New Star Artists Vol.2
This is a group show of young artists organized by “Artglorieux,” the gallery at GINZA SIX. The previous Vol.1 featured artists gaining wide attention such as Yu Kawashima and Nozomi Hirata.
This second installment felt a little smaller in headcount, but the lineup still included artists worth watching and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Here we introduce five artists whose work left a strong impression.
Ai Kumehara
When it comes to Ai Kumehara’s shows in Tokyo, the writer has recently attended almost every single one.
What was different this time was that her works were shown “framed.” Framing gives them a very different atmosphere — a fine effect.
I especially liked “Ozakazuki (Great Sake Cup)”: the gold framing suited the work and gave it a dazzling impression. It felt like a mode of painting different from her past work.
The small “Kogarashi” recalls “Nukutoshi (Warmth)” shown at the “Kochifukaba” exhibition in January 2018 — it brought back memories of that time.
Mitsuru Ichikawa
The matière — layered on and then carved out — is a treasure chest of color. Mitsuru Ichikawa possesses outstanding technique and painterly power.
Kayoko Kimura
Kayoko Kimura’s flower works astonish when seen in person. They are mysterious pieces that go beyond ultra-realism. Categorizing her among “young artists” almost felt disrespectful.
Yukyo Yamamoto
Known for his one-yen-coin works, this was my first time seeing Yukyo Yamamoto’s smaller pieces. They somehow seem harder to pull off than his larger works. His female-subject works are quite intriguing.
The impact of the large-scale work I saw before at the Nikkei Nihonga Grand Prize Exhibition remains vividly etched in my memory.
Wataru Shimizu
An artist who paints beautiful nihonga.
Young they may be, but a show packed with such formidable talent is a calm and reassuring one to view.
I look forward to the next installment.
