Perfect Experience / Imagined Reverie -Through the perspectives of three artists-

This exhibition explores the function and poetic sentiment of imagery in painting, as woven through the perspectives of three artists.
In a world full of inevitable encounters with various others – both human and surroundings, evocative imagery that blurs the boundaries of inner and outer, encourages paradoxical ideas that it accentuates the physical reality. Bringing together the "cupboard (or perhaps, drawers) of memories" to revisit the relationship between the world in painting, which can be described as spatial poetry, unveils a vast inner world that can be seen as a reliving of artistic imagination and creation.
What we aim to address here is the autonomous activity of imagination and the various issues surrounding imagery that evokes poetic sensitivity.

Introduction of Artists

【Mariko Enomoto】
Mariko Enomoto is known for her unique and surreal artistic style, where she uses plants and animals to cover faces and figures, creating a distinctive atmosphere. She has worked on illustrations for Cho Nam-Joo’s novel " Kim Jiyoung, Born1982" (Chikuma shobou) and Mieko Kawakami’s serialized novel "The Yellow House" (Yomiuri newspaper), and these authors are being celebrated as feminist icons. The "anonymous" figures with hidden faces can be interpreted as a reflection of various anxieties and self-questioning about the future, almost like a mirror.

The act of "hiding women's faces" in Enomoto's art may suggest the visualization of women's anonymity in contemporary society, where they are sometimes forced into anonymity in various exploitative situations. This can be seen in the context of Cho Nam-Joo’s novel "Kim Jiyoung, Born1982" where women in Korea often lose their names upon marriage, and the female characters in the story are specifically referred to by their full names as a form of critique. The act of name-stripping (forcing anonymity) also strips the dignity of individuality and is a sign of not being recognized as a human being. This kind of situation is easy to imagine even in modern-day Japan, where separate surnames for married couples are not allowed. It leads to disadvantages in various administrative procedures, such as public support and inheritance.

From the perspective of family ideology, this also touches on the ideology of love and marriage. Mariko Enomoto's artwork for Ayumi Ishijima's book "Feminism of Concubines and Mistresses: The Hidden History of Monogamy in Modern and Contemporary Times" (Seiunsha) also discusses the anonymity of women's faces. This work evaluates and examines the historical changes in the role and social image of "women."

While it might be possible to discuss Enomoto's portrayal of women in a broader sense, including the works in this exhibition, motifs like flowers and insects covering faces, especially eyes, could symbolize an acceptance of the power of nature that cannot be avoided. The use of the motif of the "snake" can be seen as a suggestion of suffering or as a mythological element. On the other hand, it can also be seen as a symbol of a certain kind of wisdom. In any case, this chain of images seems to hint at the circumstances surrounding the "women" depicted on the canvas.

The absence of the "subject" in Enomoto's work, the act of hiding faces, could be seen as a mystery that reflects many social situations from a surrealist perspective. Particularly from a historical standpoint, the representation extracted from Enomoto's work might strongly evoke the art of René Magritte. However, this assessment is not limited to Magritte alone. For example, there are unsettling visual narratives reminiscent of the avant-garde surrealism of Twombly (1902-1980), a prominent female painter who led Czech surrealism. Twombly's works often feature the absence of a clear "subject" and contain depth and thematic richness in her illustrations. Similarly, in the Eastern context, the art of Shoko Okagami often features the absence of a "subject" in a cutting-edge surrealist world view. From a surrealist perspective, the focus has historically been on the "hidden content" rather than formal issues, and the representation of the hidden "faces" may serve as a conduit for chasing the invisible "subjects" that hover in the distance on the canvas, shuttling between society and the self.

【Towa Takaya】
I'd like to highlight "Sakura Series" since 2020. The motif of "sakura" (cherry blossoms) goes beyond a mere material approach to the collective "self" embodied by the cherry blossoms themselves. Through a Jungian perspective, one can unravel the societal customs and traditional spirits that can be associated with the sakura, reminding us of the "commons" we collectively share, primarily in Japan.

The ethnic memory that Japanese people hold about sakura might seem to primarily celebrate the arrival of the beautiful seasons adorned with cherry blossoms. However, it also serves as a catalyst for reevaluating traditional values that have appreciated and cherished beauty. In contrast to Damien Hirst's recent "sakura" series, where he discusses "beauty, life, and death," Towa Takaya's sakura carries a distinctly social orientation. It breathes new life into the sensitivity of society inherent in the "beauty" that gives rise to poetic sentiments.

This exhibition features a metaphysical exploration that delves into the question of "what is existence," along with the process of painting generation. "Mental images" are defined as non-linguistic internal representations, and each of us has our own sensory memory images and imaginative images that correspond to our individual senses. Fusing the images created through recollection and imagination, a mystical and fantastical space unfolds on the canvas. Faced with this, we, as viewers, are left to entrust our own interpretations and the mental images each of us conjures when confronting the paintings.

【Yuuka Ishii】
Yuka Ishii creates paintings that incorporate motifs and brushwork reminiscent of stereotypical Western art, such as fruits, plants, vases, landscapes, and the use of alphabets, playing cards, and piano sheet music as symbolic elements in her work.

At first glance, these seemingly disconnected themes are brought together on the canvas. While in the context of written text, this might feel discordant, in her paintings, it evokes a sense of poetry and an ambiguous feeling of not quite settling anywhere. The artist mentions the importance of the sensation of being both "painterly" and "non-painterly," along with not grounding the imagery anywhere, creating a sense of suspension. The contrast between the so-called painterly motifs like fruits, plants, and vases, and the symbolic motifs with less apparent connections, serves as an attempt to explore how a painting comes into existence.

By inserting seemingly unrelated images into traditionally depicted motifs, as seen in Western art, it generates a certain "shift" in the viewer. Even motifs that appear to have rational or mathematical symbols take on an indescribable, peculiar sense of scale produced by this shift.