement of them into different vessels as a “transfer of life”, resulting in works that visualize the being’s essence and resonate beyond borders and ethnicity.

The pieces in this exhibit mark a turning point in Takahashi’s “Second Forbiddance” series. Building on the Old Testament story of Adam and Eve as a motif, the artist has used forget-me-nots, the flower of true love, to compose the skulls of a modern man and woman, along with the forbidden fruit eaten by the biblical pair, The results symbolize the feelings of love held by one being for another and the artist hopes they will express to viewers the potential for warmth in the real world.

19/03/2021(fri) -  21/03/2021(sun)

Opening Dates/
12pm - 7pm Friday, March 19, 2021
12pm - 7pm, Saturday, March 20, 2021
12pm - 4pm, Sunday, March 21, 2021

Venue/
Tokyo International Forum, Hall E / Lobby Gallery, 3-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
SEIZAN Gallery Booth: G83