NYAB Event - Akira Horikawa "1000 Drawing Project"

Akira Horikawa "1000 Drawing Project"

Gavin Brown's Enterprise

This event has ended.

I first met Akira last year when he applied for a job to help me with a painting project. In his application, he included very exact, expert life drawings and a link to a Tumblr account. I hired him without getting to the Tumblr account, as the life drawings showed that he was amply qualified for the job.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I watched as he quietly worked, painting with remarkable precision and focus. One day after work, curious to figure out who this person was that I was working beside (I’m on the quiet side myself), I went into my laptop to look back at his job application. I discovered the link that I had previously overlooked to the Tumblr account, which contained images from the 1000 Drawing Project. I was immediately taken aback by what I saw, which bore no relation to the academic life drawings. Instead, I encountered a surreal, sometimes sinister, psychosexual mindscape, depicted with honesty, humor and style. It was a true revelation. Like a private eye, I paged through the images with intense curiosity, exploring the mystery of Akira’s mind.

I now invite you to do the same.

Jonathan Horowitz

In pocket-sized sketchbooks, I draw and reinterpret images that come into my mind based on happenings, dreams, and emotions. Through this activity, I try to re-evaluate my thoughts, values and life experiences, and welcome the absurdity that lies therein. I began this project in 2007 and I have made 969 drawings up to this point. I will continue adding during the show.

Akira Horikawa