Project

Solo exhibition of Takako Azami at Nakamuraya Salon Museum of Art 2021
"Hana Suo 1902"
2019 sumi ink, pigments, gold mud, glue on hemp paper

  • Solo exhibition of Takako Azami at Nakamuraya Salon Museum of Art 2021

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Solo exhibition of Takako Azami at Nakamuraya Salon Museum of Art 2021

Artist

Due to the COVID-19, the exhibition Takako Azami: Process of Transformation was temporarily closed, which was postponed to 2021. This exhibit features on the works describing the plum trees in different seasons, landscape through the window developing to the new series gray net. The sign of breathing life will be the artist's response against the stagnation of the society.

The installation view of solo show "Takako Azami : Here" / There at Art Front Gallery, 2017


Since the solo exhibition Takako Azami: Here and There in 2017, Azami was awarded the Grand Prize for 7th Higashiyama Kaii Memorial Nikkei Japanese Painting Award, and exhibited in the Kagawa Prefectural Setouchi Museum during the session of Setouchi Triennale 2019.
She also participated in the group show Observation: Artists Confronting the Wonder of Looking Intently in Gunma Museum of Art, Tatebayashi. Her credited style of working from the reverse side of the paper as well as the characteristic of dotting in Sumi ink for familiar trees are present together with a new style are searched for.

The installation view of solo show "Takako Azami : Here" / There at Art Front Gallery, 2017


This time the artist has focused on the plum tree, and she sketched it repeatedly to grasp the structure of the tree trunk and branches before embarking on the painting process. She overlapped the dots in sumi ink, which bleeds on the paper. She once stated that the way of bleeding differs according to the kind of hemp paper as well as the its condition, whence come out the delicate variety of the style with different dialogue with the base of paper.

"Plum Tree 1907"
2019_Sumi ink, resinous glue on hemp paper, 2030 x 2650mm

“Plum Tree 2001“
2020_sumi ink, resinous glue on hemp paper, 2650 x 2030mm


In the center of “Plum tree 2001”, the tree is reduced to the dots and lines and a silhouette of the tree appear beyond these details. Seen from near, the dots appear with texture in real material while the viewer enjoy the contrast between “Plum Tree 1907” with thriving leaves or “Plum Tree 2001” with minute description of trunk and branches.

“Plum branch 2019”
sumi ink, pigments, glue on hemp paper 700 x 700mm


This piece of plum branch was once published in Nikkei Newspaper on November 3rd, 2019(Culture Day in Japan) . It includes some color variation, which may refer to another time of the day where the plum branch appears differently.

The installation view of solo show "Takako Azami : Here" / There at Art Front Gallery, 2017


The new gray net series also attracts the viewers. This series first appeared in the works of Azami in 2017 with her solo exhibit at Art Front Gallery where the grid in gray color covers the picture plane over the base.

"gray net 200102"
2020 sumi ink, pigments, glue on hemp paper 910 x 1165mm


Through this net grid, the artist depicted the dots gray net 191201 or branches from gray net 200101 to gray net 200201 with spectrum or scale of gray color, covering all over the picture plane.
The layer of grid will be added with tree trunks and branches, certainly opening a new stage of the artist. Please expect the story to develop with this series.

"gray net 191201"
2019 sumi ink, pigments, glue on hemp paper 910 x 1165 mm

The installation view of solo show "Takako Azami: Process of Transformation" at Nakamuraya Salon Museum of Art, 2020 / photo by Hideto Nagatsuka

For the information about the exhibition, please click here

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