Natsumi Kofude’s works use the human-made products we encounter in our daily lives to explore the vague outlines of perception and awareness. Every “human-made” object is output that “someone” generated by passing a motif through an existing filter. Expanding upon that concept, Kofude’s artworks are generated by passing those filtered motifs through her own additional filter. By the time the motif passes through the final filter, the viewer, the object that is perceived is far different from what it was originally based on. In this way, Kofude’s work brings to the fore the indefinite and multifaceted properties that permeate our everyday landscape.
Stone Teddy Black & White
2025
h41×w31.8 cm + h41×w31.8 cm
Oil on canvas
A human-made “figure” is one that has already passed through “someone’s” gaze. By painting those figures, I add the additional layer of a second gaze. Finally, when the painting is viewed by another “someone”, a third individual gaze manifests itself.
In recent years, I have moved away from painting humans and have instead looked to mass-produced animal “figures” for my motifs. These “figures” slip easily through the framework of “lookism” and appear differently to each viewer. Without words or movement, their mere presence confronts viewers with questions that echo gently within them.
The polar bear “figure” I painted on this occasion is based on GUMI BEAR stone flavor, a piece created by my friend Takuya Yotsumoto. Though gummy bears are usually mass produced, this one is made of stone. The contradiction of an object that is meant to be eaten but is, in fact, inedible challenges the viewer’s gaze in ways that resonate with my own work. It is for that reason that I used it as a motif.
The resulting piece will appear white or black depending on the background color or light in which it is seen, but it is actually a single work. In addition, the gummy bear made of stone was given the name “Teddy”, a choice which may conjure images of a fluffy teddy bear in some viewers. Perhaps the bears too have internalized the name and also think of themselves as teddy bears.
Just as the “self” a person perceives when observing their own image and the “self” that is perceived by others may differ, there are many things in our daily life that can’t be judged or may appear differently when only seen from one perspective. Furthermore, the perspectives that feel natural to us are not generated from within, but are instead shaped by history and society. That which should have been soft, should have been edible, should have been at peace, or should have been valued…
Surely these bears too, when isolated from our own gaze, manifest with as many different contours as there are different people whose gaze takes them in.
12/12/2025(fri) - 25/12/2025(thu)
11:00-17:00※ Open by appointment only on Saturdays.
※ Closed on Sundays and holidays.
Please contact us from here for appointment and any further enquiries.