“Spring Renewal” Exhibition
Onishi Gallery
This event has ended.
Onishi Project presents a group exhibition Spring Renewal that features five artists from various media. Although seemingly unrelated and diverse, the artists come together in their usage of the colorful hues of spring.
Jirō Sakai: Born in 1958, Sakai graduated from Tokyo Art University in 1983. He then started working for advertising giant, Dentsū Co. Ltd. in Tokyo. However his passion is art in the form of sculptures made in the Kanshitsu or dry lacquer technique, which originated in China and was adapted by Japan 1,400 years ago along with Buddhism. Sakai also uses gold leaf as a finish on his sculptures. Many of his sculptures represent the omnipresent Japanese good luck cat called Maneki Neko and Buddha.
Hideto Shinkawa: In his photo collages Shinkawa challenges the viewer to reflect on his pieces while incorporating his/her individual thoughts and knowledge of history. The women’s expressionless faces are depicted and made to look as if they are sleeping or dead. They are also gorgeous and ornately dressed. One senses serenity, energy, and life and death as he endeavors to depict the dignity and beauty of human beings, as well as the complex coexistence of opposing natural forces.
Sirenes: Sirenes has always been fascinated by the colors and color combinations found in every day life. She experiments with different techniques, by using various objects, such as trowels, brushes and brooms. Her spontaneity and creative methodology make each piece unique. Currently living and working in Bærums Verk, Norway, works by Sirenes have been exhibited in Oslo and internationally, in Italy, Spain, Canada and the United States.
Yasokichi Tokuda IV: Born in 1961, Tokuda succeeded her father Yasokichi Tokuda III after his death in 2009. She inherited the techniques and methods of the Tokuda family style of Kutani porcelain production, especially saiyū glazing whereby the arrangements and gradations of color play a central role in the ornamentation, rather than with the usual pictorial designs of birds, flowers, and figures seen in conventional Kutani wares. Her works are housed in public collections in the United States, including the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana.
Yukio Yoshita: Born into the Yoshita family of porcelain artists and as the son of Yoshita Minori, a Living National Treasure, Yukio Yoshita forged a style that echoes traditional Kutani over-glaze techniques of his native Kanazawa and his own aesthetic sensibilities. Yoshita applies pastel matte glazes to the white porcelain bodies of elegant vessels and also uses metallic gold over-glaze to highlight the designs. Yoshita’s works are housed in museums both in and outside of Japan, such as at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Kanazawa and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana.
Media
Schedule
from March 31, 2015 to April 11, 2015
Opening Reception on 2015-04-02 from 18:00 to 20:00
Artist(s)
Jirō Sakai, Hideto Shinkawa, Sirenes, Yasokichi Tokuda IV, Yukio Yoshita