Exhibition 開催中の展覧会
2024/10/5-11/3, Exhibited in the art exhibition “Intervention in to the Labyrinth” at Mikke Gallery
10/05/2024 → 11/03/2024
Mikke Gallery (Shinjyuku)
Artwork from ”Rediscover Project” is being exhibited in the art exhibition “Intervention in to the Labyrinth” at Mikke Gallery in Shinjuku, Tokyo, from October 5, 2024 to November 3, 2024.
Exhibition Title：Intervention in to the Labyrinth
Dates: October 5 (Sat) - November 3 (Sun), 2024
Artist：IKEDA Anri, YASUI Takanosuke, Rediscover Project, YAO Qingmei
Curator：KUTSUNA Miwa
Opening hours: 11:00-19:00
In the exhibition “Intervention in to the Labyrinth” by curator KUTSUNA Miwa, each space is filled with works with strong messages based on real-life absurd social problems, natural disasters, wars, and so on. All of these events are happening on the same planet, but many people are living the same everyday life without coming into contact with them. This exhibition allows visitors to intervene in the atmosphere of a society that is difficult to see, and it is a place where they can look at a reality that they are usually unaware of and ask themselves what they feel and what they find.
The Rediscover artworks on display at this exhibition were created in the wake of the Noto Peninsula earthquake. Rather than restoring the damaged Kutani porcelain* to its original state, Wajima-nuri craftsmen combined kintsugi and maki-e techniques to create a new work of art, while utilizing the accidental cross section as part of the piece. The work shows various colors and expressions from different angles, giving the impression as if it has a life of its own.
*White porcelain of Kutaniyaki: Kutaniyaki is characterized by gorgeous overglaze painting based on red, blue, yellow, purple, and dark blue, called “Kutani Gosai,” but it is white porcelain because it was damaged before painting.
We hope you will stop by each booth and enjoy viewing the works at your leisure while contemplating the messages they present.
“Intervention in to the Labyrinth”
Loss comes one day without a footstep.
We cannot avoid the absurdity that values and ideologies formed since childhood, daily life and familiar scenes that we have seen and experienced, which we thought would never change, are cruelly transformed by an event brought suddenly.
What is on display here are real-life memories of absurdity and loss. Please come to see the works of these three artists from different backgrounds, cultures and upbringings, influence each other and overlap each other in one space.
The labyrinth begins with the work of Takanosuke Yasui, an artist whose sculptures and paintings depict people being tossed about by the absurd. Then, Anri Ikeda's abandoned space spreads out. The work of collecting textures of her grandmother's belongings and memories and covering them with actual objects is as poignant as a specimen of memory. In the last space is a video work by Yao qingmei. A former socialist soprano saint sings patriotic songs, but no matter how much she sings, her singing is always interrupted and returns to the beginning. A closer look at the venue reveals some works from ”Rediscover Project”, which collects and organizes kutan-yaki, Wajima-nuri, and Suzu-yaki pottery that was broken in the area hit by the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
The absurdity, loss, and regret they observe are really dramas for us on the other side of the media. Is it like watching the war in Ukraine on the news and drinking tea in a warm house? No, not like that. Please, try to walk through this labyrinth. When different stories intersect, you will find yourself at the door of absurdity and memories of loss that we all have.
(quoted from Mikke Gallery HP)
Conclusion
We are honored to have the Rediscover project exhibiting with works from Ishikawa in this very significant exhibition organized by KUTSUNA Miwa.
The Rediscover artwork is based on a large number of ceramic pieces damaged by the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred on New Year's Day, 2024, and crafts from Ishikawa Prefecture such as Kutaniyaki and Suzu-yaki that were out of specification during the production process. Are these materials that were originally destined for disposal really worthless? Is it not possible to intermingle crafts from the same Ishikawa Prefecture, but with different cultures and histories in the north and south? Through artistic expression and the exhibition of works of art, we will continue to seek out unprecedented value and provide opportunities to rediscover values that existed before but were unnoticed.
