ARARIO GALLERY Shanghai is proud to present Kohei Nawa (b.1975) solo exhibition, MOVEMENT, which will be opened from November 17, 2015 to January 31, 2016.
The exhibition, MOVEMENT, combines the title of the artist’s two series of work, Moment (Mo(ve)ment) series and Vessel, which will be the main focus of this exhibition. Further, the artist interest in ‘movement,’ directky reflected in his recent works, have also led to this exhibition title. The internationally acclaimed artist, Kohei Nawa has continuously broken the boundaries of contemporary Japanese art. Studied to become a sculptor, Nawa’s attentiveness in exploring many possibilities of creating forms and lines through different movements as well as his use of various mediums allow limitless possibilities in his works.
The artist merge and meld two contradicting characteristics into one coherent and penetrating work which create a visually attractive and powerful works also contain layers of significance within the conceptual realm. The exhibition will show the most extensive array of the two series to the public as well as other prominent series of work, including PixCell series, and Directions series. These works all use different definition of ‘movements’ to create and by doing so, widens the interpretation of the works. MOVEMENT will provide the audience an all-comprehensive introduction of the artist’s achievements as well as his entire oeuvre.
In Kohei Nawa’s widely known Moments use a pendulum movement of the ink machine that, again, is controlled by the artist in his decision of placement on the canvas. The dichotomy of flexibility and control together make the paintings seemingly impeccable, like a machine- made, yet the traces of the paint remind the viewer of the delicate and meditative process of the work.
The video work Vessel translates the sculptural elements of Kohei Nawa’s works, as seen in Vessel-Aimilios, into a beautifully choreographed dance that was produced in collaboration with Belgian artist Damien Jalet. The shifting state of an immobile rigid sculpture into a fluid movement allows the audience to widen their experience and understanding of the artist’s insight in different visual formats.
Resin, Taxidermy, Glass beads, Stainless steel, Alminium (includes pedestal: 52 × 59 H1.5 cm) 55 x 72 x 134 cm 2015
The ethereal sensation of the PixCell-Deer series, or more popularly known as “Beads,” portray a dreamlike sculptural work of a deer that, through scientific application of taxidermy together with the artist’s imagination into a simulacra. The facade of the work gives a visual effect of a 3-D pixel work through the application of ‘beads’ that also resembles bubbles of cells. The fragility of the amassed ‘beads’ create a splendid tension within a beautifully alluring work of art. “PixCell” is a compound word coined by the artist which stands for a ‘pixel’ and ‘cell.’
Another painting series, Direction, the artist enables the movement through using the force of gravity and letting the paint flow on its own across a 15 degrees tilted canvas. Despite the seemingly liberated process, the artist controls and decides the alignment of each lines and composition of the entire canvas through his own movements. Arario Gallery Shanghai would like to invite viewers for an opportunity to discover and contemplate on the multifaceted layers of Kohei Nawa’s works.
Kohei Nawa （b.1975），currently works as an Assistant Professor at Kyoto City University of Arts and is the founder and director of SANDWICH, a creative platform for art, design and architecture established in Kyoto in 2009. His works have been collected by The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Japan, Mori Art Museum, Sovereign Art Foundation, Central, Hong Kong, Leeum Samsung Museum, Seoul, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and many other prominent institutes.
