The works of machumaYu unfold in her own fantastical style, which she calls “Bright Darkness.” By illuminating the unstable or ambiguous spaces that lie deep within the human heart, she has become a filter through which the unconscious can present itself within the universe of her creations. This exhibition is your chance to taste a drop of her imagination distilled.
Death and Life: The Cycle
2022
91×72.7cm
Oil on canvas
【An Allegory of the Vitality and Transience of Life】
The Latin phrase “memento mori,” which means “remember you will die”, has been passed down within Western culture since ancient times. The phrase is meant to remind people of the inevitability of death and to inspire them to ponder how they will carry out their life with that knowledge in mind.
At some point in my own life, this idea become a core part of my being and I have ceased viewing the world with a human-centric point of view. On the contrary, I believe that painting allows me to focus on all of Earth’s life, including vegetation.
Here on planet Earth, there is a constant repetition of lives being born and lives coming to an end. This state exists by chance and is not a given. Nor, perhaps, will it last forever. Even so, for the time being, we can sense the power of life all around us.
This painting is an “allegory of the vitality and transience of life.”
The cloths which seem to whirl across the canvas represent vitality. Around each of these three cloths, living beings of similar color interact and the painting attempts to evoke the resulting combinations of reflected colors.
To maintain their individuality, living beings must clearly define the contours of their spirit, but just as landscapes include the convergence of reflected colors, the piece shows that lifeforms also take on new colors due to the influence of others. Is that too not a form of beauty?
It is perhaps important to view both paintings and life itself from a distance.
However, in peeking at the world in my paintings, I hope you will take notice of the smaller presences which exist there too.
27/05/2022(fri) - 07/06/2022(tue)
11:00-17:00※ Open by appointment only on Saturday, June 4, 2022.
※ Closed on Sundays and holidays.
Please note that:
1. Customers are served in order of arrival.
2. We accept orders only from those who come visit the gallery on the first day of the exhibition.
*Only the work being showed in this webpage will be showcased in the exhibition.
*Please wait in front of the gallery entrance on the ground floor if you arrive before opening time.
Please contact us from here for appointment and any further enquiries.