Kazuki Umezawa × TAKU OBATA “Landscapes Beyond”
I went to see the joint exhibition “Landscapes Beyond” by Kazuki Umezawa (a.k.a. Ume-Lab) and TAKU OBATA. The venue is the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art.
It was a show I had been very much looking forward to, both out of curiosity to see how the two artists’ works would blend together and for the chance to view a large body of their work in one place.
Kazuki Umezawa left a strong impression on me with a No. 50 large-scale piece in a joint exhibition held at a gallery in Roppongi.
For TAKU OBATA, my favorite is the outdoor installation staged at Tokyo University of the Arts.
I had been paying attention to how each of their distinctive styles would come together.
The atrium space running from the second to the third floor of the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art was covered wall-to-wall with Kazuki Umezawa’s collage works — an overwhelming sight.
The show was presumably conceived on the basis that both artists are shaped by digital culture, but as a viewer, I was left wondering whether looking at the space centered on 《B-BOY》 really felt harmonious with Umezawa’s work. Personally, I like TAKU OBATA’s pieces more when they are shown in larger spaces or outdoors, where they really come alive.
Umezawa’s work is above all fun to view up close, savoring every detail — but taking in this sheer volume of visual information all at once is quite something.
The corner featuring his student-era works was fascinating and I looked at it with keen interest.
Summary
It was a simultaneous show pairing two artists with resonant sensibilities, but there were moments where it felt as though each was undercutting the other’s strengths.
There were so many pieces by Kazuki Umezawa on view that it felt like standing under a shower of his work. Given the sheer power of even a single work by him, this much volume may leave the viewer a little worn out.
TAKU OBATA’s video works had a mysterious flavor to them — simple, but I could linger with them for quite some time.
B-BOY, I felt, is a work that truly shines inside temples, shrines and other old buildings.
