Tomio Koyama Gallery Tokyo - Kyoto | TKG Editions　Ginza - Kyoto

» Introduction:

Sugito's work always bridge the gap between abstract and concrete. For viewers, who are entwined into the motif of worlds, the sense of rhythm between colors and shapes evokes physical sensations ? inhaling and exhaling, humming a song, stepping, etc. For Sugito, who lived in New York from the time he was three until fourteen, the medium of Japanese Painting, with its delicate pigments and material, has become an indispensable part of his being.

His early motifs featured a tower with small flames, took a bird's-eye view of the sea and a ship in flames, and small fighter planes floating in the sky; they existed as concrete objects, however, the planar surface also existed as whimsically expanding points and lines, color fields, and film. This time, the "curtain" motif has been used to as an important stage; it functions, however, as more than a performing stage, it assaults our physical perceptions and could be perceived as a gateway that will warp us to an unreal world. In the works "escape," "vent," "mirror". we are shoved through an unseen exit to an area reflected in a giant mirror. We are surrounded by a vast pond-like area where various worlds, such as the human world, exist as mere specks, and viewers are integrated into an optical illusion. In another series, which features "hanger man" and "elephant, buckle," Sugito depicts an elevated creature composed of lines and colored planes that lacks both expression and a story. It leads a silent and peaceful existence. In yet another "song" series, Sugito depicts a painting that expresses a close-up of sound. In "two tree songs," the exhibit at Art Tower Mito, two trees are painted in various ways. On the left-hand side the tree is presented in contour lines stands in front of a hwall and the visible window; the vivid lines and feather-like motif, function as a background filled by the tree, a symbol of life. The other tree is densely populated with green leaves. The various green, orange, and pink lines resemble gentle ghosts. As they breathe together, these trees act in stereo. The semi-transparent curtain sits on the barrier between existence and non-existence.

» Concept:

This exhibition, "Passage to the Sky," continues with four new large paintings and six to eight small paintings from the series "two tree songs." Sugito created the CD jacket artwork for the band Otonamode, who will perform live on the first day of the exhibition.

» Artist Biography:

Hiroshi Sugito was born in 1970 in Aichi prefecture, where he now based. He graduated from the Japanese Painting Department at Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music in 1992. He returns for his fifth solo exhibition at the gallery after an absence of four years. Among his many group exhibitions his work has been exhibited at VOCA ('98), the MOT Annual at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo ('99), "Noontime Meditation--Contemporary Japanese Art Having Inner Sight" at the Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Art ('99). His work has also been exhibited at "April Song," his solo exhibition at The Sculpture Garden Museum, Vangi Museo, Shizuoka, Japan ('06). In addition, his work can be seen now at Art Tower Mito in the group exhibition "The Door into Summer: The Age of Micropop," which is curated by Ms. Midori Matsui. On the international scene, he first wowed crowds with his work at group exhibition "Painting at the Edge of the World" at the Walker Art Center in 2001. He has also participated at the 8th Istanbul Biennalle ('03), and the solo exhibition "Focus" at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (Texas, USA).