I visited Shiori Ichikawa’s solo exhibition “FUNNY BONE.” The venue is TAKU SOMETANI GALLERY in Asakusabashi.
Shiori Ichikawa “FUNNY BONE”
The moment you enter the gallery, the scene that comes into view is startling.
Works are fixed onto white fabric-like sheets and suspended from above.
The credits for each work are painted by hand directly onto the fabric.
The display style resembles the hanging advertisements inside a train.
What may look like a novelty for its own sake actually partitions the space so each work can be appreciated in an independent area.
The structure invites viewers to stand face-to-face with each piece and take it in from the front.
You move through the space ducking to keep from bumping your head.
Artist Shiori Ichikawa grew up near an animal hospital from a young age.
Her works carry messages narrated from the perspective of animals and insects.
They contain expressions that we humans would never think of; there was a pleasure in projecting a third existence onto the work and yourself, imagining the world it evokes.
《A Mosquito Who Cheekily Tries to Stay Overnight》 2019, silkscreen on paper《Experiment / A Dog Whose Expression While Looking at Humans Was Experimented On》 2017, silkscreen on film《An Inventor Who Collects Warm Gazes》 2017, silkscreen on filmHard to convey in a photo, but the sparkling glitter incorporated into the print was beautifully done.《A Dog Humiliated by a Memory Quiz》 2018, silkscreen on paper《Weed-Scent Gum / Gum That Lets You Taste the Scent of the Weeds Where You Always Do Your Business, Even Without a Walk》 2017, silkscreen on film《Anti-Animal-Sexual-Harassment Poster》 2019, drawing on paper《Milk That Makes You Feel Sorry for the Cow》 2019, drawing on paper《A Tick Who Lives a Life Perpetually Awaiting an Encounter》 2019, drawing on paper《A Mosquito’s Guide to Tasty-Blood-Vessel Luck》 2019, drawing on paperInstallation view《A Dog Given a Hologram Bone No.2》 2019, drawing on paper《The Pigeon Representative Asserting Its Rights》 2019, drawing on paper
The printmaking was beautifully finished.
Her watercolor drawings, too, revealed a real mastery of craft.
The exhibition style seemed to fit her multifaceted messages perfectly, making for a truly satisfying show.
