calendario eventi  :: 

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11/1/2008

Two exhibitions

Tomio Koyama, Tokyo

'In These Days' Naoki Koide

Naoki Koide uses deformed sculptures to express himself and the people he associates with. Using a file on fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), he forms pastel shapes that extend in all directions. At first glance, they resemble figures that may be encountered at amusement parks or outside franchise restaurants, bakeries, and drug stores in Japan, however, the hidden smiles and fathomless expressions go beyond the world as we know it to create a character that is far removed from the realm of the normal and everyday.
Koide's works harbor a hint of friendliness that lurks somewhere within the eerie forms, which are occasionally depicted as a small hippopotamus, salamander, frog, or cat. "Marriage", Koide's previous exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery featured figures that were dressed as a bride and groom; to commemorate their union, a traditional wedding portrait of the couple at the wedding chapel was taken.

Koide's atelier, and even the roof, is filled with statues that stand like mysterious guardian statues, which are typically found at shrines. The interpretation of human turned cumulonimbus cloud reflects Koide's views and mixing of imagination and reality to expose an unfathomable world.

"In These Days" is the follow up to "marriage". Picnic with Undead, the main feature, measures nearly three meters tall. Resembling a cloud castle, it displays a place that is neither in the world of the living nor the dead where one can meet family from the world of the living and from the world of the dead. Inside the smiling cloud's body is an everyday scene that could be occupied by playing children. The exhibition is scheduled to include Picnic with Undead, the couple after "marriage" and the cloud figure as well as photographs of works. Naoki Koide was born in Aichi prefecture in 1968. He graduated from Tokyo Zokei University in 1992 and is presently based in Tokyo.

After participating in "Magic Room" (curated by Satoshi Okada) in 2003 at Tomio Koyama Galley, he followed that appearance with the solo exhibitions "A Couple in the Bathroom"(2004) and "marriage" (2006). Other major exhibitions have included "Café in Mito" (2004, Art Tower Mito, Tochigi), "Magical Art Life" (2006, Tokyo Wondersight, Shibuya), and "Fiction@Love" (Shanghai Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai).

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RIEKO OTAKE
"Tori-Tori"

Rieko Otake fashions sculptures from camphor wood and leaves them unpainted.
"Yumemushi", her series of works that is reminiscent of Buddhist statues, features girls with delicate features in various poses. “I'm interested in the obscure and abnormal, the things that are not normal” Otake said. Although they are based on human form, I endeavor to craft figures that will surpass individual personality and leave the permanence of humanity behind. Despite their delicate appearance, Otake's works harbor a strength that sincerely reflects her passion for sculpture as a form of expression.

"Tori Tori" is a play on words; in Japanese, it evokes images of birds that have just taken flight and opens the door to Otake's free world. With wings spread wide, the birds barely conceal the figures crouching on top. This exhibition is scheduled to include 6~7 works.

Rieko Otake was born in 1978 in Kanagawa prefecture.
She graduated from the Sculpture Department of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 2002 and received her Master's in 2002. She recently completed her PhD in 2007.

Her accomplishments over the years have included the Sugawara Prize in 2002 and nomination for the The 9th Taro Okamoto Memorial Award for Contemporary Art in 2005. Her works, along with those by Motohiko Odani and Koji Tanada, among others, were exhibited at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 2007 at the exhibition "Sculpture from Stories." This marks her first exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery.

Image: Naoki Koide

Opening reception Jan 12.sat 6:00 - 8:00pm

Tomio Koyama
1-3-2-7F, Kiyosumi, Koto-ku - Tokyo

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