Bosco Sodi “Iro Miede”Dates*: April 13 – May 26, 2012 Location: Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto gallery 1 (concurrent exhibition: Kyoko Murase “Waiting 100 Million Light Years Away”, gallery 2) Opening reception: Friday, April 13, 18:00-20:00
Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto is pleased to present “Iro Miede”, an exhibition of new works by Bosco Sodi, an internationally-exhibiting artist based in New York, Barcelona, Berlin, and Mexico. Born in Mexico in 1970, Sodi has had solo exhibitions at the Bronx Museum of the Arts (New York, 2010) and The Pace Gallery (New York, 2011). “Iro Miede” features six paintings made using organic materials in Sodi’s signature style. The artist has provided the following text and waka poem by Onono Komachi, translated by Arthur Waley, for the exhibition. yIro Miedez Iro miede A thing which fades Utsurou mono wa With no outward sign-- Yo no naka no Is the flower Hito no kokoro no Of the heart of man Hana ni zo arikeru In this world ! Ono No Komachi Translated by Arthur Waley
In this show, I want to approach the cherry blossom as a symbol of life’s physical transience and to show how the sakura reminds us of our humanity and mortality. In this series of white/pink paintings, I use a light-sensitive pink pigment which will become white through the years; allowing for the paintings’ final transformation to be completely white. In this way, I highlight the blossom’s symbol for life. In the end, I want to emphasize a profound truth: that life is too short to squander. Bosco Sodi
Sodi has a strong interest in non-artificial organic materials and mixes sawdust, wood pulp, and natural fibers with unadulterated pigments, glue, and water and works with them using his bare hands on horizontally positioned canvases. He views the production process as an exchange with the materials; his paintings are produced through a combination of several days of physical work and organic and unpredictable changes in the material itself. The artist mixes pigments into the material instead of applying them to the surface of his works to give form to the vibrant energy that resides within organic matter and nature. As the material dries out, they crack and create changes in color and texture. The resulting works exude a singular atmosphere and overwhelming presence.
The exhibition, co-organized with Yoshii Gallery (New York), will be on view from April 13 to May 26. The artist, who lives in New York, will be present at the opening reception on April 13.
Kyoko Murase “Waiting 100 Million Light Years Away” Dates: April 13 – May 26, 2012 Location: Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto gallery 2 (concurrent exhibition: Bosco Sodi “Iro Miede”, gallery 1) Opening reception: Friday, April 13, 18:00 - 20:00
Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto is pleased to present “Waiting 100 Million Light Years Away”, an exhibition of new works by Kyoko Murase. The artist’s first solo exhibition at Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto features a wall drawing in addition to a group of new drawings and paintings.
A lot of time can pass unnoticed when I’m in front of a picture. I feel a lot of time passes not simply drawing or painting an image, but also leading up to the moment of making an image. It seems as if I am depicting a moment, but the image includes multiple histories including times of doubt and uncertainty, which may indeed be a kind of entry into the work. Even if you enter the work, however, you may find that things are in flux, which can be simultaneously comforting and disturbing. I want to make the viewer vacillate and lose her sense of stability, by using unpleasant colors for example, and also rub myself the wrong way at the same time. The aim is to enrich the viewer’s sensibility without setting a clear goal. Shin Fukunaga, “ Artist Interview: Kyoko Murase,” Bijutsu Techo, July 2010
Throughout her oeuvre, Murase has continually produced new works with slight changes in subject matter. The resulting works, however, do not indicate a specific destination. Despite the figurative nature of her images, various elements, such as color selection, composition, and the texture of the paint on the canvas, create a place that is in flux and has no exit. The resulting labyrinthine site leads viewers to produce a wide range of interpretations. In Murase’s newest drawings and installation, the acts of drawing and being drawn produce an entrance into the picture.
The exhibition will be on view from April 13 to May 26. The artist, who lives in Germany, will be present at the opening reception on April 13.
Murase will also present a new wall drawing as a part of the Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum’s 10th Anniversary Exhibition: To Wander a Garden on view from April 21 to August 31. For exhibition details, please contact the Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum. www.vangi-museum.jp/e/ TEL +81(0)55 989 8787 For further information, please contact:
Taka Ishii Gallery, Kyoto / Junko Yasumaru www.takaishiigallery.com e-mail : kyoto@takaishiigallery.com 483 Nishigawa-cho Shimogyo-ku Kyoto #600-8325, Japan tel: +81(0)75 353 9807 fax: +81(0)75 353 9808 OpenF11:00 - 19:00 Closed on Sunday, Monday and National holiday
