From July 2 (Fri.) to July 13 (Sat.), 2024, Gallery COLORBEAT in Seoul, Korea, will present “Emerging Echoes: Presenting Realism,” a group exhibition, featuring seven young artists introduced by aaploit. This is the second exhibition in collaboration with Gallery COLORBEAT, following Lee Ye Rim’s solo exhibition held at aaploit in February of this year.
How do we live in this time of uncertainty and confusion when the future is unclear? The sense of stagnation in Japanese society, the end of lifetime employment and competition, the dilemma between autonomy and cooperation, and the suffocating sense of excessive self-responsibility brought about by the spread of the Internet are central themes. The artists participating in this exhibition are creating art that responds to these contemporary societal issues through their own perspectives. This exhibition aims to present their responses to the current situation.
Participating Artists (alphabetical order)
Aoi Michimata
Aoi Michimata has a strong interest in media and satire, and uses woodblock reproduction techniques to explore ways of representing contemporary society. Her representative series, “Kafka’s Staircase,” vividly captures the plight of confused young people who navigate between worlds with no clear sense of belonging. The use of woodblock prints creates a unique blend of form and content, merging a whimsical, picture-book aesthetic with serious, thought-provoking themes.
Dayama Hakusai
Dayama Hakusai creates works under the theme of “depicting cheerful girls with energizing medicines.” The colors of the OPP sheets that wrap the medicines inspire expressive works of art. You will be surprised by the variety of colors of the sheets and imagine the wide range of medicines available. While medicine has both positive aspects in curing illnesses and negative aspects in potentially creating dependency, Dayama presents a neutral attitude by simply focusing on the colors.
Each work is accompanied by a prescription, but it is not an actual prescription, as the medication has already been removed. Nevertheless, viewers will find that Dayama’s work evokes a sense of energy and vitality.
HIKARU ishiguro
Hikaru Ishiguro’s practice involves creating works of art by overlaying the mental images that emerge from his inner world with the objects around him. Although Ishiguro studied Japanese-style painting, he freely chooses supports such as canvas or board and explores new areas, including using acrylic paint as his medium. His works range from installations to three-dimensional pieces. The long winters in the Tohoku region, where his roots lie, and the spirituality nurtured during these winters evoke animism and create the illusion that one can hear voices coming from the canvas.
itokwa en
Itokawa Yen began working as an NFT creator in January 2023. NFT art is characterized not only by the work itself but also by the way it creates and engages with communities. In less than a year, Itokawa has built her NFT community both broadly and deeply. Her work demonstrates the new form of community seen in Web3.
MAho haruna
Maho Haruna reconstructs the composition and colors of paintings to create works that seem to emerge from the paintings themselves. Haruna accumulates drawings on days when she focuses solely on painting, and from these drawings, her paintings gradually take shape. She challenges herself with random compositions and works with an ascetic’s dedication, drawing paintings out of a pile of sketches.
nene tatsumi
Nene Tatsumi has a unique background. She graduated from Keio University with a B.A. in Law, graduated from the Sorbonne University, and studied oil painting at the Tokyo University of the Arts. Drawing on her background in law, she explores the human form, focusing on the theme of crime and punishment. Through portraits with powerful gazes and scenes depicting accidents, she straightforwardly depicts human desires, actions, and the resulting emotional turmoil.
Yuuki nanya
Yuuki Nanya’s work delves into the changing expressions of emotion over time and across cultures, exploring social norms, attitudes, and gestures that are considered correct, as well as the suffocation caused by the disconnect between the gaze of others and one’s own inner world. By transposing these emotions and interpreting the negative as positive, he produces works that stir the emotions of the viewer. Through abstract yet concrete images, he conveys deep emotions and expresses the generational gap.
The exhibition will be held in Seoul, Korea. For inquiries about this exhibition in Japan, please contact info@aaploit.com.
Exhibition overview
Emerging Echoes: Presenting Realism
Dates: Tuesday, July 2, 2024 – Saturday, July 13, 2024
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00-18:00 (Closed: Sunday, Monday)
Venue: Gallery COLORBEAT https://www.instagram.com/gallerycolorbeat/
201, 3, Donggwang-ro 15-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, Korea 06561 (Bangbae-dong 792-21)