Japanese Text

For Immediate Release

Curated by Yuka Nakamura

Opening Reception  |  May 11,  (Fri), 3pm - 6pm
Meet The Artists from Japan
Tomoko Taniguchi & Takehiro Yoshimitsu Will Be in Attendance

Curator Yuka Nakamura says that KI (氣 in Chinese) - a concept derived from ancient times in Japan - accrues when we breathe. Breathing involves inhaling and exhaling; the two acts are inseparable and the intervals between them generate different kinds of rhythms. It is the rhythm of life that we feel ourselves and creates the impression that we convey to others. BREATHING, featuring mixed media works by artists, TOMOKO TANIGUCHI and TAKEHIRO YOSHIMITSU was exhibited at our Hong Kong gallery in 2010 and Art Beatus is pleased to present the works again in our Vancouver location from May 11 to July 6, 2012. 

Born during World War II in what is now known as North Korea, TOMOKO TANIGUCHI moved to Hiroshima immediately following the end of the war where she spent her childhood amidst the devastation of the A-bomb. The artist believes that living with a sense of indescribable danger and uncertainty awakened her desire to create. In her creative process, the reality of the moment, of being alive and present, emerges from her psyche and transforms into shapes, colours, and inspirations.  Taniguchi feels that our survival depends on production which inevitably brings about destruction. Her mission is to leave behind the beauty of life in her art.

TAKEHIRO YOSHIMITSU was born more than 30 years after the war and like many young people in contemporary Japan, faces the emptiness and uneasiness that comes with living in a place affected by war at a time of peace. With no targets to attack, his focus is on wars that exist elsewhere, pouring the naïveté within him into his art. The “digging out” style in which he applies then removes paint from his canvas is his method of confronting the saturated condition he senses within contemporary society, of coming face-to-face with the wars Japan experienced in the past, and the wars that have been ongoing for years in the world today. Creating and presenting his art is Yoshimitsu’s way of communicating with others and is part of the process of finding meaning for his existence.

While there is a generational difference between the artists, there is also a commonality in how war has spurred the development of their individual creative styles. While the rhythm of breathing between two persons defines their special relationship, the artists' different perspectives also create a tension. The rhythm that arises from the tension becomes the breath from both artists, and in turn, that rhythm or ki, will hopefully reach the hearts of audiences to the exhibit. BREATHING will open with a public reception on Friday, May 11 from 3pm to 6pm and both TANIGUCHI and YOSHIMITSU, from Japan, will be attending the event. Everyone is welcome. For more information, please visit our website, www.artbeatus.com or call the gallery in Vancouver, BC at 604.688.2633.