19/3/2003
Shigeno Ichimura
Tower 49, New York
A series of nine monumental 84 x 66 in. canvas paintings has been created by the artist specifically for the tall open wall-space in the lobby of Tower 49, the distinctively designed midtown office building.
Tower 49 Project - “Moment†Series
on view at Tower 49 (partial view)
M.Y. Art Prospects is pleased to announce the Tower 49 Project, a new
installation by Shigeno Ichimura, a Japanese-born New York-based painter and
multimedia artist. A reception for the artist will be held on Thursday, March
20, 6-8pm in the lobby of Tower 49 located at 12 East 49th Street, Manhattan.
A series of nine monumental 84 x 66 in. canvas paintings has been created by the
artist specifically for the tall open wall-space in the lobby of Tower 49, the
distinctively designed midtown office building. Like tapestries in a church, the
featured paintings, executed in abstract style filled with earth-tone colors,
quietly illuminate this high-tech, high-energy reception area through which
3,000 office workers and visitors pass every day. Ichimura’s work is entitled
"Moment", as if suggesting that people stop for a moment of contemplation.
This artist has said that the "Moment" series was inspired by his fascination
with the complicated alchemy of “rusting.†After applying mineral pigments to
the canvas background, Ichimura brushes on a corrosive that causes a gradual
change of color and texture. Given the myriad possibilities of chance and
control, each monumental painting captures a distinctive moment created by the
interaction of material and time.
Shown mostly in non-profit spaces, Ichimura’s work has been selected and
installed by the management of Tower 49 as part of its public art project
promoting emerging artists. The 613-feet tall, 45-story tower was designed by
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the architect team best known for the Sears Tower
in Chicago. In the two decades since it was built, Tower 49 has been a vital
architectural counterpoint to the neighboring Rockefeller Center complex.
Born in 1963 in Japan, Shigeno Ichimura moved to New York City in 1989. During
his 8-year tenure as director of the Ise Cultural Foundation, he was an advocate
of New York’s Asian art community. At the same time, he was continuing to pursue
his own career as an artist. He has received many prestigious awards, including
a 2002 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, an Emerge 2000 Fellowship
from the Aljira Center for Contemporary Art, NJ, Honorable Mention in the Texas
National 2000 Art Competition, and 2nd prize at the Texas National '97.
M.Y. ART PROSPECTS, a New York-based contemporary art gallery established in
1998, promotes the international careers and reputations of emerging artists.
Our new location on 547 West 27th Street will open late March with a showing of
additional paintings from Shigeno Ichimura’s "Moment" series.
Shigeno Ichimura "Tower 49 Project"
Location: Lobby of Tower 49, 12 East 49th Street, bet. Fifth Ave. and Madison
Ave. Subway: B, D, F, V to Rockefeller Center
Hours: Wed.-Sat. 11-6 and by appointment
Location: 547 West 27th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10001
Bet. 10th and 11th Avenues (close to 11th)